Program Manager

Company: Lapis

LOCATION: Afghanistan, female candidates only

START DATE: 25 May, 2023

Lapis is a leading media, education, research, project management, and strategic communications company operating throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, South and Central Asia. Lapis supports local and global efforts to bring about positive change in frontier markets and challenging environments. From delivering education projects to strategic communications and project design, for nearly two decades, Lapis’ work has framed how individuals, communities, and nations see their world. We employ an unparalleled understanding of complex media and sociopolitical environments. We stay at the forefront of changes in audiences’ media and technology consumption and combine this systems-level knowledge with our on-ground expertise to tailor carefully analyzed and creatively engaging products. Our clients include governments, foundations, international organizations, and the private sector.

We seek exceptional candidates for the program manager role who have the passion, intellectual acuity, and business acumen to help grow our organization and deepen our impact. Program managers are resourceful leaders who use high-level strategic thinking and contextual analysis to develop and deliver effective and innovative solutions.

ROLE + RESPONSIBILITIES

The Program Manager's primary focus is to oversee the day-to-day management of projects and related awards that are part of a portfolio covering mainly Afghanistan as a country office. The composition of the portfolio under the program manager's remit will vary over time, in line with changes and demands in Lapis’ overall funding portfolio. The initial focus of the position will be to manage Lapis’ efforts to expand journalists’ access to training and capacity-building initiatives in Afghanistan.

This role involves direct management of programs and related awards implemented in Afghanistan, and providing support and advice to the Program Director and the rest of the team. The program manager will be accountable for delivering the outcomes of the initiatives and staff under her authority. Being responsible for one or several initiatives at a time, the program manager plays a key role and works very closely with the program management team in the effective development and implementation of the partnership and business development strategies, in identifying and addressing systemic risks and issues; and in improving and creating new internal processes to assure compliance with the rules and regulations.

The Project Coordinator’s key duties will be to:

• Manage and lead media-related initiatives.
• Manage the journalists’ capacity-building components,
• Be responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of different initiatives, financial management, personnel, and interface with partners and stakeholders,
• Work closely with the Program Director, Lapis Afghanistan Country Director, and the rest of the team to manage program implementation.
• Develop robust, well-designed projects and deliver on their implementation to the highest quality.
• Oversight of program components’ budgets, cash flows, and compliance, providing financial analysis regularly
• Undertake contract management, from the point of contract negotiation and signature to quality assurance during implementation and working with the rest of the program team to support reporting.
• Ensure the initiatives are compliant with standard project management, HR, Finance, Procurement and operation requirements, and quality standards, including full independent audit compliance.
• Ensure relevant quality assurance processes are completed so that the initiatives are running effectively and on time.
• Monitor risks and issues development within the portfolio sub-set, ensuring the Program Director is aware and fully briefed of issues requiring major strategic decisions.
• Lead on monitoring internal processes and procedures, identifying areas of improvement, and recommending changes.
• Monitor KPIs and other data related to program and financial management, providing analysis to relevant stakeholders based on available information.
• Source and manage strategic partnerships.
• Maintain an intimate working knowledge of potential partner networks from local civil society organizations, education organizations, broadcasters, and production houses.
• Represent Lapis at external meetings and networking events and build the Lapis brand through conferences, speaking engagements, social media, and other outreach activities.

REQUIREMENTS (COMPETENCIES, SKILLS & EDUCATION)

• Bachelor degree is required in Journalism and Strategic Communications or related fields. Master’s degree is a preference.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of working with media and journalists is required
• 3-5 years’ experience of project management, with knowledge of institutional compliance requirements
• Commitment to and passion for positive change
• Strong business acumen, entrepreneurial mindset strategic thinking, and analytical prowess
• Significant financial management, reporting, and oversight Strong team building and management skills
• Strong presentation abilities and excellent written/oral communications
• Comprehensive understanding of the social and media landscape
• Exceptional ability to engage with clients and establish, deepen, and grow relationships with colleagues from different organisations, functions, and cultures, often remotely.
• Ability to manage a complex and varied workload, in order to organise and prioritise multiple tasks efficiently, manage reactive and proactive work, and deliver tasks to tight deadlines.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to identify and implement effective processes for achieving outcomes.
• A high degree of flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing needs and effectively address issue.
• Proven attention for detail and ability to effectively manage a high volume of data and information.

Send your resume and a brief cover letter to [email protected]. Please submit all attachments as PDFs and ensure that the document title includes name your first and last name as well as the position for which you are applying.