Surgo Foundation provides system transforming insights & levers for development impact. We believe that a new, interdisciplinary and integrated approach is needed to solve the most complex development problems of today and the future. At the core of our approach is seeing the issues through the eyes of the very people whose lives we want to change. We see development challenges as complex systems and underlying behaviors, human or organizational, as critical solution levers. A key role we play is in bringing new partnerships, approaches, tools and methods to the field of development. Our goal is to enable impact at scale. We believe that working closely with communities, governments, other donors, and private sector partners is critical to achieving change at scale. As an Action Tank, we play three roles: fund programs, strategize with partners and catalyze broader change through the development of platforms and tools as public goods.
Role Description:
The Program Manager (PM) is responsible for overseeing Surgo Foundation programs/initiatives in line with its mission and mandate. In close collaboration with the leadership team of the foundation, the PM will be responsible for designing program and investment areas grounded on deep insight analytics and strategy work. The PM will be responsible for end-to-end management and execution of a complex set of portfolios to ensure timely deliverables. This role entails strong relationship management with a diverse set of partners including other foundations, implementing organizations, government (state and national) and private sector partners. The PM is also responsible for constantly scoping developments both in the public and private sector to ensure that the foundation’s mandate and investment are cutting edge and at the same time in line with the policy and strategic plans of partners and government.
This is a newly created position and an exciting opportunity to contribute to the voice and influence strategy and delivery for an innovative, ambitious and fast growing foundation.
Reporting:
The Program Manager will report to the Executive Director of the Foundation. Reporting may change in the future.
Key duties and responsibilities
Responsibilities highlighted, but not limited to the following, by areas:
Strategy
Guide and support the shaping of specific program strategies and investments
Undertake appropriate research, analytics, formulation and testing of hypotheses, and partner engagement to develop coherent and evidence-based strategies
Scan the horizon for alternative approaches across all sectors; conceptualize translation opportunities into Surgo programs
Management & Technical
Manage investment portfolios from end-to-end, including: design, budget development, planning, execution and reporting
Monitor implementation of individual investments through day-to-day coordination, analysis and review of data, field visits & problem solving
Provide technical and managerial support to partners on the ground
Serve as a partner & resource to partners to facilitate accomplishment of strategic objectives.
Design pilots/operations research to test opportunities for Surgo programs
Partnership development & relationship management
Represent the vision and voice of the foundation in line with the foundation’s communication and advocacy strategy
Engage in high-quality interactions with partners and organizations – including grantees, foundations, governments and private sector
Scan the horizon for new partnerships, build long lasting relationships to meet foundations’ goals
Represent the foundation in technical and partner forums
Knowledge building
Seek and actively leverage opportunities to disseminate knowledge, key learnings and products developed through Surgo investments
Lead/Assist in coordination of convenings that provide opportunities to disseminate knowledge
Draft sections of key documents, reports, and presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences, summarizing developments and recommendations for program areas and external partners.
Be a source of knowledge for the team through the analysis of literature, policy, technology, and business model developments as they relate to our goals.
Core knowledge and skills:
Creative problem solver with a rigorous approach and passion for quantitative analysis.
Demonstrated initiative to solve unstructured problems with little oversight, high energy, and a positive attitude.
Excellent data analytic skills, ability to mine large amounts of data, create tools/ macros to create data models, etc. Aptitude in statistical analysis methods, spatial/GIS analysis skills.
Experience or familiarity with field data collection, survey design, field experiments (i.e. RCTs), in-depth interviews, focus groups, and other research methods.
Ability to synthesize, distil and present insights using powerful visual formats
Experience in the planning and execution of large-scale projects, including budgeting and activity planning
Experience structuring and leading evidence-based decision making processes
Experience in developing countries, particularly in Africa and South Asia a plus.
Proven track record of working in challenging multi-stakeholder environments & ability to build relationships with a range of stakeholders and drive immediate results
Creativity, broad knowledge, and out-of-the-box thinking.
Entrepreneurial mindset, self-motivating, and ability to propose new initiatives
Interest in broad set of fields and problems with ability to cross-pollinize ideas and approaches
Highly-organized and efficient; able to prioritize work based on minimal direction and multiple competing priorities.
Preferred Requirements:
Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Mathematics, Finance, Sciences, Business or a related discipline; master/doctorate degree big plus
Minimum 5 years work experience in a field requiring both, analytics and exceptional presentation skills.
Excellent analytical (qualitative and quantitative) skills and communication (written, verbal and visual presentation) skills
Entrepreneurial mindset, including ability to work independently, self-motivate, and propose and implement new initiatives
Ability to think strategically, handle ambiguity, and problem solve in a fast-paced, limited-structure, multicultural environment
High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Word
High level of proficiency with statistical methods
Willingness to travel if required and at short notice, even to remote places at times
US work permit
Location: Washington DC, USA
Compensation: Highly competitive
Travel: International and national travel (20-30%)
Our hiring philosophy-
We hire for passion and core competencies. We look for problem solvers and lateral thinkers. We love it if you have done different things with your time. If you think you are ideal for this position, write to us even if you don’t have all of the above preferred requirements.
We ask….
Do you have a deep passion for improving the lives of people who live in extreme poverty around the world?
Do you want to work in one of the most entrepreneurial development organizations?
Are you willing to roll up your sleeves and be part of a core team that grows this organization, and grow with it?
Are you a problem solver by nature? Do you live and breathe data and see patterns in it that others don’t?
Would people say you are one of the most analytic, curious and creative people they know?
If yes…we look forward to hearing from you…
Interested candidates: Please send Resume and Cover Letter to Sema Sgaier (admin@surgofoundation.org)
Closing date for applications: December 15, 2016
Desired start date: February 1, 2017