Programme Development Manager (PDM)

Job Title: Programme Development Manager (PDM)

Department: Programming

Division: Programme Development

Duty Station: Odesa

Line Manager: Head of Programmes

Line Management Responsibility: Grant & Reporting Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Assessment & Monitoring Officer, and Programme Development Officer

Position Type: Full-time

OVERVIEW

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is a dynamic, international non-governmental organisation. We work with people affected by violent conflicts to enhance their security and dignity through Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP). We work to reduce violence, protect civilians in countries affected by violent conflict and its aftermath, and help transform the world’s response to conflict situations.

NP first established a presence in Ukraine in 2014/2015 working on peacebuilding and conflict mediation. NP has had a sustained presence in Ukraine since April 2022. NP occupies a unique space in the protection response in Ukraine; simultaneously providing direct protection to at-risk civilians and providing hands-on support to front-line volunteer collectives to directly contribute to the sustainability and safety of their actions.

JOB SUMMARY

The PDM leads the development of high-quality, donor-compliant proposals that translate strategic priorities and programme concepts into fundable initiatives. The role coordinates the full proposal development process with internal teams and external partners, ensuring alignment with donor requirements, organisational objectives, and operational capacities.

The PDM proactively identifies funding opportunities, tracks donor priorities and trends, and keeps the team informed of emerging opportunities. They lead proposal design and writing, coordinating inputs from programmatic, technical, and finance colleagues to produce competitive submissions.

The role also manages donor contracting processes, including negotiating agreements and coordinating internal review, sign-off, and handover to ensure smooth project start-up and implementation. In close collaboration with the Senior Management Team, the PDM supports grant management, ensuring compliance with donor regulations and oversight of deliverables, reporting, and evaluation.

In this leadership capacity, the PDM strengthens the organisation’s grants management function by overseeing the M&E department as well as PD and Grants officers. This ensures strong oversight of the full grant cycle, from proposal development and revision to grant inception, reporting, and closure, including baseline and endline assessments, tracking deliverables, and report writing.

The role also contributes to external communications targeting donors and public audiences, ensuring consistent messaging on the organisation’s work and impact. The successful candidate combines creativity and innovation with strong attention to detail, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and a demonstrated ability to cultivate donor relationships. A strong commitment to Unarmed Civilian Protection (UCP) is essential.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Development

• Lead the development and implementation of NPUA’s programme development and fundraising strategy in alignment with organisational priorities and the country mission strategy.
• Identify and track funding opportunities, donor strategies, and sector trends, sharing relevant insights with internal teams to support strategic programme growth.
• Lead the development of concept notes, proposals, and supporting documentation (including logframes and budget narratives), ensuring high-quality submissions aligned with donor requirements.
• Coordinate proposal development across programme, MEAL, partnerships, and finance teams to ensure strong alignment between programmatic design, budgets, and donor expectations.
• Support the development of comprehensive project budgets in collaboration with finance teams, including new proposals and grant modifications such as no-cost extensions, cost extensions, and budget realignments.
• Lead donor engagement during the proposal process, including submissions, follow-up, and contract negotiations, ensuring agreements align with organisational systems, cost recovery standards, and programmatic priorities.
• In collaboration with the Senior Management Team, maintain relationships with existing and prospective donors and represent NP in relevant coordination forums to strengthen partnerships and identify funding opportunities.

Grants Management and Reporting

• Serve as the central focal point for grant management, maintaining accurate funding records in Salesforce and other internal systems.
• Oversee the full grant lifecycle, including grant inception, ongoing grant management, and grant close-out processes with programme, operations, and finance teams.
• Ensure programme teams clearly understand grant terms, compliance requirements, reporting deadlines, and donor expectations.
• Lead the preparation and submission of narrative donor reports, coordinating closely with finance teams to ensure alignment with financial reporting and donor guidelines.
• Coordinate grant amendments, budget revisions, payment requests, and tranche releases in collaboration with finance and relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain organised grant documentation and facilitate internal communication on fundraising and grant management matters.
• Support donor engagement activities including donor visits, monitoring missions, and external audits, and travel to field sites as needed to strengthen programme understanding.

Communications and External Relations

• Serve as NPUA focal point for donor communications and strategic engagement in coordination with the Senior Management Team.
• Contribute programmatic inputs to external communications, advocacy initiatives, and donor engagement efforts.

People Management

• Ensure effective functioning of the Programme Development Department and strong coordination with other teams.
• Provide guidance, coaching, and support for the professional development of team members, while ensuring timely completion of HR procedures and processes.

Commitment to NP Principles

All NP employees are expected to uphold work in alignment with the organisation’s guiding principles:

• Nonviolence
• Non-partisanship
• Primacy of local actors
• Civilian-to-civilian action

These principles and beliefs guide our actions and relationships, supporting our mission to protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Masters degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
  

Experience

• Minimum 5 years in grant writing with a proven track record in securing diverse funding streams.
• Significant experience in designing and submitting project proposals, including narrative, log frames, and budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate donor contracts, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
• Strong knowledge of donor trends and funding mechanisms.
• Strong experience of grants management, especially M&E systems for effective grant implementation.
• Experience with Unarmed Civilian Protection programming or a related field.
• Experience implementing programmes in the field, ideally in humanitarian emergencies
• Knowledge of peacebuilding, violence reduction, or community protection strategies.
• Proficiency in using Salesforce for donor management.

Skills and Competencies

• Exceptional English writing and analytical skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and financial analysis related to proposal development.
• Effective facilitation, problem-solving, and relationship management.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Proven ability to manage projects, work as a team and meet deadlines.
• Ability to solve problems, analyze data and prioritize a high workload with a flexible approach to changing environments.
• Ability to work and meet strict deadlines.
• Ability to manage information with discretion.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to be creative and innovative in generating new ideas and undertaking research.
• Speaking Ukrainian would be an asset.
• Working in humanitarian settings in Ukraine would be an asset.
  

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This position may include challenging conditions and potentially unstable security situations.
• Flexibility to work evenings or weekends as required.
• Travel across Ukraine, including frontline Oblast, will be required.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit a CV (max. 2 pages) and cover letter (max. 1 page), through our website detailing their experience and how they qualify for the role. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• The closing date for applications is Friday, April 3.
• This position is open for recruitment to International and National candidates.
• Candidates may be selected before the closing date; apply early.
• As part of the recruitment process, shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a technical assignment before participating in an interview.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.

Nonviolent Peaceforce acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees, contractors, volunteers, interns, communities we work with, and other stakeholders and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities and government guidance and complies with best practices in the Humanitarian and Development sector.NP expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We prioritise ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. NP also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

NO FEE

We never ask for payment as part of our selection process, and we always contact candidates via our corporate accounts and platforms. If you are approached for payment, this is likely to be fraudulent. Please check whether the role you are interested in is posted here on our website.