Program Officer

Partners of the Americas (POA) is a private, nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 1964 that connects people, institutions, and communities across the Western Hemisphere, especially between the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Its purpose is to build bridges of collaboration to promote sustainable development, strengthen civil society, and create opportunities that improve people’s lives. Over the past six decades, POA has become a strong network that engages volunteers, professionals, governments, and businesses, generating positive impact in education, economic development, agriculture, health, youth leadership, and community resilience. Position Summary The Senior Program Officer (SPO), Community & Volunteer Engagement leads a broad portfolio spanning Chapter, and affiliate organizations relations, volunteer and member engagement, grantmaking, international exchange programming, network events, strategic communications, and data and systems management. The role serves as a primary Home Office relationship manager for the volunteer network; manages the full lifecycle of privately funded grant and exchange initiatives; develops multilingual engagement and communications strategies; and builds systems and processes that support compliance, continuity, and a high-quality participant and member experience. SPO works cross-functionally with leadership, board members, Finance and Administration, Communications, Business Development, program teams, volunteer leaders, implementing partners, and donors. This position is based in Washington, DC. Membership, Chapter & PartnersCampus Engagement Support the development and implementation of member, Chapter, and PartnersCampus engagement strategies, with emphasis on defining tangible member value, strengthening Home Office relationships, and responding to network needs. Contribute member and network insight to discussions about membership models, benefits, pricing, sponsorships, and sustainable revenue strategies in collaboration with leadership and Finance. Gather and synthesize member and volunteer needs through direct relationship management, meetings, site visits, surveys, and ongoing engagement; translate insights into benefits, resources, programming, and strategic recommendations. Translate member, Chapter, and PartnersCampus feedback into actionable recommendations and proposed initiatives; work with leadership and relevant teams to determine priorities, ownership, resources, and implementation pathways. Maintain accurate Chapter, PartnersCampus, member, and engagement data; assess and recommend technology and process improvements while identifying implementation capacity, transition risks, and effects on the member experience. Coordinate member-related platforms, vendors, renewals, contracts, invoices, and internal stakeholders as assigned. Chapter Relations Serve as a primary Home Office relationship manager for Chapters and PartnersCampuses across the Americas, providing responsive, culturally aware support and helping set clear, realistic expectations for partnership with the organization. Manage Chapter and PartnersCampus lifecycle processes, including inquiries, chartering, Board approval, administrative onboarding, orientation, leadership transitions, required documentation, and ongoing support. Plan and facilitate Chapter and network leader meetings, youth leader meetings, webinars, and other engagement spaces, including agenda design, multilingual facilitation, speaker coordination, promotion, and follow-up. Maintain records and calendars of Chapter and network needs, leadership changes, reporting cycles, major activities, and upcoming engagement opportunities. Respond to ongoing member, Chapter, PartnersCampus, applicant, grantee, and public inquiries, triaging requests and connecting individuals with appropriate internal or external resources. Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board Network Committee, including coordinating agendas, preparing materials, facilitating communication between staff and committee members, documenting decisions and action items, and helping align committee support with agreed organizational and network priorities. Recruit, onboard, coordinate, and support volunteers serving as reviewers, facilitators, committee members, Chapter leaders, mentors, and other program contributors across countries and professional backgrounds. Develop volunteer engagement opportunities, recognition practices, learning opportunities, and cross-border connections that strengthen relationships, leadership, service, and professional growth across the network. Events, Conferences & Network Programming Plan and coordinate major network events and conferences, including What Works, in partnership with implementing organizations, Chapters, staff, vendors, and volunteer leaders. Develop scopes of work, agreements, event websites, registration processes, event-platform spaces, staff and volunteer roles, promotional campaigns, and participant logistics. Support multilingual virtual and in-person programming, including interpretation/translation considerations and facilitation across English and Spanish. Develop and execute multilingual communications and outreach across email, social media, web, presentations, and print. Create member, Chapter, grantee, reviewer, applicant, and participant communications, including calls for applications, onboarding materials, reminders, newsletters, updates, orientation materials, and promotional content. Create and maintain webpages, graphics, digital workflows, application portals, databases, forms, and other tools that support program delivery and network engagement. Data, Evaluation & Reporting Build and maintain practical databases, trackers, dashboards, and reporting systems to monitor participation, awards, countries, themes, volunteer contributions, deliverables, and program history over time. Analyze and communicate relevant program, grant, membership, Chapter, and volunteer engagement data to leadership, donors, Boards, and other stakeholders as needed. Maintain accurate and appropriately secured records across membership, grant-management, shared-drive, and reporting systems; document key processes and support continuity when systems or staffing change. Partnership Development & Cross-Functional Collaboration Work cross-functionally with Programs, Communications, Business Development, Finance and Administration, leadership, and volunteer leaders to integrate network knowledge and community relationships into organizational strategy and program design. Identify and develop partnerships, professional development opportunities, cross-border initiatives, and network-based program concepts that respond to member interests and build on existing expertise within the network. Contribute to annual and longer-term planning for Community & Volunteer Engagement, identifying network priorities, emerging opportunities, resource needs, and strategies for strengthening the role of the network within the broader organization. Represent Partners in meetings, site visits, conferences, and partner conversations; practice listening and relationship-building to translate partner and community insights into future plans and strategies. Distribution of Time Occasional domestic and international travel for Chapter and partner site visits, international exchanges, network meetings, conferences, and other program activities; frequency varies by program cycle and funding. This is a full-time, exempt position with a standard workweek; however, occasional evening and weekend work is required to support international exchanges, events and conferences, volunteer and Chapter meetings, application deadlines, and programming involving participants and stakeholders across multiple time zones. The role may require flexibility in work hours during peak program periods, travel, major events, or time-sensitive grant and exchange activities. Qualification and Minimum Requirements Bachelor's degree in international development, education, communications, public administration, or a related field; advanced degree or equivalent relevant experience preferred. At least three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in volunteer/community engagement, non-profit management, international exchanges, membership, and/or a related mission-driven field. Demonstrated experience, including supervising or coordinating interns, consultants, volunteers, reviewers, facilitators, or staff; ability to lead through influence and cross-functional collaboration. Strong program management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent grant cycles, events, exchanges, deadlines, approvals, and stakeholders. Knowledge of or demonstrated ability to learn membership/association practices, grant and subaward management, volunteer engagement, and participant/member experience principles. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English required; professional Spanish strongly preferred; Portuguese proficiency or working knowledge highly valued. The salary range for this position is $58,389-$70,000 annually. Final compensation will be based on experience, skills, and qualifications. Partners is Proud To Be An Equal Employment Opportunity And affirmative action employer. Partners does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. #J-18808-Ljbffr