About START
START International, Inc. is an international non-governmental organization incorporated in the USA as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. START’s mission is to increase opportunities for research, education and training that strengthen scientific capacities in developing countries to understand, communicate and motivate action on critical global change challenges. START achieves its mission through promoting ‘research-driven capacity building’, an approach that emphasizes experiential learning by doing, particularly by early-career scientists, in which targeted skill building and networking opportunities are infused within the research experience. START’s portfolio of programs and activities include research grants and fellowships, knowledge assessments and syntheses, advanced training institutes and workshops, curricula development, multi-stakeholder dialogues and learning forums, and regionally based strategic actions that advance global change education and research.
Senior Program Specialist – Asia
START International, Inc. located in Washington, DC USA, invites applications for a Senior Program Specialist position focused on START’s Asia portfolio. The Senior Program Specialist will be responsible for leading START’s strategic growth in Asia, which will entail developing and managing multi-year programs on global environmental change and capacity building in the region. In addition, s/he will be responsible for designing and implementing an organizational-wide monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning framework to track delivery against targets, outcomes, and impacts.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead development and execution of large proposals for submission to federal agencies, foundations, corporations, and other relevant development assistance and science entities.
- Provide overall strategic leadership and program oversight on START’s Asia portfolio.
- Manage programs on global environmental change and capacity building in Asia.
- Co-organize and co‐facilitate regional workshops and training events.
- Lead the design and implementation of START’s monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) framework to track delivery against targets, outcomes, and impacts.
- Support staff in their MERL functions and promote learning and knowledge sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
- Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with START’s staff and Board of Directors, its grantees and fellows, and external organizations, including donors/clients, governments, potential partners, and other stakeholders.
- Collaborate with START’s staff and Board to design and execute a new strategic plan.
- Serve as a senior-level thought partner in collaboration with START’s Executive Team.
Desired Qualifications
A successful candidate should possess the following:
- A Master’s degree or higher in a field relevant to START’s programs; PhD preferred.
- At least 10 years of relevant professional experience working in Asia on global environmental change and capacity building.
- Experience in writing, editing, and managing large collaborative proposal efforts.
- Track record of winning proposals, preferably from large development and foundation grants.
- Proven experience leading and developing large-scale capacity building initiatives and MERL methods to measure targets, outcomes, and impact.
- Proven success cultivating and maintaining working relationship with a broad range of governmental and nongovernmental actors and institutions across sectors.
- Experience in leading and mentoring teams.
- Ability to work independently, across cultures, and within a small team.
- Exceptional communication, facilitation, organization, and problem-solving skills.
- Creativity and innovation in program design and implementation.
- Legally eligible to work in the United States; no sponsorship provided.
- Fluency in written and spoken English required.
The Senior Program Specialist will be based in Washington, DC, USA and will report to START’s Executive Director, Dr. Cheikh Mbow. Annual salary will be commensurate with experience and will be supplemented by a comprehensive benefits and retirement package. Frequent international travel for representational and/or program development matters will be required. Questions about this position and responsibilities related to the position may be directed to Sarah Schweizer (sschweizer@start.org).
To apply, please send a one-page statement of interest, a resume, three samples of writing you’ve produced, and contacts of at least three references (who will not be contacted without prior notice) to jobs@start.org. Applications must be received no later than March 1, 2017.
