Senior Program Manager - DRC

About VillagereachVillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone. We are driven by a vision of a world where each person has the health care needed to thrive. VillageReach's goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care for 350 million people by 2030. We work with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products, information and services to the most under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization, VillageReach has offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique and the United States.This position is being advertised contingent upon award; while the recruitment process will proceed as part of the organizational preparedness, no formal offer will be extended until funding is confirmed. SummaryThe Senior Program Manager will serve as the project manager and award manager to a new potential large grant with a focus on improving immunization coverage in Lomami province in DRC, with components of supply chain, service delivery, data systems, and M&E. The Senior Program Manager will work closely with the Immunization Lead at VillageReach who will serve as the main Program Lead for donor relationship management and technical leadership. They will also work closely with the VillageReach DRC team, along with Global Technical Team, the Research, Evidence & Learning teams, as well as with global, regional, and country partners and donors.DescriptionEssential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.Project Management and Coordination (50%)Coordinate development, regular updating and oversee implementation of an integrated workplan, including deliverables, milestones, responsibilities, dependencies, risks, and decision points across technical workstreamsEstablish and maintain clear project governance, including terms of reference, meeting cadence, decision-making processes, and action tracking for internal and external coordination bodiesWork closely and coordinate with the Immunization Lead who will serve as the Program Lead for donor relationship management, technical leadership, budget management, and decision-making. Coordinate with Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) colleagues to ensure performance data, learning questions, and adaptive-management decisions are regularly reviewed and used to improve implementationSupport effective coordination with government counterparts and implementing partners to align activities with provincial and national immunization priorities and avoid duplication with other investmentsSelect, configure, and maintain appropriate project management software and tools; and ensure teams are trained and using these tools consistentlyDevelop, implement and maintain practical knowledge management processes to capture, organize, and share project documentation, technical resources, implementation decisions, lessons learned, and evidence across VillageReach teams and partners. This should include a centralized, accessible project repository with clear file-management standards, version control, templates, and defined responsibilities for updating key materialsCoordinate program implementation with DRC country teamsManage grant milestones, ensuring timely and quality execution of all deliverablesPlan and facilitate a routine cadence of program meetingsEnsure synergies and dependencies are being managed across teamsGrant Administration, Budget Management and Compliance (20%)Provide strategic technical oversight for the grant and contractsManage financials (budget and expenditure tracking) and provide technical oversight to the grant and contracts team, including budget management, regular reviews, and reforecasting. Prepare donor communications, including reports and preparing for donor meetings. Manage grant budget including expense approvals, forecasting as needed, consultant and/or subaward management, and conducting a final review of expensesEnsure timely, accurate, and compliant donor reporting, coordinating inputs across technical, finance, M&E, and country teams and conducting quality assurance before submissionMaintain complete and organized grant documentation, including approvals, reports, deliverables, budget revisions, agreements, and key donor correspondenceCoordinate with finance and grants & contracts teams to support accurate forecasting, timely invoicing or financial reporting, and proactive resolution of budget variancesGlobal Dissemination (20%)Coordinate with Communications team for development of briefs, presentations, case studies, webinars, learning events, and other communications productsIdentify opportunities to share project learning through relevant global, regional, and national immunization and primary health care forums, positioning VillageReach as a thought leader on equitable immunization deliveryLiaise with VillageReach communications team to produce communications materials including white papers, blogs, social media, collateral, and talking pointsSupport to Immunization Lead and Technical Leadership (10%)Serve as a core operational partner to the Immunization Lead, helping to manage incoming requests, priorities, deadlines, and follow-up actions across and in addition to the projectPrepare briefing materials, meeting agendas, decision notes, presentations, and other materials to support the Immunization Lead's engagement with donors, government counterparts, partners, and internal teamsCompetencies:VillageReach has ten (10) Organizational Competencies that describe how we work together and get things done that are grouped into three strategic areas of Achieving Great Results, Setting Direction and, Bringing Others With you. For a full description, please download our Organizational Competency document.Achieving Great Results: Risk Taking and Innovation Key Behaviors: Comfort with ambiguity, curiosity, adaptability, unconstrained and undeterred creativity, resourcefulness Business Judgement Key Behaviors: Getting to root causes, understanding environment, navigating complexity and ambiguity, entrepreneurial energy Building Strong Teams Key Behaviors: Trust in Subject Matter Experts (SME's); radical candor to resolve conflict, hold each other accountable as colleagues, focused on results, commitment to missionSetting Direction: Compelling Communication Key Behaviors: Clear and evidence-based communication, audience adaptability, curious listener Resilient Self Leadership Key Behaviors: Self-aware, plan how one shows up, emotionally intelligent, use