Director, Program Mgmt

Chemonics International, Inc.

About The Position

Chemonics seeks a Director, Program Mgmt for the USG Portfolio under the Supply Chain Management (SCM) team. The Program Director is a senior management position that provides senior-level project management, technical, new business, and management/leadership. The director provides overall leadership to day-to-day work and staff supervision, operates in leadership roles for one or more technical assistance projects, new business development, and/or technical assignments, and increasingly contributes to business unit (BU) and corporate strategies, financial management, and staff development and supervision.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience; Master’s degree preferred
Minimum 8 years of relevant project management
Minimum 2 years of supervisory experience and leading teams
Demonstrated experience solving complex technical, managerial, or operational problems and evaluating options based on relevant information, resources, well-rounded experience, and knowledge
Operates at advanced levels of authority and controls significant activities, budgets, and resources to produce and take responsibility for results
Advanced knowledge and skills within a relevant technical or professional discipline with broad understanding of other areas within the job area
Fluency in and demonstrated application of financial and project management systems
Conceptualizes, outlines, performs, and directs the research and writing of technical documents (reports, proposals, professional articles)
Leads effective meetings and demonstrated presentation skills
Recognized by others as an experienced international development practitioner in a specific technical area; contributes consistently to mentoring staff
Demonstrated leadership, management, organizational, and decision-making skills
Demonstrated experience managing and supervising staff assigned to a department or several project teams and new business efforts; demonstrates leadership, versatility, and integrity
Willingness to travel and work abroad up to 3 months per year
Works effectively both independently and as part of a team
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience working in international development and/or living or conducting work in developing countries preferred
Language proficiency for assigned geographic area preferred

Responsibilities

Directs program implementation for one or more programs within the BU
Collaborates closely with the chief of party in developing work plans, ensuring timely resources to execute plans, supervising progress, and reporting of implementation, ensuring proper technical direction in fulfilling the project scope of work, and conceptualizing new strategies to improve performance
Supervises project financial performance leads project closeouts and final reports and resolves problems related to project implementation
Conducts periodic supervisory visits to assess the status of project activities or to participate in technical or evaluation work in the project office
Confers regularly with the BU's SVP on project direction and strategy and makes decisive and timely decisions that positively impact project outcomes
Develops effective working relationships with clients, counterparts and stakeholders and continually promotes outstanding client service with corporate office staff and project teams; leads discussions as part of quarterly client consultations; leads response on CPAR in consultation with the chief of party and submits the final version in the system
Plans and directs corporate office and project technical activities for project startup, briefing the project team on the business development proposal and award process, with special emphasis on the technical approach strategy and resulting initial work plan
Supervises the recruitment of project staff and develops guidelines consistent with corporate policies, scopes of work, position qualifications, and selection of candidates
Establishes and implements tactical and operational plans by leading mid-sized projects, with significant impact on the achievement of project results
Develops short-term strategies (less than 1 year) to achieve business results, which may require substantial development of new processes, standards, or operational plans to achieve strategic goals
Develops processes and procedures to implement established strategies within a project or function
Adheres to program strategy and protocols and manages based on precedent or by seeking out guidance from more senior leaders
In collaboration with chief of party, develops and supervises implementation of strategies to optimize profitability and reduce cost overruns; approves overhead expenses per policy
Serves as negotiator or leads negotiation team for amendments and other changes to assigned contracts or agreements; serves as acting chief of party as necessary
Recommends and/or leads strategic staff recruitment
Takes initiative to promote business opportunities, implement efficiencies, and realize cost savings for the BU
Anticipates corporate risk, implements strategies, and takes steps, including those that require cross-departmental and corporate-level collaboration, to lessen impact or mitigate those risks; leads documentation and open sharing of best practices and important innovations company-wide, including in the project office
Delivers effective oral and written presentations that advance development assistance knowledge and understanding and communicates in a way that persuades and promotes openness and innovation
May contribute dedicated time to other workstreams and functions to achieve BU goals, including new business, operations, and technical practice contributions
Applies in-depth technical expertise to projects’ technical goals and objectives, new business efforts, and Chemonics knowledge base. Leads technical assignments
Advances body of knowledge (e.g., innovations, best practices, lessons learned) and quality standards in primary discipline and practice networks; formulates approaches to guide project work, new business efforts, and technical assignments; and advises clients on technical trends and programming priorities
Assumes a leadership role(s) in practice network development and professional societies, represents company at technical conferences, and prepares or improves technical and development practitioner publications
Ensures quality of project reports and deliverables; ensures project technical objectives are met in partnership with the chief of party and troubleshoots when deviations are needed
Identifies opportunities to conduct billable assignments in coordination with supervisor; sets billability targets to contribute to a billable project work or technical area
Analyzes development funding trends and priorities; formulates strategies, new directions, and techniques to grow the company and improve market share; and networks with clients, consultants, and counterparts regarding new business opportunities
Undertakes leadership role in proposal development, analyzing and recommending bid decisions, and conceptualizing team, technical approaches, and cost strategies to gain competitive advantage; leads new business efforts, including leveraging network of industry contacts and assuming leadership roles on proposals, including, but not limited to, lead capture, czar, technical writer, section writer and cost preparer. Mentors staff on proposal roles
Travels periodically to explore new business opportunities, represent Chemonics, or gather information to write a technical proposal. Interacts with key client and counterpart staff to strategically influence new programming decisions and develops and negotiates strategic partnerships with local firms
Cultivates partnerships with international firms for the purposes of strategic new business proposal efforts as well as local, in-country partners
Supervises, mentors, and evaluates multiple direct reports, communicating clear performance goals and standards, offering regular performance feedback and prompt resolution of problems, and time and opportunity to grow and develop in key competency areas; promotes staff development through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating professional growth
Promotes and exemplifies Chemonics’ values and ethical standards and manages staff to achieve team and development objectives
Demonstrates inclusive behaviors and leadership consistent with Chemonics’ values and leadership competencies
Creates a productive and motivating work environment for staff by promoting cooperation and teamwork across departments, staying abreast of management, leadership, and team-building strategies and advocating for them within Chemonics; promotes the building of a strong partnership between project and corporate offices based on open exchange
Supervises the chief of party and program managers and provides timely and constructive feedback through frequent as well as quarterly and annual reviews; performs other duties as assigned by the SVP
Serves in acting SVP capacity, as required