Program Officer, Civic DEFENDERS

About the job

In this temporary position, the Program Officer will fill a unique, multi-faceted role that offers the opportunity to leverage their program management experience to help lead a complex global coalition at the intersection of human rights and technology. This is a temporary position, maternity leave cover, with an expected end date of April 15, 2026. This position will support a global Internet freedom initiative that will support local civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders to better prevent and respond to digital repression in their own contexts, particularly in repressive contexts. The activity focuses on building long-term, local resilience among civil society through a networked approach involving global, regional, and local actors. The activity provides technical assistance on digital security, digital governance advocacy and engagement, censorship circumvention, and holistic legal, psychosocial, and physical security support.

Under the guidance of the Deputy Chief of Party and in coordination with the larger project team (including the Advisors and Chief of Party), the Program Officer will oversee the implementation of activities, ensuring strong coordination with other project objectives, and compliance with USAID and Internews policies. The Program Officer will work closely with project partners, support internal coordination efforts, and be responsible for effectively sharing the impact and successes of the program. Further, the Program Officer will support, when needed, the business development, start up and oversight of related Associate Awards and Buy-Ins.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following, with other duties upon request:

Program/Project Management:

• Provide project management and program implementation oversight, strategic planning, analysis, personnel, grants, procurement and finance tasks as needed.
• Serve as primary point of contact for regional and local partners
• Assist in the development of team systems, norms and practices.
• Supervise at least one (1) full-time staff, including assigning work, approving timesheets and managing their workload (as needed).
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with international, regional and local partner organizations and ensure that implementation is responsive to the needs of partners and beneficiaries.
• Support the MEL Specialist and the MEL Partner in developing and implementing strong MEL frameworks and activities, ensuring that all project partners understand MEL requirements.
• Support the development of Associate Award and Buy-In proposals, project start-up and ongoing coordination; ensuring (when needed) that project staff are onboarded, existing processes and approaches are shared, and regular communication occurs across all relevant teams.

Administration & Finance:

• Manage the implementation, communication and programmatic oversight of all subgrants (PASS and HQ managed) issued under Civic DEFENDERS. This includes reviewing the prospective grantee applications, program and design, budget negotiations, payments and partner reporting.
• Ensure all funder approval request packages are complete and ready to be sent by the COP/DCOP.
• Oversee all administrative aspects of the Civic DEFENDERS digital governance activities, in coordination with the COP, DCOP and Business Management team.
• In coordination with the Business Management team, ensure program implementation complies with funder requirements and Internews policies and procedures.
• Oversee the implementation of personal service contracts, outside service contracts and simple service contracts.
• Support COP, DCOP and Advisors in ensuring that timelines are met, deliverables and approvals tracked.
• Support hiring efforts for project staff and consultants, including ensuring effective onboarding.

Writing & Research:

• Support the writing and compiling of program reporting, including quarterly reports and annual workplans, ensuring the final product sent for DCOP/COP review is complete and timely.
• Review and respond to work products from partners, as needed.
• Support internal and external communications, including website, 2-pagers, summaries, etc.
• Represent team and Internews at events, as needed.
• In all duties, uphold Internews Core Values and demonstrate commitment to fostering a culture of belonging.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Required

• University degree in relevant fields of study OR equivalent lived/professional experience.
• Minimum five years relevant prior work experience in Democracy, Human Rights and Governance programming, with a preference for previous experience in digital rights, governance or Internet freedom
• Up to five years experience in the thematic area.
• Strong writing skills and proven text-editing proficiency.
• Strong analytical skills; ability to define, communicate, and resolve complex problems. Strong interpersonal skills: diplomacy, tact, and the ability to negotiate.
• Strong time management and organizational skills; ability to effectively manage a dynamic workload and shifting priorities.
• Experience with project management, partnership management, and working with at-risk and marginalized populations.
• Advanced computer skills, including familiarity with Microsoft Office and Airtable (or similar project management software).
• Strong English language proficiency.
• Flexibility to work outside traditional office hours as required.

Preferred

• Note: Candidates who do not have these preferred qualifications, but are interested and willing to learn, are encouraged to apply.
• Previous experience implementing US Government (USG) funded programs, or other similar programs; USAID experience particularly preferred.
• Proficiency in languages others than English, such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, or Arabic.
• Experience using secure channels for communication.
• Knowledge of Internet freedom, including current debates, relevant actors and global trends.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS and WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met or may be encountered by an employee performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include normal color perception and close vision for use of computer terminal and reading printed and electronic materials. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to the risk of radiation from regular exposure to computer VDTs.

Expected office hours are generally Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the associate a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of their position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.

The annual salary range for this position is £34,200 - £42,700. Please note that this salary range applies to UK-based candidates only. Learn more about UK benefits on our Benefits page. For candidates based in the US, the engagement mechanism, benefits eligibility, and salary structure that apply will be based on multiple factors and will be reviewed during the hiring process.