Description The Democratic Openings in Latin America Opportunity seeks to improve socioeconomic wellbeing, strengthen social infrastructure, and help revitalize democratic institutions in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Over the mid- to long-term, the opportunity will support new democratic possibilities through coalitions that broaden support for democracy, community work at the local level where marginalized populations experience democracy most directly, and democratic culture bolstered by new narratives and communications strategies.Role PurposeThe Program Manager plays a critical role in implementing the Democratic Openings in Latin America Opportunity, which uses grantmaking, advocacy, communications, and impact investing to achieve the opportunity's goals.
The program manager will have expertise on issues relating to democracy and socioeconomic wellbeing in Latin America and will be responsible for day-to-day relationships and coordination with grantees and partner organizations.
The role involves sustained attention to complex problems, rigorous planning and evaluation, and autonomy to pursue new ideas and approaches.Key Responsibilities As Program Manager, you will:Support the Director of the Democratic Openings in Latin America Opportunity in planning, implementing, and delivering on the opportunity's outcomesLiaise with grantees to ensure the opportunity is designed, implemented, and exited according to the outcomes definedWork collaboratively with other opportunity team members and with colleagues across the organization to ensure the opportunity is effectively leveraging Open Society's capabilities to reach the agreed outcomesEffectively manage the grant-making process by communicating with grantees for proposal submission and assisting in grant record preparation, grants processing, payments, reporting, and other related processesBuild a strong understanding of the field and partnerships in developing and designing the grant selection processesManage relationships with partners, in close coordination with Geographic Policy Groups as relevant, and work with them to achieve OSF's strategic objectives through the opportunityWork with leadership to maintain grant-making practice aligned with OSF's approach to grant-making and in compliance with organizational and external standards and regulationsAssist in the construction, maintenance, and assessment of grant making portfolio(s), sharing responsibility for strategy design with managerContribute to opportunity strategyProcess and oversee progress of consultant contractsMonitor progress implementation, project risks, and other relevant status updates and communicate to the DirectorPerson Specification Qualifications Essential: Educated to a degree-level (or equivalent)Desirable: Post-graduate education relevant to democracy and socioeconomic wellbeing in Latin AmericaExperience Essential: Several years' experience in one or multiple organizations, with comprehensive proficiency in relevant fields or subject areas; this experience should be related to democracy and socioeconomic wellbeing in Latin AmericaPrior experience engaging with government, nonprofit, private, and multilateral sectors in Latin AmericaCompetencies Functional Competencies: Conceives, designs and manages cross-department, cross-program or similarly complex projects; expected to effectively manage time, budget and stakeholders and network-wide or similarly complex coordinationAble to generate, capture and organize information and knowledge to deliver prescribed outcomesAbility to conduct research to drive decision making by managementSkilled in drawing out patternsExperience in budgeting, strategic analysis and planningExperience working well with a variety of public, private and nonprofit stakeholdersBuilding and maintaining networks of stakeholdersPromote strategic cooperation with governmental and other sectorsKnowledge of grant making best practices and the field of philanthropyDemonstrate care and concern about partner organizations and the people who work in themPersonal Competencies: Ability to work independently and being self-motivatedDemonstrates commitment to OSF's core values of humility, commitment, collaboration, respect, inclusivity and integrityAble to build consensus with diverse audiences/stakeholdersPossesses cultural sensitivity to work respectfully and effectively in different settingsProven experience in collaborating with multi-country stakeholdersWillingness to adjust working hours to include calls and discussions with colleagues and vendors located in various geographic regionsCommitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism and social justiceLanguages: Excellent written and spoken EnglishFluency in Spanish; proficiency in Portuguese would be an asset
