Senior Associate – Programme Management

Role Overview

This Senior Associate position sits within the International Development practice, where you will take a hands-on role in shaping and steering large-scale development programmes from concept through to delivery. Your day-to-day work will involve translating donor and government priorities into structured implementation plans, coordinating multi-country workstreams, and keeping complex portfolios on track against time, budget, and quality benchmarks. You will be the connective tissue between technical experts, clients, and partners, ensuring that governance, risk, and reporting standards are met while helping the team win new business through persuasive, evidence-based proposals.

Key Responsibilities

• Design programme architectures, including operating models, governance structures, delivery approaches, and implementation roadmaps that align with strategic objectives.
• Develop and maintain core programme management artefacts such as workplans, theories of change, results frameworks, risk registers, dependency maps, and resource plans.
• Coordinate the execution of Technical Assistance, Programme Management, and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) services across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Track delivery progress against milestones and KPIs, flagging emerging risks or bottlenecks and recommending practical mitigation measures to leadership.
• Lead and contribute to proposal development by researching donor priorities, translating technical concepts into compelling narratives, and coordinating input across internal teams to meet strict submission deadlines.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement, including consultations, workshops, and reporting cycles, with government bodies, development partners, and implementing organisations.
• Ensure compliance with client and internal governance frameworks, clarifying roles, reporting lines, and accountability across programme teams.
• Apply recognised programme and portfolio management methodologies to standardise tools, improve consistency, and embed learning and continuous improvement into programme delivery.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least three years of relevant professional experience in programme or project management, grants or financial management, monitoring & evaluation, or technical assistance, ideally gained within government, donor agencies, NGOs, foundations, or consulting firms.
• A master’s degree in economics, finance, international development, public policy, project/programme management, or a related discipline.
• Proven ability to manage multi-stakeholder, multi-country programmes—including coordinating teams, managing budgets, and delivering results in complex environments.
• Strong proposal writing, reporting, and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to present to senior clients and facilitate discussions.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to research donor landscapes and translate findings into actionable programme designs.
• Experience in one or more of the following sectors: public financial management and governance, private sector development, climate change and sustainability, or social sectors such as health, education, and agriculture.
• Professional certification in programme or project management (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, PMP, MoP) is strongly preferred, while additional qualifications in M&E, data analytics, or financial management (CPA/ACCA/CISA) are a plus.
• Highly motivated and adaptable, with strong interpersonal skills and a clear commitment to development impact.