Senior Program Officer, Community & Volunteer Engagement

Partners of the Americas; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 58,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Partners of the Americas in Washington, DC, is seeking a Senior Program Officer, Community & Volunteer Engagement, to lead a broad portfolio spanning Chapter and affiliate relationships, volunteer and member engagement, grantmaking, international exchange programming, network events, strategic communications, and data and systems management.

The SPO will serve as a primary Home Office liaison for the volunteer network; manage the full lifecycle of privately funded grant and exchange initiatives;

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, education, communications, public administration, or a related field.
• Advanced degree or equivalent relevant experience preferred.
• Experience in volunteer/community engagement, non-profit management, international exchanges, membership, or related field.
• Strong program management skills with ability to manage multiple grant cycles, events, exchanges, deadlines, and stakeholders.
• Ability to configure and manage digital systems and use data to support decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Define member value and strengthen Home Office relationships.
• Support membership models, benefits, pricing, and sponsorships with leadership and Finance.
• Gather and translate member needs into benefits, resources, and programming.
• Maintain accurate chapter, member, and engagement data; assess tech enhancements and transition risks.

Skills

Program management

Volunteer engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Data reporting

Multilingual communication

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in international development, education, communications, public administration, or related field

Advanced degree or equivalent relevant experience preferred

Tools

WizeHive

AMS/CRM platforms

Databases

Job description

Country: United States

Area of Interest: Membership

Posting Date: August 5, 2026

Type of Employment: Staff

About Partners of the Americas

Partners of the Americas (POA) is a private, nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 1964 that connects people, institutions, and communities across the Western Hemisphere, especially between the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Its purpose is to build bridges of collaboration to promote sustainable development, strengthen civil society, and create opportunities that improve people’s lives. Over the past six decades, POA has become a strong network that engages volunteers, professionals, governments, and businesses, generating positive impact in education, economic development, agriculture, health, youth leadership, and community resilience.

Position Summary

The Senior Program Officer (SPO), Community & Volunteer Engagement leads a broad portfolio spanning Chapter, and affiliate organizationsrelations,volunteerand member engagement, grantmaking, international exchange programming, network events, strategic communications, and data and systems management. The role serves as a primary Home Office relationship manager for the volunteer network; manages the full lifecycle of privately funded grant and exchange initiatives; develops multilingual engagement and communications strategies; and builds systems and processes that support compliance, continuity, and a high-quality participant and member experience. SPO works cross-functionally with leadership, board members, Finance and Administration, Communications, Business Development, program teams, volunteer leaders, implementing partners, and donors.

This position is based in Washington, DC.

Membership, Chapter &PartnersCampusEngagement

• Support the development and implementation of member, Chapter, andPartnersCampusengagement strategies, with emphasis on defining tangible member value, strengthening Home Office relationships, and responding to network needs.
• Contribute member and network insight to discussions about membership models, benefits, pricing, sponsorships, and sustainable revenue strategies in collaboration with leadership and Finance.
• Gather and synthesize member and volunteer needs through direct relationship management, meetings, site visits, surveys, and ongoing engagement; translate insights into benefits, resources, programming, and strategic recommendations.
• Translate member, Chapter, andPartnersCampusfeedback into actionable recommendations and proposed initiatives; work with leadership and relevant teams todeterminepriorities, ownership, resources, and implementation pathways.
• MaintainaccurateChapter,PartnersCampus, member, and engagement data; assess and recommend technology and process improvements whileidentifyingimplementation capacity, transition risks, and effects on the member experience.
• Coordinate member-related platforms, vendors, renewals, contracts, invoices, and internal stakeholders as assigned.

Chapter Relations

• Serve as a primary Home Office relationship manager for Chapters andPartnersCampusesacross the Americas, providing responsive, culturally aware support and helping set clear, realistic expectations for partnership with the organization.
• Manage Chapter andPartnersCampuslifecycle processes, including inquiries, chartering, Board approval, administrative onboarding, orientation, leadership transitions,requireddocumentation, and ongoing support.
• Plan andfacilitateChapter and network leader meetings, youth leader meetings, webinars, and other engagement spaces, including agenda design, multilingual facilitation, speaker coordination, promotion, and follow-up.
• Maintain records and calendars of Chapter and network needs, leadership changes, reporting cycles, major activities, and upcoming engagement opportunities.
• Respond to ongoing member, Chapter,PartnersCampus, applicant, grantee, and public inquiries, triagingrequestsand connecting individuals withappropriate internalor external resources.
• Serve as the primary staff liaison to the Board Network Committee, including coordinating agendas, preparing materials,facilitatingcommunication between staff and committee members, documentingdecisionsand action items, and helping align committee support with agreed organizational and network priorities.
• Recruit, onboard, coordinate, and support volunteers serving as reviewers, facilitators, committee members, Chapter leaders, mentors, and other program contributors across countries and professional backgrounds.
• Develop volunteer engagement opportunities, recognition practices, learning opportunities, and cross-border connections that strengthen relationships, leadership, service, and professional growth across the network.

