Senior Program Manager

Reports to: Executive Director

Employment Terms: 32-hour/week job for a period of 11-15 months (depending on the end date of the project, which will be known by the time the candidate is hired)

Salary range: $58,000-$61,000 for a 12-month period at 4/5 time, plus benefits

Job Location: Karuna Center for Peacebuilding (KCP) is headquartered in Western Massachusetts, USA, but is a fully remote organization. The role requires being able to coordinate with KCP staff in eastern U.S. time as well as attending calls with Nigerian partners during their work day.

Application Deadline: until filled

Anticipated Job Start Date: April or May 2025

About Karuna Center:

Karuna Center empowers communities to build peace by working across divides to transform conflict and strengthen resilience to violence. Through collaborative projects co-led with local partner organizations, we support people directly impacted by conflict to build trust across divides, strengthen social cohesion, and create ongoing systems for de-escalating potential violence. Our approach engages whole communities, including those whose voices are often left out of peacebuilding, and includes advocacy with government and civil society for community-based peacebuilding. Karuna Center has worked in more than 35 conflict-affected countries since 1994, with current programs focused primarily in West Africa and the United States. Learn more about Karuna Center at www.karunacenter.org.

The Opportunity:

Karuna Center for Peacebuilding (KCP) is pleased to announce an open position for a Senior Program Manager. The Senior Program Manager role is currently a 4/5 time staff position (32 hours/week), for period of 11-15 months. The Senior Program Manager will manage Karuna Center’s Empowering Community Security (ECOS) project, a U.S. government-funded initiative that is a collaboration with four partner organizations in Nigeria. The end date for this role will coincide with the date for completing final reporting for this project.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities involve overseeing and managing Karuna Center’s current ECOS project in Nigeria. Within the limited time available for the role beyond management of ECOS, other responsibilities may include the following: supporting other Karuna projects; helping develop new projects and relationships; contributing to proposal writing; and supporting the Executive Director with strategic planning and business development. Each of these activities may occur episodically. All work is undertaken collaboratively with other Karuna staff and consultants and with staff at the partner organizations.

Program Technical Management:

• Work collaboratively with KCP program team and Nigerian partners to supervise program implementation and logistics, monitor progress, and troubleshoot challenges;
• Lead the preparation of program progress reports for the funder;
• Respond to funder requests for information and project adjustments;
• Oversee monitoring and evaluation efforts, in collaboration with KCP’s M&E consultants and with the M&E staff at the partner organizations;
• Maintain project databases, calendars, and online file-sharing;
• Maintain regular communication with KCP consultants and project partners, and ensure that such information is redistributed to the KCP program staff and others who need it;
• Produce written summaries and project updates for a range of audiences;
• Monitor Nigerian national and regional contexts and brief program team members, and/or supervise Karuna’s intern to do so.

Program Financial Management:

• Responsible for monitoring and managing the rate and appropriateness of program expenditures, with help from the Program Coordinator;
• Responsible for assessing, calculating, and deciding upon budget change requests – in collaboration with project partners – and guiding those through funder approval processes.
• Serve as an additional layer of approval for regular project finance processes led by the Program Coordinator. Support the Program Coordinator in improving project finance management processes;
• Coordinate with KCP’s Finance Officer and accountants on financial reports for the funder.

Program Development, time permitting:

• Work collaboratively with KCP staff and consultants, host country partners, and other NGOs and INGOs to conceptualize and develop new international and domestic programs;
• Research funding opportunities to support new programs;
• Co-lead writing narrative proposals and budgets for funding opportunities;
• Maintain tracking systems for funding opportunities and submitted proposals.

Operations, time permitting:

• Contribute to strategic planning, public outreach and events, development efforts, Board meetings, and other core operations;
• Draft program-related policies, procedures, and checklists;
• Select, supervise, and work collaboratively with program interns to achieve assigned tasks.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Peacebuilding, Masters preferred;
• 5+ years relevant experience in program management, including budgeting and basic monitoring and evaluation;
• Skill in facilitating effective meetings; skill in facilitating dialogue a plus;
• Experience managing grants from the U.S. government, the United Nations, foundations, and/or other governments;
• Strong proposal-writing experience;
• Fluency in spoken and written English required; fluency in French desirable;
• Experience working in Nigeria, in countries in the Sahel, or in Francophone Africa highly desirable;
• Strong attention to detail and ability to relate it to the big picture;
• Proactive, positive, team-oriented work ethic;
• Ability to anticipate project needs and plan for them, while remaining flexible;
• Proven ability to take initiative and manage projects independently, and to seek consultation and receive guidance as needed;
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and meet deadlines;
• Strong computer skills with high proficiency in Word, Excel and Zoom or similar platforms;
• Commitment to Karuna Center’s mission, and ability to reflect its values through a strong collaborative approach with colleagues worldwide, and respect for diversity in culture, work styles, language, technology/infrastructure access.

Working Conditions:

• Work performed in an office environment with considerable time using a computer, including using Zoom for meetings.
• Hours generally conform to a standard work day, though there is room for limited flexibility, as needed.
• Work with KCP staff in Eastern time zone with some flexibility needed to collaborate effectively with partners across world time zones, and especially those working in the West Africa time zone. Meetings with Nigerian colleagues sometimes start at 8:00 am ET;
• May include international travel to project sites, particularly Abuja, Nigeria, for project monitoring;
• Work in a 4/5-time professional position for a period of 11-15 months (to be decided before the start of the position);
• Collaborative, informal office culture, on a small, remote team that engages with multiple consultants and international partners.

Benefits:

• Health insurance: After a 3-month probationary period, KCP covers a reimbursement up to $1,040.22 per month for health insurance premium costs for either an individual employee or family health insurance policy.
• Paid holidays*: 12 paid holidays per year
• Paid vacation: 15 days (3 weeks) paid vacation.
• Paid sick days*: Up to 10 paid sick days per year, including up to 3 days for care for an immediate family member.
• Family and Medical and Other Leave Benefits: Karuna Center provides Family Medical Leave and other leave benefits, consistent with the laws of the State in which its employees work remotely.
• In the event an employee works remotely in a state that requires a higher benefit, the higher benefit will apply.

Application Instructions:

For consideration, please fill out the online application that is available at karunacenter.org/jobs. Only applications submitted using that form will be considered.

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Karuna Center for Peacebuilding is an equal opportunity employer and we are highly interested in creating a welcoming environment for a diverse staff. We encourage anyone, regardless of race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression, or other protected class status to apply.