one's own agency and takes accountability Stewardship and Personal Alignment Key Behaviors: Take ownership, display ethical conduct, effective at resource management, alignment of personal objectives with organizational goals and mission, focus on continuous improvement and sustainabilityBringing Others with You: Influencing Leadership Key Behaviors: Cultivate trust, influences to make change, navigate the matrix structure Radical Partnership Key Behaviors: Share information and credit, address conflict, increase impact through collaboration, political and contextual awareness Cultivates a Growth Mindset Key Behaviors: Seek out diverse input, demonstrate flexibility in thinking and curiosity, embrace challenges, demonstrate persistence, seek learning opportunities Cultural Intelligence and Inclusion Key Behaviors: Continuous learning and ally-ship across cultural lines, challenge prejudice and bias, modeled in one's own behaviorRequirementsREQUIREMENTSTo perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.Supervisory Responsibilities: This position may directly supervise up to 1-2 employees. Supervisory responsibilities will be carried out in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; monitoring performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; and addressing complaints and resolving problems.Education & Experience: Degree in business administration, project management, public health, international development, or related fieldA minimum of 10 years of experience working in global health or international development, specifically immunization or related fieldExperience managing complex projects (including budget), coordinating with global and local stakeholders, and working in matrixed organization. A background in consulting may be helpful but not mandatoryStrong communication and cross-cultural management skills with experience working with high-level organization leaders political officials. Experience in working with the DRC Ministry of Health and thorough understanding of the DRC health challengesSuperb writing skills and the ability to assemble, distill, and analyze information for decision-making and presentationsDemonstrated experience configuring and using project management software and tools (e.g., Asana, Coda, Smartsheet, or similar), including setting up project structures, workflows, and task assignments, and developing templates, Gantt charts/timelines, dashboards, and status trackers to support effective project planning, coordination, and managementAbility to collect and analyze data quickly and efficiently. Ability and confidence to identify and recommend creative solutions to a diverse group of stakeholders. Identifies both opportunities and needs for change. Ability to identify issues or problems and provide a respective solution that is feasible and acceptable to the local context. Demonstrate good energy, intelligence, diplomacy, sound practical judgment and the ability to work independently without supervisionOther Qualifications:Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groupsDemonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, under-served and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plusPassion for the mission of VillageReach, including strong commitment to global health, and a belief in the role of private sector solutions to public health systems. Proficient in Microsoft 365 (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, Teams) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment. Experience with a diverse set of project management software and tools a plusProficiency in French and English is required. Interviews will be conducted in both languages. Ability to travel in DRC and internationally, about 40% of the time. Environment and Physical Demands:VillageReach employees typically work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Due to the time zone differences across our USA, Kenya and Country Offices and location of other global staff, we have established core collaboration hours between 6am Pacific Time and 18:00 South Africa Time (GMT+1) Monday through Thursday. All staff, regardless of location are expected to be available between these hours. During Daylight Savings Time, this allows for 12 hours per week (3 hours/day) of collaboration time and during Standard Time, 8 hours (2 hours/day). We do not hold cross-office meetings on Friday.COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most under-reached and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.APPLICATION INFORMATION:Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with an anticipated start date in October, 2026. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter and a writing sample of not more than 2 pages to our online portal: http://www.villagereach.org/join-us/. In your cover letter, please address (1) Why you are interested in this position, (2)What is one reason you think you'd be a good fit for this position and, (3) what is one strength you would bring to this position?Hiring Process:The hiring process will include the following steps: Review submitted applications Conduct 20-30 minute screening interviews for shortlisted candidates Conduct skills and value-based interviews for 3-5 candidates Conduct final interview if necessary Request references Make offer Conduct background checkOnly shortlisted candidates will be contacted, but candidates who proceed to step 2 will be notified if they are not chosen for step 3.Safeguarding:VillageReach is committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults, and beneficiaries with whom it engages. We expect everyone working with us to share this commitment through our code of conduct.All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which may include criminal records. VillageReach participates in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, in line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants' previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.BenefitsCompensation & Benefits:VillageReach has an established compensation structure that is based on the relevant market and internally transparent. The range for this position is $79,600 to Midpoint $98,700. We hire people into the established range based on one's experience and education and considering internal equity. We do not inquire about salary history. Please refer to our compensation overview on our website for more information and for more information on employee benefits.