Senior Program Lead, Global Impact & Partnerships

International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX); Headquarters; On-site; CAD 108,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

IREX seeks a Senior Program Officer II to lead design and delivery of mission-driven programs within IREX’s Global Impact Hub, guiding workstreams, budgets, compliance, and partner relationships. The role focuses on international exchanges and workforce innovation initiatives, emphasizing measurable results and strong staff development.

You will oversee complex program workstreams, manage donor partnerships, and collaborate with educational institutions and private sector partners to advance

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience managing complex programs with budgets, compliance, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to oversee multiple workstreams, set priorities, and deliver high-quality results.
• Experience supervising staff and guiding performance and development.
• Proven ability to build relationships with donors, participants, institutions, and partners.
• Experience designing convenings, exchanges, trainings, workshops, site visits, or other participant-centered programming.
• Use data and feedback to monitor progress and inform decisions.
• Experience with U.S. Government-funded grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts, including applicable compliance and reporting requirements, preferred.
• Experience in workforce readiness and/or private sector engagement, including community college-industry partnerships, vocational or technical education.
• Support business development through proposal design, budgeting, partner engagement, or proposal review.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage assigned programs or major workstreams from planning through closeout, ensuring quality, impact, and timely delivery.
• Develop and execute work plans, timelines, reports, presentations, events, exchanges, travel, and other program products.
• Anticipate implementation risks, resolve problems, and keep leadership informed of progress and issues with significant implications.
• Lead the design and delivery of participant-centered programming, including U.S.-based summits, regional exchanges, site visits, workshops, and follow-on activities.
• Build and manage productive relationships with donors, participants, alumni, U.S. and international educational institutions, private sector partners, workforce organizations, government counterparts, and other stakeholders.
• Represent IREX in meetings and presentations, facilitate clear and consistent communications, and coordinate high-quality partner engagement.
• Support recruitment, nomination, selection, orientation, participant monitoring, and alumni engagement processes.
• For assigned initiatives, cultivate partnerships among community colleges, industry, workforce systems, and international institutions.
• Manage assigned budgets and financial processes, monitor expenditures and forecasts, and ensure the financial integrity and cost-effectiveness of program activities.
• Coordinate procurement, vendor and consultant management, subawards or partner agreements, participant support, and required documentation.
• Ensure compliance with IREX, donor, and applicable U.S. Government requirements, including program, financial, safeguarding, records, branding, and reporting obligations.
• Review work products and supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance before submission or approval.
• Direct and guide the work of team members, delegate responsibilities with clear and measurable expectations, and provide timely coaching, feedback, and learning opportunities.
• Partner across IREX to solve problems, strengthen workflows, share knowledge, and align program work with practice and organizational goals.
• Use data, participant and partner feedback, and lessons learned to improve program quality and decision-making.
• Foster a collaborative, respectful, accountable, and results-driven team culture.
• Identify opportunities to deepen partnerships, expand existing work, and contribute to new program development.
• Lead or support proposal strategy, technical design, writing, budgeting, partner outreach, and review processes as assigned.
• Gather and share relevant market and technical intelligence, including developments in workforce innovation, education-industry partnerships, advanced manufacturing, AI, digital skills, and private sector engagement.
• Contribute expertise and high-quality materials that strengthen IREX positioning and program growth.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Donor relations

Data-driven decision making

Grant compliance

Workforce development

Business development

Travel readiness

Budgeting

Job description

IREX seeks a Senior Program Officer II to lead design and delivery of mission-driven programs within IREX’s Global Impact Hub, guiding workstreams, budgets, compliance, and partner relationships. The role focuses on international exchanges and workforce innovation initiatives, emphasizing measurable results and strong staff development.

You will oversee complex program workstreams, manage donor partnerships, and collaborate with educational institutions and private sector partners to advance