Program Design Specialist, Program Partnerships

ijm; Virginia (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

International Justice Mission (IJM) in the Washington, DC area seeks a Program Design Specialist, Program Partnerships to steward data, policy, and administrative systems across IJM’s global programs. This hybrid role (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays) requires authorization to work in the United States and no visa sponsorship.

You will lead data collection, governance, and reporting to demonstrate impact for programs, donors, and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop, refine, and maintain global policies, standards, and procedures for program partnerships.
• Ensure partner policies align with safeguarding, data privacy, and donor expectations.
• Serve as the organizational point of accountability for policy interpretation and application related to partnership data and reporting.
• Design and manage partner and customer data collection systems across regions.
• Develop simple data administration processes including permissions and documentation.
• Analyze partner data to support program decisions and organizational learning.
• Maintain features and documentation to ensure long-term usability and integrity of partner data.
• Develop and maintain measurement frameworks for partner performance, engagement, and capacity development.
• Produce regular reports and analytical summaries for internal teams, leadership, and stakeholders.
• Lead synthesis of partner related evidence to inform program reviews, strategy refinement, and learning agendas.
• Serve as the primary technical lead for partner related data and analysis used in grant and donor reporting.
• Ensure customer facing data systems (Protection Collaborative) produce defensible, audit ready outputs aligned with donor indicators and reporting cycles.
• Collaborate with grants, finance, and program teams to ensure reporting requirements are anticipated and met efficiently.
• Administer systems and processes to track, coordinate, and document partner and customer capacity development activities, including training and resourcing via Protection Collaborative.
• Maintain centralized records of partner capacity development inputs and outputs to support reporting, learning, and improvement.
• Support internal teams by providing guidance and tools to consistently document partner capacity efforts across regions.
• Maintain centralized repositories for partner policies, datasets, methodologies, tools, and learning reports.
• Uphold data governance practices that balance accessibility, security, and accountability.
• Manage the Protection Collaborative website.

Job description

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.

The Need

For over 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. 9 out of 9 times in the last decade, IJM's Justice System Strengthening Projects have reduced slavery and violence between 50 and 85% for very large populations of people in poverty. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence, we are seeking a Program Design Specialist, Program Partnerships to serve as the institutional steward for partnership data, policy, and administrative systems across IJM's global programs. Across IJM's program customers and partners, this role ensures that partnership activities are governed by clear policies, supported by rigorous data collection and analysis, and translated into credible reporting for programs, leadership, and donors. The role manages the systems, standards, and processes required to collect, analyze, and administer customer and partner data and capacity development activities, enabling IJM to demonstrate impact, meet donor and grant requirements, and support consistent capacity strengthening at scale. This role anchors innovation and experience in compliance, evidence, and operational reliability.

This position is based in the Washington, DC area and is available to be hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays). It reports to the Director, Program Innovation and requires current authorization to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position, now or in the future.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Policy & Standards Development

• Develop, refine, and maintain global policies, standards, and procedures related to program partnerships, including data use, onboarding requirements, and administrative processes using a human-centered design approach;
• Ensure partner related policies align with IJM safeguarding principles, data privacy requirements, and donor expectations ;
• Serve as the organizational point of accountability for policy interpretation and application related to partnership data and reporting.

Data Collection, Administration & Analysis

• Design and manage partner and customer data collection systems, ensuring consistency, accuracy, communication, and usability across regions and platforms (including the Protection Collaborative);
• Develop and oversee simple, user friendly data administration processes, including permissions, documentation, and quality control;
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of partner data to support program decision making and organizational learning;
• Maintain JDS features and documentation to ensure long term usability and integrity of partner data.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

• Develop and maintain measurement frameworks and instruments related to partner performance, engagement, and capacity development;
• Produce regular reports and analytical summaries for internal teams, leadership, and functional stakeholders;
• Lead synthesis of partner related evidence to inform program reviews, strategy refinement, and learning agendas.

Grant & Donor Reporting Support

• Serve as the primary technical lead for partner related data and analysis used in grant and donor reporting;
• Ensure customer facing data systems (Protection Collaborative) produce defensible, audit ready outputs aligned with donor indicators and reporting cycles;
• Collaborate with grants, finance, and program teams to ensure reporting requirements are anticipated and met efficiently.

Partner Capacity Development Administration

• Administer systems and processes to track, coordinate, and document partner and customer capacity development activities, including training, technical assistance , and resourcing via Protection Collaborative;
• Maintain centralized records of partner capacity development inputs and outputs to support reporting, learning, and improvement;
• Support internal teams by providing guidance and tools to consistently document partner capacity efforts across regions.

Documentation, Knowledge Management & Data Governance

• Maintain centralized repositories for partner policies, datasets, methodologies, tools, and learning reports;
• Ensure continuity of institutional knowledge related to partnerships and capacity development;
• Uphold data governance practices that balance accessibility, security, and accountability;
• Manage the Protection Collaborative website.

General Tasks

Serve as the administrative focal point for Protection Collaborative user communication includi