Program Officer, Community Solutions (CSP)

IREX•Washington, DC

About The Position

IREX is seeking a Program Officer to lead assigned workstreams across the Community Solutions Program lifecycle. The role covers recruitment and selection, participant onboarding and support, U.S. practicums and regional engagement, curriculum and events, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), alumni programming, reporting, finance, procurement, and award compliance. The Program Officer manages key work products and timelines, coordinates participants and partners, resolves routine implementation challenges, and guides junior team members. The position requires an organized, solutions-oriented professional with sound judgment, attention to detail, and a commitment to responsive participant and partner support. The Program Officer works closely with internal colleagues and external stakeholders in the United States and internationally, supports participant progress and well-being, and applies escalation protocols for sensitive concerns. The role also supports program renewal and new business efforts through research, proposal contributions, budget review, donor briefings, and identification of prospective partners or consultants.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree.
At least three years of relevant professional experience supporting international exchange, leadership development, workforce or economic development, education, youth, fellowship, or other donor-funded or participant-centered programs.
Demonstrated experience managing projects, events, partnerships, participant-facing activities, or operational functions with increasing levels of responsibility.
Ability to independently manage multiple program workstreams, prioritize competing deadlines, solve routine problems, and deliver high-quality results with limited supervision.
Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including experience developing and monitoring work plans, timelines, budgets, risks, and deliverables; anticipating implementation challenges; recommending practical solutions; and adapting to changing program needs.
Excellent written, oral, and relationship-management skills, including the ability to draft and edit professional materials, facilitate meetings and trainings, and build productive stakeholder relationships across cultural, professional, and geographic contexts.
Demonstrated judgment, discretion, and responsiveness when supporting participants and stakeholders and handling confidential, sensitive, or time-critical information.
Experience managing several program functions, such as recruitment and selection, participant advising, partner engagement, events and travel, curriculum delivery, MEL, alumni programming, reporting, finance, procurement, or grants administration.
Experience implementing international exchange, leadership development, workforce or economic development, education, fellowship, youth, or other donor-funded or participant-centered programs.
Experience planning and implementing virtual and in-person events, trainings, workshops, orientations, and professional learning activities.
Experience providing guidance, coaching, or work direction to junior staff, interns, consultants, volunteers, or external partners.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Copilot, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint, and ability to learn and manage program, survey, learning, and financial systems.
Ability to support occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend program activities and travel domestically and internationally as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with U.S. Government-funded programs and familiarity with applicable compliance, procurement, financial management, documentation, and reporting requirements.
Experience using Canvas to support online learning activities.
Experience using Canva to develop clear, accessible program and participant-facing materials.

Responsibilities

Lead assigned program workstreams from planning through closeout, ensuring timely, accurate, and thoughtful delivery.
Manage processes related to recruitment and selection, participant onboarding, travel and visas, participant mobile phone and emergency communication support, U.S. practicums, curriculum, learning platforms, events, MEL, communications, alumni engagement, and reporting.
Develop and maintain work plans, timelines, risk and issue logs, standard operating procedures, systems, records, and donor deliverables.
Monitor dependencies and quality across program components, resolve routine implementation issues, recommend practical adjustments, and escalate unusual, sensitive, or high-risk matters to program leadership.
Serve as a primary point of contact for assigned applicants, application reviewers, participants, alumni, U.S. host organizations, partners, vendors, consultants, speakers, and other stakeholders.
Provide guidance, lead routine meetings and briefings, coordinate onboarding and deliverables, and manage follow-up through accurate documentation and communication.
Support participant progress and well-being throughout the program cycle and apply established escalation protocols for safety, health, safeguarding, conduct, or other sensitive concerns.
Build relationships across U.S. and international communities and help partners connect their work to program goals and participant learning.
Develop and monitor budgets for assigned workstreams, events, participant support, travel, and procurements.
Prepare and review payments, participant support funds, travel documents, vendor and consultant records, reconciliations, forecasts, and other financial transactions for accuracy, allowability, completeness, and approval.
Lead assigned procurement and contracting processes, maintain audit-ready documentation, monitor vendor deliverables and payments, and address documentation gaps or discrepancies.
Apply IREX and U.S. Government requirements to assigned work and promptly elevate potential financial, safeguarding, data, or compliance risks.
Coordinate with colleagues responsible for participant support, recruitment and selection, host engagement, curriculum, events, MEL, alumni programming, communications, finance, travel, operations, and program leadership.
Provide day-to-day direction, coaching, quality review, and workload coordination for junior staff and other personnel assigned to specific workstreams.
Delegate tasks with clear outcomes and deadlines, strengthen handoffs across program components, and surface decisions or resource needs early.
Develop and improve tools, templates, procedures, and workflows to increase consistency, efficiency, compliance, and service quality.
Support program renewal and new business efforts by conducting research, contributing program design ideas, drafting proposal and past-performance content, reviewing budgets, coordinating supporting documents, and identifying prospective partners or consultants.
Prepare donor briefings, responses to information requests, program updates, and meeting follow-up as assigned.
Use program evidence, stakeholder feedback, and lessons learned to identify improvements to current implementation and inform future programming and partnerships.
Support occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend program activities and travel domestically and internationally as required.