Program Officer, Latin America & the Caribbean

Who We Are:

Seva is a global nonprofit eye care organization that transforms lives and strengthens communities by restoring sight and preventing blindness. We train local eye care providers and develop self-sustaining eye programs around the world. Together we provide critical eye care to underserved communities, especially women, children, and indigenous peoples. For over 45 years, Seva Foundation has provided surgeries, eyeglasses, medicine and other eye care services to 57 million people in over 20 countries, with over 6.5 million served in the past year alone

Function:

The role is within the Program Department. The Program Department is tasked with the implementation of all program efforts, including the quality of program work, identification of new initiatives, day-to-day management of program activities, building and maintaining partnerships, and evidencing our work.

Within the Program Department, the role sits on the program operations team. The program operation team oversees operations, partner relations, fund utilization, new initiatives and measurement of impact. A responsive process of planning, implementing, and assessing guides the program implementation work.

Role:

The Program Officer, LAC plays a vital role within the Program Operations Team and oversees an expanding portfolio of programs in Latin American and the Caribbean. Seva is currently supporting partners in: Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Paraguay. Based remotely, the Program Officer works under the supervision of the Chief Program Officer. The Program Officer, LAC is responsible for coordinating and providing support to the implementation of Seva’s programming in the LAC region. He/she is responsible for managing the programs, preparing donor reports and communication, documenting the learning from Seva’s work in the region, as well as representing Seva at key coordination meetings. The officer will have regular travel to partner hospitals across the region.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Management & Implementation

• Strengthen and promote Seva’s partner network by inculcating collective learning among partners and key stakeholders.
• Facilitate and monitor Seva-supported programs/activities against
• Deliverables, including Guatemala Brillando and other major initiatives, as per key program drivers.
• Conduct field visits to program sites to understand progress and develop feedback systems with partners to achieve the goals
• Identify problems or obstacles that may interfere with program implementation and work with staff and partners to address the issues appropriately.
• Ensure grant payments are disbursed as outlined in the funding agreements and track spending by partners according to finance reports prepared

Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment

• Consolidate, analyze, synthesize, and disseminate key programmatic insights with the team and partners monthly and quarterly
• Review quarterly reports from partners, providing feedback on work achieved, challenges experienced, and spending against the budget
• Lead and/or contribute to documentation of key learning and innovative approaches in eye care throughout the region
• Strengthen Seva’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning processes in the region to ensure data-driven decision-making

Program Development & Reporting

• Work with partners to identify joint program priorities
• Oversee funding agreements for new projects and work with team to prepare amendments as needed
• Support grant prospecting and proposal development for the region
• Building from partner reports, draft and contribute to donor reports, overseeing the information prepared related to the LAC region to ensure accuracy

Coordination

• Coordinate and lead regular calls with partners and occasional in-person meetings
• Partner with other regional officers to share best practices across the network
• Actively support learning and ensure that promising practices and lessons learned locally are disseminated globally, and vice versa

Representation

• Ensure external communication about region is accurate and relevant
• Represent Seva at events, meetings and donor visits as requested
• Coordinate with other INGOs and bilateral donors working in the region, as needed

Skills & Experience:

The successful candidate will have

• Excellent written and communication skills
• Ability to effectively liaise with people within and across organizations in a multi-cultural environment
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, flexible, good sense of humor
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in culturally diverse environments
• Ability to prioritize and work under pressure in fast-paced, multi-task team environment
• Excellent computer skills, particularly in Microsoft Office and familiarity with project management software
• Experience implementing multi-million-dollar projects
• Familiarity with countries in the region
• Fluent in Spanish and English (spoken and written)
• Master’s degree in a relevant field (public health, business, international development) as well as 3-5 years of progressive work experience
• Ability to travel

Attributes:

The Program Officer should be capable of managing multiple and complex tasks; thrive under pressure, time and complexity; have strong people skills - developing strong team spirit; and be capable of interfacing successfully with internal actors, donors and partners to resolve program issues. S/he should also feel comfortable in a representational role, speaking on eye health issues with internal and external audiences. Candidates should be well organized and self-motivated with demonstrable writing, management, and creative problem solving skills.

Seva Values:

• Compassion in Action – We do not observe suffering, we address it.
• Selfless Service – Service is its own reward.
• Respect – We believe in the fundamental dignity and value of every person.
• Equity – We serve the underserved to ensure all people have access to quality care.
• Fun – We never take ourselves too seriously. When you stop laughing, you’ve stopped living.