Senior Program Manager – BID Lab

About TechnoServe:

At TechnoServe, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better life. For over 50 years, we have given smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs the skills, connections, and confidence to lift themselves out of poverty. We leverage the power of markets and the private sector to create sustainable economic growth to benefit people and the planet. Our unique mix of business solutions, deep knowledge of local contexts, and data-driven insights is helping to fight poverty across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

TechnoServe staff are local–95% are from the countries in which they work. We put a high premium on collaboration and entrepreneurship. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. And we focus on delivering lasting impact for our mission.

Job Summary: The Senior Program Manager – BID Lab leads the implementation of a regional AgrifoodTech program and serves as Coordinator of the Project Executing Unit (UEP) for BID Lab–financed operations. The role ensures compliance with financing agreements and BID/IDB policies, oversees planning, financial management, procurement, audits, and reporting, and acts as the primary counterpart to BID Lab/IDB. The position provides strategic leadership to multidisciplinary teams and partners, manages acceleration and grant activities, and ensures delivery of results aligned with program objectives and donor requirements.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Leadership, Management, and Contractual Compliance

• Lead overall program implementation and management, ensuring achievement of objectives, targets, and results, in close coordination with partners and in compliance with the financing agreements executed with BID Lab and/or the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as applicable.
• Serve as Coordinator of the Project Executing Unit (UEP) for the BID Lab–financed operation, acting as the primary technical, administrative, and financial counterpart to BID Lab/IDB.
• Ensure full compliance with the Financing Agreement / Technical Cooperation Agreement and all applicable BID Lab/IDB policies and procedures, including financial management, procurement, integrity, environmental and social safeguards, and AML/CTF requirements, as applicable.
• Provide strategic leadership and technical oversight, strengthening operational efficiency, quality of execution, and innovation, and ensuring consistency with BID Lab/IDB–approved instruments.
• Identify and promote strategic partnerships with public and private sector actors, international organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee cross-cutting priorities such as gender equality, digitalization, and climate resilience, while maintaining effective relationships with donors and partners.
• Lead and supervise the project team and the UEP, ensuring appropriate staffing, performance, and a collaborative, high-performing work environment.

Planning, Financial Execution, and Procurement

• Lead the preparation, execution, monitoring, and updating of BID Lab/IDB–required management instruments, including the Annual Operating Plan (POA), Multiannual Execution Plan (PEP), Procurement Plan (PA), and Financial Programming (PF), ensuring alignment with the results framework and actual execution.
• Oversee the project budget and financial execution, ensuring eligible and efficient use of resources in coordination with administrative and finance teams.
• Manage procurement and contracting processes in accordance with approved plans and BID Lab/IDB procurement policies or applicable national regulations.
• Review, validate, and monitor disbursement requests, ensuring compliance with contractual, financial, and documentation requirements established by BID Lab/IDB.

Technical Implementation and Ecosystem Articulation

• Coordinate objectives and activities with corporate partners, research centers, investors, and other ecosystem stakeholders.
• Define program methodology and lead startup outreach, selection, and support processes, including engagement with producers, anchor companies, and investors.
• Oversee implementation of the acceleration program, Agro Living Labs, proof-of-concept activities, Demo Days, and grant allocation and follow-up.
• Coordinate the design, validation, and launch of the AgrifoodTech investment vehicle for LAC together with BID Lab.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Reporting (MEL)

• Coordinate the project’s MEL system, ensuring alignment with BID Lab/IDB indicators and reporting requirements.
• Prepare and/or coordinate timely submission of technical and financial reports, progress updates, and donor presentations.
• Coordinate baseline, midline, and final evaluations, and supervise evaluation consultancies as required.

Project Closure

• Lead and coordinate the formal project closure process with BID Lab/IDB, including final technical and financial reporting, financial reconciliation, contractual close-out, and fulfillment of all obligations under the financing agreement.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of experience and/or Master’s degree with 7 years of relevant experience in economics, statistics, econometrics, international development, business, public policy, social sciences, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in project management and monitoring and evaluation of business and socioeconomic development programs.
• Desired experience in Impact Investment Funds and/or Venture Capital.
• Preferably based in El Salvador.

Required Languages: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Spanish and English, with proven experience in report writing, presentations, and data analysis.

Travel: Regular regional travel (40%).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading economic development programs, particularly in access to finance, access to markets, digitalization, or business development.
• Consulting experience.
• Strong people management and communication skills enabling effective collaboration with field teams.
• Strong attention to detail, excellent planning skills, ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and manage multiple tasks in dynamic environments.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proven track record supporting or managing complex private sector development programs with strong local capacity-building components.
• Demonstrated excellence in team, project, and budget management.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of public and private stakeholders.
• Experience supervising field teams and delivering expected results.
• Strong planning, supervision, and quality assurance skills; familiarity with MEL frameworks.
• Independent judgment and strong decision-making abilities with limited supervision.
• Knowledge of market systems and facilitation approaches.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and manage multiple activities.
• Demonstrated interest in and/or knowledge of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality.

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at [email protected] or call +1 202 785 4515.