Founded in 2000, Free the Slaves is a pioneer and leader in the global effort to eradicate slavery. Our mission is to liberate those in slavery and to change the conditions that allow slavery to persist. Free the Slaves works at the grassroots to empower vulnerable individuals and communities to achieve freedom from slavery and develop resistance to slavery. We work with and through local partners to build national capacity to combat slavery and trafficking.  We advocate for policies and laws that help in the fight against slavery.  We are committed to rigorous assessment of our work and scrupulous integrity in the use of donor funds.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with programs in Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, India, and Nepal, Free the Slaves has an annual operating budget of approximately $2.6 million, a diverse and expert staff, and a highly engaged and supportive Board of Directors. For more information, see: www.freetheslaves.net.

Position Overview

The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director will provide strategic direction and technical leadership to the Free the Slaves (FTS) country programs and program and project staff, within the context of the overall organizational strategy.  Responsibilities encompass ensuring high quality anti-slavery programming consistent with the FTS mission and vision, ensuring compliance with FTS and donor requirements for implementation of grant-funded projects, actively contributing to fundraising in collaboration with the Development Department, and maintaining effective relationships with the Communications and Advocacy Department and the Operations Department.

Principal Responsibilities

Programs leadership:The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director has responsibility for providing leadership to the Programs Department with regard to the following organizational strategies and goals:

• Building community resistance to slavery– This encompasses ensuring the high quality design and implementation of FTS country programs that seek to reduce the prevalence of modern slavery. Country programs are expected to be consistent with the FTS Community Liberation Model, appropriately adapted to country context, and compliant with the requirements of grant agreements supporting the programs. S/he is expected to sustain and expand the portfolio in the countries in which FTS currently operates and to materially contribute to the extension of FTS programs to additional countries if and when this is deemed appropriate.
•  Developing and deploying the Community Liberation Toolkit– FTS is developing and deploying a comprehensive training and technical assistance curriculum based on its Community Liberation Model.  The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director will be expected to lead completion of the Toolkit, ensure that it is a high quality resource for FTS and its partners, and direct and model high-quality training and technical assistance.
•  Developing and implementing  a new generation of partnerships–The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director will provide leadership in positioning FTS as the technical partner of choice for organizations and agencies whose work can be enhance by that of FTS, encouraging the integration of anti-slavery interventions into their work and programs, including using the Community Liberation Toolkit as a resource for building partner capacity.
•  Effective supervision and team building– The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director is expected to be a supportive supervisor, directly and indirectly, for all Programs Department staff, cultivating their growth and maximizing their potential, while evoking high standards of performance.  S/he is expected to engage in effective team building, encouraging collegiality, mutual support and learning across programs, and will work with the Programs team to optimize structure and processes within the Programs Department.

Contribution to other organizational goals In addition, the Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director is expected to be a key contributor to other organizational goals. These include:

• Collaborating closely with the Development Department on fundraising– Giving guidance on the substantive programmatic priorities for fundraising, ensuring that the Development Department has the information needed to support fundraising, providing technical leadership, and programmatic content, in preparing proposals to government, multilateral and private donors and supporting development of country- and theme-specific fundraising strategies.
• Collaborating closely with the Communications and Advocacy Department on organizational positioning and advocacy– The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director will support and encourage sharing of program descriptions, summary results, reports, stories, photos, videos and other materials that help the Communications and Advocacy Department effectively tell the FTS story to an array of stakeholders and constituencies. S/he will also coordinate in-country advocacy with global advocacy efforts and share programmatic information that can help inform and strengthen FTS’ policy advocacy efforts.
• Collaborating closely with the Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation Departmentto ensure adherence to FTS M&E indicators, standards and processes; compliance with the M&E requirements of grant agreements; timely reporting; and, effective use of M&E data and findings to improve program quality and impact.
• Oversee implementation of grants for country programsto ensure requirements and expectations are met, expenditures are being effectively monitored, there is proper implementation and oversight of sub-grants to FTS partners, and all donor rules, permissions and reporting requirements are complied with.
• Ensuring compliance with FTS, legal and donor policy requirements, including, but not limited to, planning, budgeting, finance, human resources, child protection, anti-discrimination and non-harassment, security, travel, confidentiality and data protection, gift and whistleblower policies.

Organizational leadershipThe Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director position is a leadership role in the organization.  Accordingly, s/he is expected to:

• Contribute to organizational decision-making through participation in the meetings and other forums for discussing organizational issues. S/he is expected to manifest organizational leadership, raise issues needing attention, and contribute constructively and collegially to advancing the welfare of Free the Slaves as a whole.
•  Represent Free the Slaves and the Programs Department to internal and external constituenciesincluding the Board of Directors, donors, media and policy makers. The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director will provide, in writing and orally, reports and commentary as needed to the array of FTS stakeholders and constituencies in keeping with guidance provided by the Executive Director and in consultation with other concerned departments.

Relationships

• The Senior Programs Manager//Programs Director reports to the Executive Director.
• The Programs Department currently has a staff of nine (8 based in the country offices).  The Senior Programs Manager/Programs Director will chair the Programs Team meetings and has latitude to organize the structure and reporting relationships within the Programs Department to best advance FTS goals.
• The Programs Director is a peer to the Communications and Advocacy Director, Development Director, Operations Director, the Asia Regional Director and MLE Manager and is expected to maintain collegial, effective working relationships with those individuals, as well as FTS staff across the organization.

Travel

The Programs Director should expect to travel 2-4 times per year internationally.

Position qualifications

The ideal candidate will be expected to:

• Have demonstrated a compelling breadth and depth of knowledge of the human trafficking/modern slavery field
• Be recognized by peers in the field for accomplishment and leadership in the anti-slavery cause and have a network of relationships in the anti-slavery field
• Have a track record as an accomplished, experienced manager
• Have experience coordinating and supporting multiple country programs
• Have demonstrated success in raising funds to support programs
• Be an effective communicator in writing and orally with the ability to engage effectively with widely diverse audiences ranging from policy makers in Washington, D.C. to communities in the countries served by FTS
• Have experience with key donor agencies, such as the State Department TIP Office, USAID and private foundations supporting anti-slavery work
• Manifest a collegial approach to working with other FTS staff at all levels
• Seven to ten years of professional experience, including experience in developing countries
• Be fluent in French and/or Spanish

Title and compensation will be dependent on candidate qualifications.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

To Apply

Applications should include a tailored cover letter that outlines how your interest, skills and experience meet the qualifications for the position, resume and a list of references. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR RESUME, COVER LETTER and REFERENCES AS ONE (1) WORD OR PDF DOCUMENT to http://smrtr.io/39h27. Please include your last name in the title of the submitted document. Please indicate the annual full-time salary rate required.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Free the Slaves offers competitive salary & benefits commensurate with experience and skills. Free the Slaves is an equal-opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.