Regional Programme Director, East-Southeast Asia

Regional Programme Director, East-Southeast Asia

Posted 23 December 2024

About the Position 

The Regional Programme Director, East-Southeast Asia, will serve as the lead for all our programmatic work within East-Southeast Asia. They will be responsible for: 

• Oversee country strategies (Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, China/HK), grant-making portfolios, institutional and cross-sector strengthening programmes, programme learning and impact, and ensure alignment and constructive collaboration with the global programme team. 
• Responsible for overseeing E SE Asia team planning, learning and reflection; grantmaking operations, budgets, and systems; quarterly and annual workflow for the region.
• Serving as strategic thought partner to Development Manager(s) on EMpower’s programmatic offering to individual donors, institutions, trusts, foundations, and corporates.
• Leading, coaching, inspiring and team building the E-SE Asia regional programme team and serving as a strong ‘culture carrier’ for EMpower in the region.

Key Responsibilities

The duties that follow represent the primary responsibilities for this role. All employees are responsible for performing other duties as assigned. Primary responsibilities for this role include the following:

Role Requirements

Extensive professional experience relevant to strategic thinking; inclusive and participatory leadership and management; planning and budgetary responsibility, overseeing programmatic strategy and execution in a not-for-profit environment. Success in this role requires you to be a strategic thinker and strong planner, inclusive supervision, and team management skills; proven effectiveness at leading efficient and effective processes, well-organised, and proactive.

They will report to the Vice President, Programmes – based in London. They will directly manage at least 2 programme officers based in the region and technical (external) regional consultants. 

Primary Responsibilities

The duties that follow represent the primary responsibilities for this role. All employees are responsible for performing other duties as they arise. 

Programme Strategy, Planning, and Learning

• Ensure that all programming in the region is aligned with EMpower organisational values, Theory of Change, Girls, and Gender strategy; and youth engagement and participation guidelines. 
• Responsible for developing, managing, and executing work plans and budgets with the regional programme team.
• Responsible for oversight of regional planning, learning and reflection; grantmaking operations and systems; annual and quarterly workflow.
• Responsible for all country strategy development or refresh in the region to guide grantmaking and programmatic decisions.
• Builds partnerships with external experts and institutions to nurture and strengthen our inclusive organisational culture of learning and impact; and contribute to the advancement of the sector at large. 

Grantmaking 

• Responsible for directly managing a portfolio of grants; direct grants management being equal to or less than 40% of their overall function. 
• Recommend new grantee partners, conducting due diligence
• Responsible for reviewing and providing feedback on all grants in their region 
• Review and negotiate proposals and budgets with prospective and current grantee partners 
• Plan and undertake visits to existing and prospective grantee partners

Leadership and Management

• Direct line management of senior programme officers / programme officers based in the region, oversight of the regional team, trust building and team building; managing regional and individual work plans; creating opportunities for professional development and coaching for the regional team to grow, learn and thrive.
• Provide coverage for the programme team as needed.
• In line with EMpower values, recruit new team members, as necessary, with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

Capacity Strengthening / Cross-Sector Strengthening

• Oversee and / or guide capacity strengthening initiatives within and across grantee partner organisations
• Plan and support strategic learning opportunities within and across grantee partners 

Visibility, Representation, and Partnerships

• Actively partner with EMpower’s Development and Communications team to lead on strategic partnerships, opportunities, including institutional fundraising.
• Actively look for development opportunities and lead on some proposals, representation, donor/Board visits etc.
• Represent EMpower at various events / convenings including donor meetings as well as broader philanthropy sector events.
• Network with other international or regional funders / organisations regarding potential partnerships and/or collaborations.

Knowledge, Skills, Values, and education

The Regional Programme Director, E-SE Asia oversees efforts to improve the lives and horizons of marginalized young people, ages 10-24 in Hong Kong, mainland China, Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. The knowledge, skills, values, and abilities for this position are as follows.

• Seasoned professional with organisational and management experience: 10-15 years’ experience preferred in the philanthropic and/or nonprofit sector, of which at least 5 preferred in a direct line management role. 
• Strong creative, strategic, and analytical thinking skills.
• History of effective oversight of grantmaking portfolios.
• History of effective stakeholder management, including institutional and individual donors.
• Experience in developing and close oversight of budgets.
• Strong management skills with a demonstrated commitment to collaborative leadership and trust-based approaches to philanthropy. 
• Experience with girl-led, youth-led, participatory programming desired.
• Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills, an ongoing learner with cultural awareness.
• Ability to remain calm and productive under pressure, prioritize amongst competing demands, and deliver on time-sensitive requests.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, imperfect information, complexity.
• Ability to work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure collective success.
• Written and oral fluency in English; proficiency in one or more regional languages desired.
• Highly organised; proven ability to work independently, anticipate, prioritize, complete multiple projects, and meet deadlines, with consistent attention to detail
• Ability to work independently with high degree of judgment and professionalism, as well as with a global team across multiple time zones
• Strong interpersonal communication skills with culturally diverse audiences; from marginalized, underserved youth to high-profile finance professionals. 
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; alignment with EMpower values.
• Ability to work and reside in Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong or Singapore and travel regionally/internationally, as needed (up to 25-30%)

Application Deadline : 6th January, 2024

Compensation and Benefits EMpower offers competitive wages, benefits, and growth opportunities consistent with industry standards. Flexible benefits packages include health insurance and other insurance; pension plan with employer contribution/match; time off; and work/life benefits. The salary range for the position is around 80k-100k USD + benefits based on the location and experience.

How to apply: Send your cv/resume along with your cover letter to hr@empowerweb.org by January 6th, 2025.