Events, Conferences & Network Programming

• Plan and coordinate major network events and conferences, including What Works, in partnership with implementing organizations, Chapters, staff, vendors, and volunteer leaders.
• Develop scopes of work, agreements, event websites, registration processes, event-platform spaces, staff and volunteer roles, promotional campaigns, and participantlogistics.
• Support multilingual virtual and in-person programming, including interpretation/translation considerations and facilitation across English and Spanish.
• Develop and execute multilingual communications and outreach across email, social media, web, presentations, and print.
• Create member, Chapter, grantee, reviewer, applicant, and participant communications, including calls for applications, onboarding materials, reminders, newsletters, updates, orientation materials, and promotional content.
• Create andmaintainwebpages, graphics, digital workflows, application portals, databases, forms, and other tools that support program delivery and network engagement.

Data, Evaluation & Reporting

• Build andmaintainpractical databases, trackers, dashboards, and reporting systems tomonitorparticipation, awards, countries, themes, volunteer contributions, deliverables, and program history over time.
• Analyze and communicate relevant program, grant, membership, Chapter, and volunteer engagement data to leadership, donors, Boards, and other stakeholders as needed.
• Maintainaccurateand appropriately secured records across membership, grant-management, shared-drive, and reporting systems; document key processes and support continuity when systems or staffing change.

Partnership Development & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work cross-functionally withPrograms, Communications, Business Development, Finance and Administration, leadership, and volunteer leaders to integrate network knowledge and community relationships into organizational strategy and program design.
• Identifyand develop partnerships, professional development opportunities, cross-border initiatives, and network-based program concepts that respond to member interests andbuild onexistingexpertisewithin the network.
• Contribute to annual and longer-term planning for Community & Volunteer Engagement,identifyingnetwork priorities, emerging opportunities, resource needs, and strategies for strengthening the role of the network within the broader organization.
• Represent Partners in meetings, site visits, conferences, and partner conversations; practice listening and relationship-building to translate partner and community insights into future plans and strategies.

Distribution of Time

• Time Allocation: 100% – CVE.
• Occasional domestic and international travel for Chapter and partner site visits, international exchanges, network meetings, conferences, and other program activities; frequency varies by program cycle and funding.
• This is a full-time, exempt position with a standard workweek; however, occasional evening and weekend work is required to support international exchanges, events and conferences, volunteer and Chapter meetings, application deadlines, and programming involving participants and stakeholders across multiple time zones.
• The role may require flexibility in work hours during peak program periods, travel, major events, or time-sensitive grant and exchange activities.

Qualification and Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in international development, education, communications, public administration, or a related field; advanced degree or equivalent relevant experience preferred.
• At leastthree(3)years of progressively responsible experiencein volunteer/community engagement,non-profit management,international exchanges, membership, and/or a related mission-driven field.
• Demonstrated experience, including supervising or coordinating interns, consultants, volunteers, reviewers, facilitators, or staff; ability to lead through influence and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong program management skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent grant cycles, events, exchanges, deadlines, approvals, and stakeholders.
• Experience configuring and managing digital systems such as WizeHive, AMS/CRM platforms, databases, forms, websites, project-management tools, or comparable systems, and using data to support decision-making and reporting.
• Knowledge of ordemonstratedability to learn membership/association practices, grant and subaward management, volunteer engagement, and participant/member experience principles.
• Solid understanding of membership models, engagement trends, and customer experience principles.
• Familiarity with social entrepreneurship and the development of business models and business-oriented solutions preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within a team environment, independently, and with external stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Englishrequired; professional Spanish strongly preferred; Portugueseproficiencyor working knowledge highly valued.
• Commitment to people-to-people connection, locally led development, reciprocal partnerships, volunteerism, and respectful cross-cultural engagement across the Americas.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Interns, consultants, and volunteers, as assigned; may supervise staff based on unit structure.

The salary range for this position is $58,389-$70,000 annually. Final compensation will be based on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Partners is Proud To Be An Equal Employment Opportunity And Affluent Action Employer. Partners Does Not Discriminate In Employment On The Basis Of Race, Color, Religion, Sex (Including Pregnancy And Gender Identity), National Origin, Political Affiliation, Sexual Orientation, Marital Status, Disability, Genetic Information, Age, Membership In An Employee Organization, Retaliation, Parental Status, Military Service, Or Other Non-Merit Factor.