Program Manager. Seoul. Posting Date: 11/27/2024. Deadline: 01/05/2025

Role Title

Program Manager (for Global China)

Contract Type: Fixed Term

Program Duration: 5 years

Location: Seoul

Reporting To: Director, Programs (East Asia Director)

Team Name: Gender Equity and Demographic Decline in East Asia Opportunity

Opportunity Description

Over the next five years, OSF’s East Asia team, whose brief includes China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, will focus on establishing stronger protections for women and LGBTQ communities by advocating for legislations, policies, and accountability mechanisms to ensure safeguards against gender-based violence and provide redress; lowering barriers to effective participation in local and national politics by women and LGBTQ individuals; and building a transnational cohort of feminist and LGBTQ activists with strong advocacy capacity who can be change makers in future openings in East Asia.

Role Purpose

The Program Manager for Global China will serve as both an internal and external representative of the East Asia team on matters related to China. The subject matters include, but are not limited to, China’s domestic and foreign policies, political dynamics and regional interactions, as well as climate and environmental issues, labor rights protections, and economic and investment practices. This role is ideal for a strategic thinker with a broad perspective who is deeply committed to justice, equity and human rights. The Program Manager will be instrumental in supporting the East Asia team’s objectives and will act as the primary expert on China’s regional and global role.

Key Responsibilities

As Program Manager, you will:

• Support East Asia Director to deliver on East Asia opportunity’s outcomes with professionalism
• Conduct research and provide regular analysis on China’s domestic politics and its global role, presence, and relationships to East Asia Director and OSF leadership
• Represent East Asia team on Global China issues internally and externally; Collaborate closely with other program staff and offer expert consultation on China-related projects
• Draft and edit briefing papers and other documents on China’s domestic politics and its global role, presence, and relationships for both internal and external audiences
• Assist in the construction, maintenance, and assessment of advocacy portfolio(s), and sharing responsibility for strategy design
• Grant making experience is a plus but not required for this position.
• Deliver on day-to-day liaison with internal and external actors to ensure the work is designed, launched, implemented, and exited according to the outcomes defined
• Work collaboratively with East Asia team and other colleagues across OSF to ensure the work is effectively leveraging OSF’s capabilities to reach the agreed outcome
• Manage relationships with partners, including governments, civil society groups and peer donors and work with them to achieve OSF’s strategic objectives
• Process and oversee progress of consultant contracts

People Responsibilities (Total Team/DRs)

No

Key internal relationships

East Asia Director; Managing Director; Open Society Network Grants, Protecting Rights Defenders Opportunity; Program Managers in other relevant teams, Grants Management, Operations

Key external relationships

External Partners

Qualifications

Essential:

• Educated to a degree-level (or equivalent)

Desirable:

• Post-graduate education in human rights, law, journalism, international relations, or political science.

Experience

Essential:

• At least ten years of experience (in one or multiple organizations) where proficiency in the specific field or subject area has been comprehensively developed
• Extensive expertise in the area of China’s internal politics and its global role, presence and external relations
• Prior working experience of operating within the non-profit community in Asia (for example multi-lateral, NGO, foundation or ambassadorial working environments).

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Conceives, designs and manages cross-department, cross-program or similarly complex projects; expected to effectively manage time, budget and stakeholders and network-wide or similarly complex coordination
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Able to represent the organization and opportunity in regional global fora and panel discussions and write concise and analytical briefing papers and other documents, as needed.
• Skilled in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
• Able to analyze, generate, capture, synthesize and organize information and knowledge to deliver prescribed outcomes
• Ability to conduct research to drive decision making by management
• Skilled in keeping abreast of latest trends in the protection of rights defenders field and drawing out patterns
• Experience in budgeting, strategic analysis and planning
• Working well with a variety of public, private and NGO stakeholders, including peer donors.
• Building and maintaining networks of relevant stakeholders
• Promote strategic cooperation with governmental and other sectors
• Knowledge of grant making best practices and the field of philanthropy
• Ability to build synergies, strengthen movements, and identify and fill capacity gaps across fields
• Demonstrate care and concern about partner organizations and the people who work in them

Personal Competencies:

• Able to build consensus with diverse audiences/stakeholders
• Possesses cultural sensitivity to work respectfully and effectively in different settings
• Ability to work independently and being self-motivated
• Demonstrates commitment to OSF’s core values of humility, commitment, collaboration, respect, inclusivity and integrity
• Proven experience in collaborating with multi-country stakeholders
• Willingness to adjust working hours to include calls and discussions with colleagues and vendors located in various geographic regions
• Commitment to continuous learning and growth in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism and social justice

Languages:

• Educated native-level fluency in oral and written Mandarin and English is essential for this role.

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.