Program Officer

The Program Officer provides operational leadership and hands-on support for the Mandela Washington Fellowship Operations team. In this role, you will manage and strengthen critical Fellowship processes, including Fellow selection, travel, visas, procurement, vendor management, finance, participant communications, and data management. You will help maintain accurate program systems and records, coordinate complex logistics before, during, and after program activities, and guide junior team members to ensure high-quality, timely deliverables. This role is ideal for an organized, solutions-oriented professional who brings strong judgment, attention to detail, and a commitment to responsive partner and participant support.

We're looking for our next team member—could it be you?

• Program Operations & Administration: Support day-to-day and cycle-based Fellowship operations, ensuring timely, accurate, and thoughtful completion of deliverables. Manage operational details related to Fellow selection, travel, visas, participant information, program systems, procurement, vendors, and event logistics. Maintain accurate records and strengthen program systems to support efficient implementation across the team.
• Participant, Partner & Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as a reliable point of contact for participants, partners, vendors, and other stakeholders through clear, professional, and responsive communication. Manage program inboxes and contact information, prepare and edit internal and external communications, and provide guidance on project deliverables, policies, and logistics.
• Finance, Procurement & Grant Support: Support financial administration, procurement, and compliance processes, including payment requests, vendor records, contracts, transaction reconciliation, cost-share tracking, participant taxes, and budget inputs. Help identify risks or discrepancies and coordinate with program leadership to address issues in alignment with IREX and U.S. Government requirements.
• Team Collaboration & Continuous Improvement: Guide and coach junior staff, delegate work with clear priorities, and help ensure quality and accountability across outputs. Support workflow improvements that reduce duplication, improve coordination, and build shared knowledge across the Operations and Fellowship team and other program contributors.
• Growth & New Business Support: Contribute to proposal development and partner engagement as needed, including drafting text, gathering supporting materials, supporting budget processes, and helping maintain relationships with external stakeholders and partner institutions.

At IREX, our culture is built on our people—and on how we work together to create meaningful impact every day. We look for colleagues who bring purpose, intellectual curiosity, collaborative problem solving, and a results driven, bias for action to help strengthen communities and advance our mission.

Successful candidates build trust across differences, move ideas into action, seek new perspectives, embrace change, and represent IREX with authenticity and professionalism. We value people who bring strong expertise and a generous team spirit to work that advances our mission.

Salary Range: $57,200 - $72,000

Skills & Experience:

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively while maintaining professionalism, positivity, flexibility, and sound judgment amid shifting priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to plan strategically, anticipate challenges, generate solutions, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience managing complex international and domestic travel logistics, including flights, ground transportation, visas, disability accommodations, and related participant support.
• Experience with data management, including cleaning and auditing data, synthesizing information from multiple sources, maintaining data integrity, managing records, and summarizing findings accurately.
• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement procedures, financial tracking, budget management, vendor oversight, and compliance-focused records management.
• Strong writing, editing, presentation, and oral communication skills, including the ability to produce near-final draft communications and documents.
• Experience mentoring, coaching, or guiding junior staff or young professionals preferred.
• Experience with SEVIS and J-1 visa regulations, including experience as an Alternate Responsible Officer, preferred.
• Familiarity with U.S. Government grants and regulations, specifically U.S. Department of State grants and regulations, preferred.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Three to five years of relevant progressive experience working with complex projects in program operations, international education, international development, a university, a nonprofit, or a similar organization, or equivalent experience.
• Experience managing participant or stakeholder communications and difficult situations with professionalism, tact, diplomacy, and strong customer service across diverse audiences.
• Experience with Salesforce or a comparable CRM or database; experience with SharePoint, Mailchimp, Alchemer, Canvas, Submittable, or comparable systems strongly preferred.
• High-level proficiency in Microsoft Office products, especially Excel, including formulas, conditional formatting, and data validation.
• Availability to support program activities in the evenings and on weekends, when needed based on the program cycle.

You must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

At IREX, you’ll work alongside committed, passionate, and collaborative colleagues who are united by a shared mission—making it a truly rewarding place to work. We offer learning, development, and growth opportunities, along with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your overall well-being.

If you are excited by IREX’s mission and see yourself contributing to this work, we encourage you to apply—even if your experience does not align with every preferred qualification. We value a range of backgrounds and experiences and are especially interested in candidates who bring curiosity, initiative, strong collaboration skills, and a commitment to meaningful global impact.

Please note: While we aim to offer competitive compensation, not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range.

Disability Specifications

IREX will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IREX seeks to attract the best-qualified candidates who support IREX’s mission and who respect and promote excellence through diversity. IREX is committed to equal opportunity and follows recruitment and selection practices that comply with all applicable employment laws. To this end, IREX recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals based on merit and experience.

We conduct background checks on all successful candidates.

This position is not eligible for Immigration Sponsorship.

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