Program Officer, Mandela Washington Fellowship

IREX; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 57,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

IREX, a global solutions provider, seeks a Program Officer to support the Mandela Washington Fellowship Operations and Institute teams in Washington, DC. You will manage Fellow support activities including participant selection, data management, visa administration and event logistics.

You will guide junior staff, coordinate with leadership, maintain accurate records, and ensure responsive, compliant participant support across cycles.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 3–5 years of relevant progressive experience in complex program operations.
• Experience with project systems like Salesforce, SharePoint, Excel, Alchemer, Canvas, Submittable.
• Availability to support program activities in the evenings and weekends, when needed based on the program cycle.

Responsibilities

• Program Operations & Administration: Manage day-to-day and cycle-based Operations and Institute tasks and projects, ensuring timely and accurate completion of deliverables.
• Participant, Partner & Stakeholder Engagement: Support communications and relationships with participants, institute staff, vendors and internal stakeholders.
• Finance, Procurement & Grant Support: Manage procurement and vendors for cell phones, disability accommodations, events and other program needs.
• Team Collaboration & Continuous Improvement: Coordinate and communicate effectively between Operations and Institute teams to ensure completion of deliverables, and coach junior staff.

Skills

Program Operations

Stakeholder Engagement

Procurement & Finance

Team Collaboration

Growth & New Business

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Salesforce

SharePoint

Excel

Alchemer

Canvas

Submittable

Job description

Who We Are

IREX is a global solutions provider that partners with communities and institutions in the United States and around the world to cultivate leaders, expand access to education, and create economic opportunity. With deep expertise, a forward-looking vision, and world-class practices in AI for Education, Future-Ready Workforce, Higher Education Solutions, Leadership Development, and Online Safety, IREX delivers innovative and proven solutions that help people, institutions, and communities thrive in a rapidly changing world.

IREX seeks a Program Officer to support the U.S. Department of State’s Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program.

We are seeking are next team member - could that be you?

Job Summary

The Program Officer provides flexible support across the Mandela Washington Fellowship Operations and Institute teams, shifting assignments throughout the Fellowship cycle to meet each team’s highest-priority needs. You will manage a portfolio of Fellow support activities such as participant selection, data management, visa administration and support Institute tasks including weekly reporting, disability accommodations, and logistical leadership for program events. You will guide junior staff members, coordinate closely with leadership across Fellowship sub-teams, maintain accurate systems and records, and ensure responsive, compliant, and timely participant support. This role is ideal for a professional who brings close attention to detail, strategic planning skills, strong judgement for addressing routine and nuanced partner and participant issues, and the ability to translate funder asks into program success.

What You’ll Do

• Program Operations & Administration: Manage day-to-day and cycle-based Operations and Institute tasks and projects, ensuring timely and accurate completion of deliverables. Manage or support processes related to Fellow selection and placement, document collection and review, data management, procurement, disability accommodations, health benefits enrollment, visa administration, and other duties assigned. Provide logistical leadership for program events and travel.
• Participant, Partner & Stakeholder Engagement: Support communications and relationships with participants, institute staff, vendors and internal stakeholders. Respond to participant support needs in a sensitive and timely manner with tact, diplomacy, and appropriate escalation.
• Finance, Procurement & Grant Support: Manage procurement and vendors for cell phones, disability accommodations, events and other program needs. Process stipends and oversee collection of participant tax documents in compliance with relevant requirements.
• Team Collaboration & Continuous Improvement: Coordinate and communicate effectively between Operations and Institute teams to ensure completion of deliverables. Guide and coach junior staff, including delegating work and ensuring the quality of their deliverables. Support the Institutes and Operations team leadership in identifying areas for workflow improvements that increase efficiency, reduce duplication, and strengthen coordination. Support cross-team efforts related to Fellow support. Share knowledge across the Institutes, Operations and Fellowship team and other Global Impact Hub program teams.
• Growth & New Business Support Contribute to proposal development and partner engagement as needed, including maintaining relationships with external stakeholders and partner institutions, gathering data/supporting materials, and drafting and/or reviewing text.

Our Culture is Our People

At IREX, our culture is built on our people-and on how we work together to create meaningful impact every day. We look for colleagues who bring purpose, intellectual curiosity, collaborative problem solving, and a results driven, bias for action to help strengthen communities and advance our mission.

Successful candidates build trust across differences, move ideas into action, seek new perspectives, embrace change, and represent IREX with authenticity and professionalism. We value people who bring strong expertise and a generous team spirit to work that advances our mission.

Skills & Experience

• Experience managing participant support processes, including document collection and review, benefits enrollment, disability accommodations, payments, logistics, or related services. Experience with ASPE or other health benefit plan, international exchange programs, or U.S. Government-funded programs, preferred.
• Experience collecting, reviewing, tracking, and securely managing program and participant data. Salesforce or comparable CRM/database experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with procurement procedures, payment processing, financial tracking, vendor coordination, and compliance-focused records management.
• Experience coordinating events, meetings, multi-site activities, or comparable complex logistics.
• Experience managing difficult situations with tact and diplomacy, identifying and escalating risks appropriately while demonstrating patience, resourcefulness, and sound judgement.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, or other relevant leadership development work with young professionals, preferred.
• Familiarity with U.S. Government, specifically U.S. Department of State, grants and regulations (preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to plan strategically and creatively to meet specified objectives with strong ability to anticipate challenges and proactively generate solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to manage time, adapt quickly, and manage multiple tasks while maintaining accuracy amid changing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and motivate staff and work with different groups and teams toward a shared goal.
• Demonstrated capability to work independently and as a team member to consistently take initiative, meet deadlines within strict time constraints, and maintain positivity and flexibility.
• Understanding of Sub-Saharan Africa and cross-cultural communication skills, preferred.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent experience.
• Three to five years of relevant progressive experience with complex program operations, international education, international development, university programs, nonprofit programs, or comparable work; or equivalent.
• Experience working with project systems such as Salesforce, SharePoint, Excel, Alchemer, Canvas, Submittable, or comparable platforms.
• Availability to support program activities in the evenings and on weekends, when needed based on the program cycle.

Salary: $57,200 - $72,000

You must have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

What We Offer

At IREX, you’ll work alongside committed, passionate, and collaborative colleagues who are united by a shared mission-making it a truly rewarding place to work. We offer learning, development, and growth opportunities, along with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your overall well-being.

If you are excited by IREX’s mission and see yourself contributing to this work, we encourage you to apply—even if your experience does not align with every preferred qualification. We value a range of backgrounds and experiences and are especially interested in candidates who bring curiosity, initiative, strong collaboration skills, and a commitment to meaningful global impact.

Please note: While we aim to offer competitive compensation, not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range.

Disability Specifications

IREX will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments of 2008.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IREX seeks to attract the best-qualified candidates who support IREX’s mission and who respect and promote excellence through diversity. IREX is committed to equal opportunity and follows recruitment and selection practices that comply with all applicable employment laws. To this end, IREX recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals based on merit and experience.

We conduct background checks on all successful candidates. This position is not eligible for Immigration Sponsorship. NO

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