Program Manager

About the Organization

Imagine1day International Organization is implementing the CIFF-funded program "Every Girl in School, Every Girl with a Choice".

Job Summary

Provide overall leadership, accountability and management for the 24-month CIFF-funded program, ensuring integrated delivery of education access, safe and gender-responsive schools, child-marriage prevention, community norm change and government-system strengthening. The Program Manager is accountable for work planning, implementation quality, partnerships, budget performance, risk management, safeguarding oversight, adaptive management and donor reporting, and serves as the principal program liaison with CIFF and government counterparts.

• Project: Every Girl in School, Every Girl with a Choice
• Reports to: Program Director
• Duty station / coverage: Country Office with regular travel to all four target woredas
• Contract period: 12 months with possibility of extension
• Program geography: Gubalafto (Amhara), Kacha Bira (Central Ethiopia), Boloso Sore (South Ethiopia), and Ginir (Oromia)

Key Responsibilities

A. Strategic and program leadership

• Translate the proposal, results framework and approved budget into annual, quarterly and monthly implementation plans, milestones and accountabilities across all four outcomes.
• Lead integrated delivery across 40 schools and four woredas, ensuring that education, protection, community engagement and government-system strengthening operate as mutually reinforcing pathways.
• Supervise the ECM Specialist and four Woreda Program Officers and coordinate effectively with AEP facilitators and Imagine1day program, Impact/MEAL, GESI, safeguarding, operations, finance, communications and strategic partnership teams.
• Lead inception, implementation reviews, Month 12 learning review, adaptation decisions, transition planning and close-out.

B. Performance, MEAL and adaptive management

• Ensure progress toward the program goal and headline results, including identification and support of 10,000 vulnerable girls, operational early-warning systems in 40 schools/four woredas, safe-school action plans, community engagement and strengthened government systems.
• Use monthly, termly and quarterly performance information to identify implementation gaps, equity issues and underperformance and agree corrective action.
• Ensure baseline, midline/endline, cohort tracking, learning reviews, data-quality assurance, operational research and unit-cost/value-for-money analysis are integrated into management decisions.
• Maintain an adaptation log and ensure agreed decisions are followed through.

C. Financial, operational and compliance management

• Manage implementation within the approved budget and ensure activity spending remains linked to outputs, locations and approved cost categories.
• Review budget versus actual expenditure, forecasts, procurement progress, unit costs and value-for-money considerations with Finance and Operations teams.
• Ensure timely procurement, logistics, contracting, travel, asset management and field support while maintaining donor and organizational compliance.
• Escalate material scope, budget, schedule or implementation changes for appropriate approval.

D. Partnership and government coordination

• Serve as principal program liaison with CIFF and coordinate timely, accurate and decision-oriented program communication and reporting.
• Maintain productive relationships with Ministry/Regional Education structures, woreda administrations, education offices, Women and Social Affairs, health, justice, police, civil registration, schools, community structures and specialist service providers.
• Promote government ownership by integrating project tools, indicators, referral systems, supervision and review routines into existing structures rather than parallel systems.
• Lead joint performance reviews, coordination forums and escalation of unresolved implementation issues.

E. Risk, safeguarding and accountability

• Maintain the live program risk register, including triggers, owners, mitigation actions, deadlines and residual risk ratings; review high/critical risks monthly and escalate urgent issues immediately.
• Ensure safeguarding, PSEAH/PASH, data protection, informed consent/assent, confidential feedback and survivor-centred referral requirements are applied across all activities.
• Ensure conflict, security, climate and continuity plans are current and that safety thresholds override implementation targets.
• Promote accessible feedback and complaints mechanisms and ensure program responses are timely and documented.

F. Team leadership and reporting

• Set clear performance expectations, provide coaching and conduct regular team coordination and performance reviews.
• Ensure timely, high-quality narrative, results, risk, safeguarding and management reports for CIFF and Imagine1day leadership.
• Promote learning, collaboration, accountability and consistent technical standards across the four woredas.

Key Performance Areas / Expected Results

• Delivery remains on track across four outcomes, 40 schools and four woredas with documented corrective action where needed.
• 10,000 vulnerable adolescent girls are mapped/assessed and enrolled in tailored education and protection support plans, with results tracked against the agreed framework.
• Program risks, safeguarding issues, financial performance and implementation quality are reviewed routinely and escalated appropriately.
• Donor and government reporting is complete, accurate and timely; Month 12 and quarterly reviews generate documented adaptations.
• Government ownership, institutionalization and sustainability arrangements are progressively strengthened.

Key Working Relationships

• Internal: Chief Program Officer/senior management; Program Director, Impact/MEAL; GESI; Safeguarding; Finance; Operations; Communications; Strategic Partnerships; regional teams.
• External: CIFF; Ministry/Regional Education/Health structures; woreda administrations and sector offices; schools; community structures; civil society/service providers.

Safeguarding and Professional Conduct

The postholder must comply with Imagine1day safeguarding, PSEAH/PASH, child-protection, data-protection, confidentiality, code-of-conduct and do-no-harm requirements. Safety, dignity, informed choice, confidentiality and the best interests of girls take precedence over program targets. Any safeguarding concern must be handled through approved reporting and survivor-centred referral procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree in education, development studies, program/project management, gender studies, social sciences or a closely related field.
• Typically, 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in international and national NGOs managing complex education, gender, child-protection or adolescent-girls programs, including multi-site field delivery.
• Demonstrated experience managing donor-funded budgets, results frameworks, risk, compliance, partnerships and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong experience working with Ethiopian government education and/or protection systems, ECM, girls education, and in complex or crisis-affected settings.
• Strong written and spoken English; ability to work through relevant local languages and regional teams is an advantage.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strategic leadership and accountability
• Results-based and adaptive program management
• Financial stewardship and value for money
• Partnership and government engagement
• Safeguarding and risk leadership
• People management, coaching and performance management
• High-quality analysis, reporting and communication
• Development-oriented
• Creativity
• Ability to multitask and prioritize effectively.

How to Apply

Apply through the online form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWDe1piE9SiF24kp28iSuiZ7BR7VZKupFoF4oH9ytNdY_34w/viewform

Female Candidates are highly encouraged to apply