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Search For Common Ground

Program Manager - State Resilience

Search For Common Ground, Washington, District of Columbia, us, 20022


Recognizing the severity of the challenges we face requires nothing less than the best of all of us. We work to foster social cohesion, pushing back on toxic polarization, for a new way forward, built from our experience of supporting recovery from violent conflict in dozens of countries around the world.

Together, Search for Common Ground's Common Ground USA (Search/CG-USA) and Over Zero (OZ) will build state-wide leader networks. These networks will empower diverse civil society stakeholders with strengthened relationships, skills, and tools to collaboratively prevent rising tensions and political and electoral crises.

The program is committed to starting in one state but is exploring work in multiple. These state-level networks will be built and scaled through 2025, spanning the 2022 midterms (early stage work) and the 2024 election cycle, its aftermath, and any additional flashpoints throughout this period.

The ideal candidate is passionate about conflict transformation and coalition-building. They also have extensive experience in program management, implementation, and facilitation.

Responsibilities

Support development and maintenance of national and state-level staff relationships with state-level partner organizations. Assist broader team with model and development of a political violence prevention curriculum. Support risk management and mitigation in program implementation. Maintain the overall management of the project budget, including monitoring budgeted versus actual expenditures, tracking project revenue, and subawards. Develop policies, tools, and templates for program implementation and learning.

Contributions Support and facilitate the project design and work plan process in line with Search's strategy, analyze current program implementation practices, and articulate recommendations for mitigation of risks. Collaborate with other team members in developing policies and standard operating procedures on project implementation processes. Help oversee state fellows, strategize, and build their capabilities on proactive and responsive action. Prepare analysis for partnership decision-making, including identifying, conducting outreach to, and coordinating with prospective partners. Oversee the financial management of the project, including maintenance of the project budget, implementation, monitoring, and compliance with financial standards applicable to internal and donor requirements. Immerse and connect with national and state-level individuals and organizations working on democracy, bridge-building, social justice, and other relevant fields. Build partnerships and donor relations in line with strategy. Assist with ensuring donor compliance through strengthening systems, policies, and procedures. Provide finance support in development of cost-related responses to post-submission donor questions/requests for revision. Support grant start-up and close-out of key and strategic grants in the CG-USA portfolio and position the teams in a better technical position to implement and monitor compliance.

Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) Engage and communicate effectively across functions and across teams. Demonstrate appreciation for diversity of thought and build cross-functional relationships with other functional departments. Initiate brainstorming or problem-solving meetings. Develop skills for analyzing and communicating program successes and failures; report lessons learned to the team and other members. Build relationships and engage effectively with vendors, organizations, professional associations, partners, funders, and Search's network of experts critical to the area of purview. Use resiliency and exhibit flexibility and adaptability to changing tasks and team priorities. Articulate Search and Common Ground USA's program/project goals and objectives within and external to Search; support development of program objectives, indicators, and results; and participate in strategy development for the team. Overcome obstacles, including personal biases, by following Search's ethics code in complex situations; displayed in activities as ethical principles and values that guide professional interactions. Work across functions from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things. Sensitively recognize ethical situations. Independently prioritize time to reach deadlines and achieve end results of assignments with the ability to accomplish multiple steps with limited to no supervision.

Type and Nature of Contacts Routinely coordinate with colleagues and consultants on-site and in the field and resolve problem situations with tact. Represent, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.

Education and Experience Typically BS/BA with a minimum of 6 years' experience.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel across the United States at least 20%.

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility May supervise two or more staff members.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. #J-18808-Ljbffr