Program Director Vacancy Announcement

About the Girls First Fund

The Girls First Fund works to radically expand resources to community-based organizations to deliver locally relevant, girl-centered, gender-transformative strategies that accelerate reductions in child marriage and drive positive shifts toward gender equality. A collaborative fund (currently 10 donors) in our third year of operation, the Fund has an annual budget of approximately $8 million. We support over 140 partners in six focus countries (DRC, Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, Niger, Uganda), with plans to establish a mechanism in 2021 to reach partners anywhere in the Global South. The Fund provides both funding (small- to medium-sized grants) and support to mentor, accompany, and connect grantee partners. We have a dozen staff, based in the US and the Fund’s focus countries, and are governed by a committee composed of our donors. The Fund is a fully virtual organization, fiscally-sponsored by Capital for Good.

Position Overview

The Program Director is a new position with overall leadership for the Girls First Fund’s programmatic work, including ensuring implementation of the Fund’s “Funding Plus” strategy and managing the program team (six country-based Fund Representatives and one US-based Program Officer). Working closely with and reporting to the Fund Director, the Program Director will have the opportunity to play a fundamental role in consolidating this young collaborative fund strategically and programmatically.

The Girls First Fund has a small team and a deeply collaborative work environment. A commitment to leading with humility, co-managing tasks, and working collaboratively, along with an “all hands on deck” approach are fundamental to success in this role.

Primary Responsibilities

Continue to develop and expand our “Funding Plus” strategy, in collaboration with the Fund team.
Ensure alignment between grantmaking practices and operational policies and the Fund’s strategic vision, values, and feminist principles.
Further build and nurture the Fund’s program team, including by providing thought partnership, support, and mentoring to program staff.
Oversee a portfolio of grants throughout the Global South, together with the Program Officer.
Develop and manage the Fund’s program budget.
Conceptualize and execute a thematic and operational learning agenda for partners, staff, and donors, in collaboration with the Fund team.
Develop and nurture relationships with NGOs, donors, practitioners, researchers, government agencies, and other stakeholders to nourish the Fund’s own learning, foster collaboration, and help shape the field in which the Fund works.
Contribute to and support engagement with the Governance Committee.
Support outreach to new donors and our partnership with current donors together with the entire Fund team.
Represent the Fund Director at meetings and conferences, in policymaking environments, with other donors, and in the media.
Together with the entire Fund team, shape and support a welcoming culture that holds itself to high standards of excellence and collaboration, regardless of physical distance.

Qualifications

Deep relationships with gender justice movements in the Global South, particularly girl-centered and other community-based organizations.
Fluency in the developments, trends, and debates related to women’s and girls’ rights.
10+ years of progressively responsible experience implementing human rights/social justice programs in the Global South. Grantmaking experience, especially with participatory grantmaking models, would be a plus.
At least 5 years’ experience leading and managing a team. Talent for managing a seasoned team, with a demonstrated commitment to staff development and team building. Experience managing in a fully virtual environment would be a plus.
Demonstrated capacity to see, strategize, and learn across program functions. A learning approach characterized by humility and listening.
A vision of capacity building rooted in assets, local expertise, and a broad definition of capacity.
Extensive experience facilitating multi-stakeholder processes.
Eagerness for a senior leadership role with all the strengths and challenges of a “near start-up” environment.
Comfort working closely with institutional donors.
Excellent writing and presentation skills in English. Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
Fluency in languages spoken in countries where the prevalence of child marriage is high.
Fluency in French and/or Arabic would be a plus.
Residency in the Global South is required.
Ability to travel internationally (once safe to do so) 25% of the time.

Compensation and Benefits

The Girls First Fund offers generous compensation consistent with competitive salaries in the Program Director’s country of residence, and a benefits package that includes health coverage, retirement benefits, and paid sick leave, vacation, and holidays.

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter or a 3-5 minute video that speaks specifically to the responsibilities and qualifications described above, along with your resume to recruitment@girlsfirstfund.org. Please include Program Director – [Your First Name Last Name] in the subject line. The deadline for applications is Friday, July 9, 2021.

Girls First Fund and Capital for Good are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. With our commitment to ensure diverse representation, we strongly encourage applications from women, people with lived experience with child marriage, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.