Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Word Program Officer

💰 $ - $

Program ManagementNonprofitGrantsMonitoring & Evaluation

🎯 Role Definition

The Word Program Officer is a mid-level program management professional responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring, and reporting on donor-funded and internally funded programs. This role combines technical programmatic knowledge, grant and budget management, monitoring & evaluation (M&E) expertise, and stakeholder engagement to ensure high-quality program delivery, compliance with donor rules, and timely reporting. The ideal candidate has proven experience in program lifecycle management, strong analytical and communication skills, and a track record of achieving results in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Program Associate / Program Coordinator with 1–3 years of experience
  • Monitoring & Evaluation Officer or Specialist transitioning to a broader program role
  • Grants Officer or Project Administrator seeking a programmatic focus

Advancement To:

  • Senior Program Officer / Program Manager
  • Grants and Compliance Manager
  • Country Program Manager or Regional Program Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Specialist
  • Partnership & Resource Mobilization Officer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the full program lifecycle for assigned projects: contribute to program design, develop workplans, define results frameworks and logical frameworks, and ensure activities align with the organization’s strategy and donor objectives.
  • Own day-to-day program management for multiple grants, ensuring project deliverables are achieved on time, within scope, and on budget while managing competing priorities and dependencies.
  • Prepare, review and submit high-quality donor deliverables, including quarterly and annual technical reports, narrative updates, and supplemental documentation in accordance with donor templates and schedules (e.g., USAID, EU, UN, DFID).
  • Develop and manage project budgets and budget revisions: forecast expenditures, track burn rates, approve requisitions within delegated authority, and collaborate with finance to reconcile financial reports for accurate donor invoicing and compliance.
  • Establish and implement robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems and indicator tracking, including baseline/endline planning, regular data collection, quality assurance, and evidence-based reporting of program outcomes and impact.
  • Design and maintain data collection tools, dashboards, and KPI trackers (Excel, Power BI, or equivalent) to ensure timely program performance analysis and to inform adaptive management decisions.
  • Coordinate and manage sub-awards, partner contracts and consultant engagements: develop scopes of work, lead partner selection, oversee contract management, review deliverables, and ensure compliance with institutional procurement and safeguarding policies.
  • Conduct regular field monitoring and site visits to validate implementation, engage beneficiaries and partners, collect qualitative data, and provide implementation support and corrective action plans when needed.
  • Lead quality assurance processes, including internal reviews, checklists, and compliance assessments to reduce risk and ensure adherence to donor rules, organizational policies and local regulations.
  • Facilitate stakeholder engagement and coordination: represent the organization in cluster meetings, working groups, donor coordination forums and public-private partnerships to strengthen program alignment and influence policy dialogues.
  • Provide technical guidance, training and capacity building to implementing partners, local staff and community stakeholders to improve program delivery, MEL practices and sustainability of interventions.
  • Draft and contribute to concept notes, donor proposals, technical annexes, and budgets to support resource mobilization and new program development, incorporating lessons learned and evidence-based recommendations.
  • Manage program risks through the development of risk registers, mitigation plans and contingency measures; escalate critical issues to leadership and implement agreed-upon remediations.
  • Lead internal project meetings and periodic reviews to track progress, resolve implementation bottlenecks, and drive accountability against deliverables and timelines.
  • Ensure safeguarding, gender, inclusion and environmental compliance are integrated into program design and implementation; monitor indicators related to protection, diversity and inclusion.
  • Oversee communications and visibility requirements for grants: coordinate with communications teams to produce success stories, case studies, photos, and social media content that meet donor branding and visibility guidelines.
  • Maintain and update comprehensive program documentation (workplans, SOPs, MEL plans, agreements, meeting minutes) and ensure effective version control and handover materials for audits and program continuity.
  • Manage beneficiary feedback mechanisms and complaints processes; analyze feedback for program improvement and ensure appropriate response and referral pathways are in place.
  • Lead the synthesis of programmatic learning and best practices into internal knowledge products and contribute to organizational learning forums to inform future program design and scale-up.
  • Support procurement planning and oversight for program-related goods and services; coordinate with logistics and finance to ensure timely delivery and contractual compliance.
  • Facilitate cross-functional coordination with finance, HR, logistics, legal and M&E teams to ensure smooth implementation, timely payments, and compliance with donor and organizational policies.
  • Supervise and mentor junior program staff, interns and consultants; set performance objectives, conduct regular feedback, and support professional development opportunities.
  • Prepare for and actively participate in donor audits, spot checks and evaluations: compile requested documentation, lead responses to audit findings, and implement corrective action plans.
  • Manage complex multi-country or multi-partner portfolios where applicable, ensuring harmonized approaches and consistent quality across sites or regions.
  • Conduct stakeholder mapping and power analyses to inform program strategies and to identify strategic partnerships that increase program reach and sustainability.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests, exploratory data analysis, and the production of program performance snapshots for leadership and donors.
  • Contribute to the organization's programmatic data strategy and roadmap; recommend tools and approaches for better program measurement and reporting.
  • Collaborate with business units and functional teams to translate program needs into operational and technical requirements, including CRM and program management systems.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies where the organization is transitioning to agile program planning and rapid iteration approaches.
  • Support grant close-out processes, including final financial reconciliation, archiving of program documentation, and completion of lessons learned reports.
  • Provide backup support for emergency response activations and rapid onset programming as needed, including quick assessments, surge deployment and emergency donor reporting.
  • Assist in the development and tracking of annual workplans and team-level key performance indicators (KPIs) to align individual objectives with program goals.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Program management and project lifecycle expertise (design, implementation, MEL, close-out)
  • Grant management and donor compliance (experience with USAID, EU, UN, DFID or other institutional donors)
  • Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) frameworks, indicator development and data quality assurance
  • Budgeting, financial tracking and budget revision skills, including working with donor financial reporting formats
  • Advanced Excel (pivot tables, vlookups/xlookups, financial modeling) and experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent)
  • Familiarity with MEL and program databases (DHIS2, KoboToolbox, Salesforce/CRM, DevResults or equivalent)
  • Strong technical writing and report development for donor deliverables, proposals and concept notes
  • Contract and sub-award management, procurement processes and vendor oversight
  • Risk management, compliance assessment and audit preparation skills
  • Basic statistical/data analysis skills and experience interpreting quantitative and qualitative program data

Soft Skills

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to produce clear, concise donor-quality reports and presentations
  • Stakeholder management and diplomacy: ability to engage government, civil society, partners and donors
  • Leadership and people management: experience supervising and mentoring junior staff
  • Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple grants simultaneously
  • Problem-solving and critical thinking; ability to turn monitoring data into actionable program improvements
  • Adaptability and resilience in fast-changing or emergency contexts
  • Collaborative team-player mindset with cross-functional coordination skills
  • Cultural sensitivity and commitment to safeguarding, gender equality and inclusion
  • Negotiation and facilitation skills for partner agreements and multi-stakeholder meetings
  • Time management and ability to meet tight deadlines under pressure

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in International Development, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Public Health, Economics, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in International Development, Public Policy, Project Management, M&E, Public Health, or related advanced degree preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • International Development
  • Public Policy / Public Administration
  • Monitoring & Evaluation / Statistics
  • Public Health
  • Business Administration / Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–7 years of progressive program management experience in NGOs/INGOs, multilateral organizations, or donor-funded programs.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years managing institutional donor-funded projects (USAID, EC, UN, DFID or major foundations), with direct responsibility for reporting, budgeting, partner management and MEL. Experience in the relevant technical sector (education, health, livelihoods, humanitarian, WASH, protection) is highly desirable.
Explore More Careers