Associate Program Manager Operations Local Hire Manilla

Spirit of America; Manila; On-site; PHP 670,000 - 1,116,000; Full time

Job summary

Spirit of America is seeking a Manila-based Associate Program Manager, Operations- Philippines, to support the Country Manager in delivering high-impact programs. You will coordinate with local partners, vendors, and beneficiaries, turning needs into clear project plans and trackers.

You will help with documentation, reporting, and learning, ensuring files are audit-ready and aligned with Spirit of America policies. Strong English and Filipino skills are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, international development, public administration, security studies, business administration, or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience supporting program implementation, project coordination, international development, civil society programming, stabilization, humanitarian assistance, security cooperation, or related work.
• Experience supporting projects in complex operating environments, preferably in the Philippines or the Indo-Pacific region.
• Strong understanding of project coordination, implementation tracking, budgeting support, and documentation management.
• Ability to translate programmatic needs, partner input, and implementation updates into clear plans, trackers, scopes of work, briefings, and written materials.
• Experience working with NGOs, civil society organizations, government entities, military stakeholders, vendors, or international organizations.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage sensitive information with discretion.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English required.
• Ability to work collaboratively across cultures and with remote teams.
• Fluency in Filipino required; proficiency in another local language preferred.

Responsibilities

• Turn partner-identified needs into organized project concepts, implementation plans, activity timelines, budgets, and scopes of work.
• Coordinate day-to-day program activities with local partners, vendors, beneficiaries, and stakeholders for timely execution.
• Track milestones, deliverables, deadlines, and action items to keep the Country Manager updated.
• Identify implementation challenges and risks, providing practical recommendations.
• Maintain regular coordination with local partners, NGOs, civil society actors, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Prepare partners for program implementation by clarifying expectations, deliverables, timelines, and communication channels.
• Support filing, vetting, contracting, payments, procurement documentation, and data management for program needs.
• Assist with briefing materials, donor inputs, slides, fact sheets, and program communications.

Skills

Program coordination

Stakeholder management

Documentation management

English communication

Budget support

Remote collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in international relations or related field

Job description

Job Description:

Location: Manila, Philippines

Work Days : 5 days per week

Travel: Ability to travel within the Philippines and regionally, as needed

Position Type: Full-time

About Spirit of America:

Spirit of America is a privately funded U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Our mission is to engage citizens in preserving the promise of a free and better life.

Spirit of America works internationally with local communities, civil society organizations, public institutions, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to provide timely and practical assistance that strengthens communities, advances shared priorities, and contributes to peace, stability, and opportunity.

Our approach is entrepreneurial, collaborative, and focused on achieving meaningful results. We value trusted relationships, strong local knowledge, responsiveness, sound judgment, and the ability to bring together people and organizations around opportunities for positive impact.

The Opportunity:

Spirit of America is seeking a Manila-based professional to serve as Associate Program Manager, Operations- Philippines. This is a local-hire position based in Manila and does not include international relocation assistance The Associate Program Manager will support the Country Manager in developing and delivering high-impact programs in the Philippines. This role will provide day-to-day programmatic, coordination, documentation, and implementation support across the country office, helping ensure that partner-identified needs are translated into clear project plans, tracked through implementation, and documented for accountability and learning.

The Associate Program Manager will work closely with the Country Manager, Regional Program Manager, AssociateProgram Operations Manager local partners, vendors, beneficiaries, and U.S.-based Spirit of America teams to support program design, implementation planning, stakeholder coordination, reporting, and project file management.

Reports To: Country Manager

Direct Reports: None

Responsibilities:

Program Coordination & Implementation Support

• Support the Country Manager and Regional Program Manager in turning partner-identified needs into organized project concepts, implementation plans, activity timelines, budgets, and scopes of work.


• Coordinate day-to-day program activities with local partners, vendors, beneficiaries, and stakeholders to support timely and effective implementation.


• Track project milestones, deliverables, deadlines, action items, and follow-up needs, ensuring the Country Manager has accurate and current implementation information.


• Help identify implementation challenges, documentation gaps, or emerging risks and elevate them with practical recommendations.

Partner & Stakeholder Coordination

• Maintain regular coordination with local partners, NGOs, civil society actors, vendors, and other implementation stakeholders, as directed by the Country Manager.


• Help prepare partners for program implementation by clarifying project expectations, deliverables, documentation needs, timelines, and communication channels.


• Coordinate with the Operations Coordinator on partner vetting, contracting, payments, procurement documentation, and file management, so program needs are accurately reflected in operational workflows.


• Support meeting preparation and follow-up, including agenda development, note-taking, action tracking, and consolidation of partner updates.

Project Documentation, Reporting & Learning

• Maintain organized project plans, implementation trackers, activity updates, and program files for the Country Manager.


• Assist with project proposals, scopes of work, budgets, concept notes, post-project assessments, and other implementation documentation.


• Support reporting on project progress, outcomes, lessons learned, and impact stories in coordination with the Country Manager.


• Help ensure project records are accurate, complete, and audit-ready, including partner documentation, approvals, deliverables, and implementation evidence.

Internal Coordination & Administrative Program Support

• Coordinate with U.S.-based Spirit of America staff, Program Operations, Legal, Finance, and regional team members to help move program activities forward.


• Support the Country Manager in tracking country office priorities, implementation calendars, internal deadlines, and cross-functional requests.


• Assist with preparation of briefing materials, partner updates, donor-facing inputs, PowerPoint slides, fact sheets, and other program communications as needed.


• Provide general programmatic support to the country office while ensuring alignment with Spirit of America policies, risk management standards, and ethical expectations.

What Success Looks Like in This Role:

• The Country Manager has reliable, timely, and well-organized programmatic support across planning, implementation, documentation, and reporting.


• Project activities are clearly tracked, implementation updates are current, and action items are followed through to completion.


• Partners and stakeholders receive clear guidance on implementation expectations, deliverables, documentation, and timelines.


• Program files are complete, accurate, and audit-ready, supporting strong documentation integrity and accountability.


• Implementation risks, delays, and documentation gaps are identified early and elevated with practical recommendations.


• The country office is better able to deliver high-impact programs that align with Spirit of America’s mission, priorities, and risk posture.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, international development, public administration, security studies, business administration, or a related field.


• Minimum of 3 years of experience supporting program implementation, project coordination, international development, civil society programming, stabilization, humanitarian assistance, security cooperation, or related work.


• Experience supporting projects in complex operating environments, preferably in the Philippines or the Indo-Pacific region.


• Strong understanding of project coordination, implementation tracking, stakeholder communication, budgeting support, and documentation management.


• Ability to translate programmatic needs, partner input, and implementation updates into clear plans, trackers, scopes of work, briefings, and written materials.


• Experience working with NGOs, civil society organizations, government entities, military stakeholders, vendors, or international organizations.


• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage sensitive information with discretion.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English required.


• Ability to work collaboratively across cultures and with remote teams.


• Fluency in Filipino required; proficiency in another local language preferred.

Benefits and employment arrangements will be structured in accordance with local employment requirements. This position is based in Manila. International relocation assistance is not provided.