Program Officer - Indo Pacific

Location: Sydney, Australia or remote

Deadline: October 9 2023, 11:59 P.M.

About OCCRP

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is a growing, global nonprofit media organization that is reinventing investigative journalism for the public good. By developing and equipping a global network of investigative journalists and publishing their stories, we expose crime and corruption so the public can hold power to account. We see a future where organized crime and corruption are drastically reduced and democracy is strengthened. Our global team includes editors, researchers, data engineers, security specialists, administrators, technologists, and strategists, each with areas of in-depth expertise.

Position Overview

OCCRP is seeking an experienced program officer to oversee the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of its grant portfolio in the Indo Pacific region. The program officer will be OCCRP’s lead for understanding all aspects of the grants’ objectives, deliverables, timelines, and budgets in the regional portfolio.

The program officer will be responsible for coordinating with OCCRP’s management, relevant field staff, and finance staff to monitor and discuss the financial health and progress being made toward grant deliverables. The program officer will also be a main point of contact between OCCRP and the donors, keeping them updated about the progress of grants and any issues that may impact successful and timely execution. Finally, the program officer will work closely with field staff––OCCRP’s journalists and technologists––to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the work being funded and will be responsible for compiling accurate, informative, and on time reports about the work to donors.

This position will be a key link between multiple departments at OCCRP as well as between OCCRP and its funders. As such, the program officer must possess excellent communication skills, time management skills, and attention to detail. The incumbent should have experience managing U.S. government-funded projects at medium-to-large international NGOs. Working knowledge of investigative journalism is preferred but not required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintain a thorough understanding of all objectives and deliverables as stipulated in grant agreements.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of grant budgets and ensure that all costs allocated to grants are in accordance with their budgets and are appropriate under the terms of the grant agreements.
• Liaise with relevant field staff to ensure they understand grant objectives, timelines, and key deliverables.
• Liaise with relevant field staff to receive regular updates about progress toward grant deliverables and any issues that may impact grants’ progress.
• Liaise with donors to provide regular updates about the status of grants.
• Quickly identify any issues which may impact the grant program’s timely and successful implementation and clearly communicate them to OCCRP’s management, relevant field staff, and donors.
• Regularly meet with the finance team and field staff to monitor and manage grants’ financial health.
• Work with the finance team and programs department management to determine which costs should be allocated to appropriate grants on a monthly basis.
• Work with OCCRP management to constantly improve the overall grant management and reporting process.
• Ensure OCCRP confidential information is well-protected and is responsible to preserve confidentiality at all times.
• Communicate and collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders in accordance with OCCRP’s relevant Protocols and Policies.
• Additional responsibilities as determined by management.

Performance

Success in this role with hinge on the following:

• Sharp critical thinking skills and a strong desire to constantly improve anything the incumbent is working on.
• Timeliness, accuracy, thoroughness, and attention to detail in reports and all other communications dealing with the duties listed above.
• Top-notch communication and collaboration skills when working with colleagues from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds.
• Strong narrative-writing skills.
• A basic understanding of nonprofit finance, especially with regards to U.S. government funding.
• A high degree of emotional intelligence.
• The incumbent’s success will be measured during regular performance evaluations.

Skills, Experience, and Education Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Experience managing U.S. government grant-funded programs at a global NGO.
• An understanding of investigative journalism, data science, or international development preferred.
• Experience managing or mentoring junior program management staff preferred.
• Proficiency with Excel.
• Experience managing budgets and reading nonprofit financial statements.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Must be able to keep organization matters strictly confidential.

To Apply

To apply, please email your CV and a Cover Letter to jobs(at)occrp.org

All applications must be submitted in English. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Whilst we have internal goals to reply to unsuccessful candidates, we regret that the high number of applicants greatly exceeds our capacity to respond to each person. We apologize that we will not be able to reply to any unsuccessful applicants. As an equal opportunity employer, OCCRP values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We do not discriminate against any person based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, medical conditions, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics. If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process, please contact hr(at)occrp.org