Program Associate

Climate Policy Initiative; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 350,000 - 650,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Climate Policy Initiative is seeking a Program Associate to manage grant lifecycles from proposals through closeouts, budgeting, and reporting. The role blends project delivery with business development support in a hybrid Cape Town setting.

The position requires a BA/BS with 3+ years in grants or project management, English fluency, and strong Excel skills. PMP certification is beneficial; visa sponsorship is not available.

Qualifications

• BA or BS degree in a relevant field; professional experience in grants or contract administration or project management.
• Minimum 3+ years administering high-profile programs/grants for government, business, or NGOs; budget/resource management experience.
• PMP certification or related qualification is beneficial and MS Excel proficiency is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead tracking of financial spending, budget health, and KPIs across all project components.
• Coordinate contract management, compliance, and risk identification.
• Manage narrative and financial reporting for major climate finance programs.
• Support business development, fundraising input, and proposal development.

Skills

Project management

English fluency

Budget planning

Contract/grants administration

MS Excel

Education

BA/BS degree

PMP certification (beneficial)

Tools

Grant management software

Job description

Role: Program Associate

Contract: 12-month fixed term contract, full time (40 hours)

About CPI

CPI is an analysis and advisory organization with deep expertise in finance and policy. Our mission is to help governments, businesses, and financial institutions drive economic growth while addressing climate change.

With a team of experts across seven international offices, including a strong presence in emerging markets and developing economies, CPI is a leader in tracking sustainable investment trends, identifying innovative business models, and supporting the solutions that can drive the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient, inclusive economy. We are unique in our focus on finance, our ability to get the right people to the table, and our analytical rigor.

About the role

CPI is recruiting for a Program Associate (Project Delivery Lead) position that will support CPI’s work across its South Africa based programs and it’s recently established Global Transformation Facility for Paris Alignment of Financial Intermediaries (GTPariF) program in the US. The Program Associate will support the full grant lifecycle from project proposals to award closeouts, budget and resource planning, business development, contracting and risk management, financial and narrative reporting processes for major climate finance programs and projects.

Roles and Responsibilities

The position will be assigned primary duties including, but not limited to those outlined below:

GTPariF Tasks (50%)

• Lead tracking of financial spending, budget health, and other key performance metrics across all project components in coordination with the CPI program teams and CPI Finance staff.
• Lead discussions with program teams on staff and consultant resourcing requirements.
• Support project team with contract management including compliance and risk identification and management.
• Lead ongoing financial forecasting to support program and project leads on identifying funding gaps and business development needs and opportunities for assigned programs.
• Prepare narrative reporting through both internal project management tools and reporting to clients, and work with CPI Finance team to develop financial reports.

South Africa Program Associate Support (50%)

• Coordinate business development process, managing timelines, gathering input from the Program team, and navigating the CPI proposal development process.
• Support engagement with funder finance and operation teams where budget or contract changes are required.
• Support CPI SA teams in contract management including compliance and risk identification and management.
• Provide ad hoc support for program managers with tools, templates, and written inputs in business development and grant application processes, including project proposals, budgeting, and contracting.

About You
Qualifications & Experience

• BA or BS degree required with professional experience in grants or contract administration or project management in the fields of international development, sustainability, climate change, or another relevant field.
• A minimum of 3+ years of progressive professional experience in administering high-profile programs/grants for government, business, and/or NGOs; evidence of increasing budget and resource management responsibilities is required.
• Exceptional project management skills. A PMP certification or related qualification will be hugely beneficial in this role and proficiency with MS Excel and grant management software.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.

Position Details

• CPI is recruiting for one full-time position (40 hours) to be based in our Cape Town office.
• CPI South Africa has adopted a hybrid working approach, with teams spending 3 days per week in the office.
• CPI offers an excellent and competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Applicants must be eligible to work in South Africa – we are unfortunately unable to offer any visa sponsorship for this role.

Our Commitment

CPI’s mission is to create economic opportunity while protecting our environment. This worldview—grounding opportunity in something more fundamental that we all share and must protect—permeates our organization, and forms the foundation of our approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

CPI’s approach to DEI mirrors our mission: within a culture that values transparency and dialogue, we strive to improve equity within our organization as well as in the communities in which we work. Internally and externally, we seek to remove inequitable barriers regardless of their origin, whether it be class, race, religion, nationality, region, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or physical ability. We are proactive in identifying and removing biases in our processes, seeking fairness in hiring, working conditions, and professional development.