The Program Manager for the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) program plays a pivotal role in advancing the program’s objectives by leading the integration of gender considerations across all stages of implementation. The Program Manager ensures the high-quality design and execution of initiatives that promote women’s empowerment, good governance, accountability, leadership, and gender equality.
This role is responsible for embedding gender-responsive practices throughout the RWVL program, ensuring alignment with global best practices in gender mainstreaming and feminist principles. A deep understanding of gender dynamics and the ability to influence policy development and implementation are essential.
The Program Manager leads efforts in feminist organizational development in collaboration with Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) across Ethiopia. S/he will foster strong, participatory relationships with WROs, oversee their capacity strengthening, and ensure linkages to technical expertise. The Program Manager also positions CARE as a convener, collaborator, and relationship builder within the women’s rights ecosystem in Ethiopia.
In addition, the Program Manager manages the day-to-day implementation of the RWVL program, including staff supervision, results monitoring and reporting, and decision-making related to program delivery with a strong focus on managing flow-through grants to Principal Partners and reporting project impacts using innovative methods.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Technical Leadership and Coordination (50%)
Provide strategic and technical oversight to the RWVL program, including supporting the Principal Partners, Steering Committee, Technical Working Groups, and Advisory Committee in designing and implementing interventions.
Ensure effective staffing, task distribution, and team coordination for efficient program delivery.
Lead the preparation and management of the Project, including work plans, partner budgets, procurement plans, expenditure tracking tools, and regular reviews.
Facilitate inception and planning meetings with partners and stakeholders to ensure coordinated implementation.
Ensure timely, clear, and consistent communication with all partners and CARE management, adhering to formal processes for external communications.
Build strong working relationships with key stakeholders to support program implementation and scale.
Support the identification and formation of partnerships with women’s rights movements to amplify marginalized voices.
Oversee coordination with Principal Partners and WROs for feminist organizational development, including mapping, capacity assessments, and linking them to technical and advocacy resources.
2. Contract and Budget Management & Compliance (20%)
Oversee Principal Partners grants and partnership management to ensure compliance with RWVL contractual obligations.
Ensure donor requirements are fully understood by Principal Partners and integrated into their agreements and tracked through compliance tools.
Monitor the implementation of time-bound conditions and milestones within principal partner contracts.
Lead principal partners capacity assessments and integrate organizational strengthening actions into agreements.
Orient principal partners on CARE’s operational procedures, grants management systems, and M&E standards.
Identify and escalate risks related to compliance in a timely and documented manner.
Review monthly financial reports of principal partners, monitor burn rates, and provide technical feedback to ensure proper use of program funds.
Ensure program assets and inventory (both CARE’s and partners’) are managed in compliance with donor and CARE policies.
3. Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (20%)
Coordinate development of RWVL's M&E Plan, Detailed Implementation Plan, and Operational Plan in collaboration with the Principal Partners and WRO partners.
Support M&E capacity-building workshops and mentorship for WRO staff.
Review and validate partner M&E reports and results against program priorities.
Lead regular field monitoring to verify implementation progress and the credibility of reported outputs.
Develop internal program progress reports and contribute to documentation of lessons learned and best practices.
Facilitate review and learning meetings to assess program progress, share experiences, and make necessary program adjustments.
4. Staff Management (10%)
Supervise the RWVL program team, ensuring clarity of roles, effective teamwork, and timely task delivery.
Guide staff in developing and regularly updating individual implementation plans.
Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to support high performance and team motivation.
Oversee the development and review of staff Individual Operating Plans.
Conduct timely annual performance appraisals aligned with job responsibilities and deliverables.
III. CONTACTS/KEY RELATIONSHIPS
Internal:
Collaborates with the RWVL team, CARE’s Program Quality Unit, and other Program Support Units (Finance, Procurement, HR, IT, and Internal Audit).
External:
Interfaces with government stakeholders, Principal Partners, strategic partners, auditors, and consultants.
IV. WORKING CONDITIONS
V. Gender Equality
Understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender, youth, and social inclusion issues.
Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and PSEAH (safeguarding), as evidenced in previous positions/programming
Salary :-3005USD
Job Requirements
VI. QUALIFICATIONS (KNOW-HOW)
A) Education/Training
Required:
Master’s degree in international development, gender studies, public policy, human development, or a related field.
Desired:
Postgraduate degree in gender, sociology, anthropology, or development studies, with professional training in gender equality or feminist practice.
B) Experience
Required:
Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible experience in areas related to gender equality, women’s rights, and advocacy, including:
Designing and technically contributing to the implementation of gender-transformative programs, with a strong focus on feminist principles and approaches.
Providing technical support to multi-stakeholder partnerships, particularly in areas of gender justice, advocacy, and organizational development.
Facilitating capacity strengthening for women’s rights organizations and local actors in thematic areas such as gender analysis, advocacy strategies, and feminist leadership.
Supporting the integration of women’s rights, governance, and accountability frameworks into program design and implementation.
Developing and applying knowledge management tools, learning frameworks, and participatory methodologies to document and share evidence of change.
Desired:
C) Technical Skills
Required:
Strong expertise in gender analysis, mainstreaming, and feminist approaches.
Strong communication and facilitation skills.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
Solid computer skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Desired:
D) Core Competencies
Respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence
Adaptability and stress tolerance
Coaching and mentoring
Innovation and proactive problem-solving
Effective communication and interpersonal engagement
Collaboration and team building
Commitment to gender equality, women’s rights, and social justice
How To Apply
If you are interested to be part of our dynamic team, exciting work environment and contribute to CARE Ethiopia’s mission and vision, please send your CV (not more than 3 pages) and cover letter (not more than one page) through THIS LINK
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Make sure you indicate the position title and location on your application letter.
Passionate and dedicated candidates who meet the requirement are strongly encouraged to apply, especially women!
CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.
CARE Ethiopia is committed to preventing all unwanted behavior at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework. CARE Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives, or partners.
CARE Ethiopia reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.
By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE Ethiopia requesting the information specified above. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks
