Program manager

Save Ukraine is a Ukrainian humanitarian organization dedicated to rescuing, evacuating, and supporting children and families affected by war. The organization implements humanitarian programs, rehabilitation initiatives, social support services, and international advocacy projects.

Save Ukraine is seeking an experienced, Kyiv-based Program Manager to lead day-to-day implementation of a U.S. government-funded award supporting the safe return and sustained, trauma-informed rehabilitation of Ukrainian children and youth forcibly transferred to Russian-controlled territory. The Program Manager sits at the center of a complex, two-component program — spanning cross-border rescue operations and digital case management under Component 1, and residential and community-based rehabilitation programming under Component 2 — and is accountable for ensuring both are delivered on time, on budget, and in full compliance with donor and child-protection standards.

This position serves as the primary point of coordination between Save Ukraine UA’s operational teams, Save Ukraine US, subgrantees and vendors, and the donor, and functions as the organization’s central escalation point for programmatic risk, security incidents, and compliance issues. The ideal candidate combines strong USG award-management experience with the judgment, discretion, and cultural fluency required to operate in a conflict-affected, child-protection environment.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Program & Activity Management (~35%)

• Overall implementation leadership: Direct day-to-day execution across both program components, rescue systems strengthening and cross-border return operations (Component 1) and residential rehabilitation, community-based capacity building, and family reintegration (Component 2), ensuring activities, staffing, and partner relationships deliver timely, quality results.
• Workplan and milestone management: Track adherence to the approved workplan and key milestones (e.g., inception-phase SOP development, phased rollout of the digital case management system, rolling rescue and rehabilitation targets), flagging slippage early and proposing corrective action.
• Cross-team coordination: Coordinate across rescue, case management, Hope & Healing Center, Haven House, Education & Empowerment Center, and community/faith-based partner workstreams to ensure the return-to-reintegration continuum functions as one system rather than siloed activities.
• Partner and vendor oversight: Manage relationships with implementing partners implementing work in Ukraine, including, faith-based community organizations, and vendors (e.g., a life-skills curriculum partner activities while implementing in Ukraine), ensuring deliverables, MOUs, and subaward/vendor agreements are executed as scoped.
• Digital systems adoption: Oversee the rollout and staff adoption of the case management platform (e.g., Primero) across partner organizations, ensuring intake, referral, and case-closure protocols are followed and data quality is maintained.

Donor Relations & Compliance (~25%)

• Primary donor point of contact in Ukraine: Serve as the main line of communication with the Department of State representation in Ukraine on progress, risks, budget status, and reporting requirements, as appropriate.
• Regulatory compliance: Ensure programming and communications comply with applicable U.S. government regulations and standards (e.g., 2 CFR 200, agency-specific manuals such as the Foreign Affairs Manual, branding and marking requirements/waivers, PSEA commitments, and Do No Harm principles), escalating compliance questions promptly to the Save Ukraine-US Vice President and Program Manager.
• Reporting: Prepare and/or quality-check required narrative and financial reports, quality assurance logs, and ad hoc updates for donor submission on schedule.
• Risk and security escalation: Identify and escalate material programmatic risks, security incidents, or safeguarding concerns to Save Ukraine UA and US leadership in a timely manner, in coordination with security and child-protection focal points.

Financial & Subaward/Vendor Management (~15%)

• Budget monitoring: Track spending against the approved budget and burn rate, working with finance staff (e.g., using platforms such as Sage Intacct) to flag variances and support re-forecasting.
• Subaward and vendor administration: Support oversight of the subaward relationship with the in-country implementing partner and administration of vendor agreements, ensuring deliverables and invoicing align with contract terms.
• Procurement support: Assist with procurement documentation and approvals for program-funded goods and services in line with donor and organizational procurement rules.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Adaptive Management (~15%)

• M&E coordination: Work closely with the Monitoring & Evaluation Lead to ensure indicator data (outputs and outcomes across both components) is collected, verified, and entered into the case management and M&E systems on schedule.
• Adaptive management: Participate in quarterly data-review sessions to interpret performance trends, identify emerging risks or opportunities, and translate findings into workplan or staffing adjustments.
• Learning and sustainability: Support documentation of replicable tools (e.g., SOPs, training curricula) and post-program follow-up processes that position the program, and the organization, for continued investment beyond the award period.

Team Leadership

• Staff supervision: Directly supervise assigned Ukraine-based program staff and provide programmatic direction to functional leads (e.g., Hope & Healing Center Director, Haven House Administrator) without disrupting their technical reporting lines.
• Capacity building: Support staff training, competency assessment follow-through, and burnout-prevention practices for teams working in high-stress, trauma-exposed environments.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required (Master's degree preferred) in international development, public administration, social work, political science, or a related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible program/project management experience on U.S. government-funded awards (USAID, State Department/DRL, or comparable), including at least 2 years in a comparable role in Ukraine or another conflict-affected setting.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-component awards involving both direct service delivery and systems-strengthening activities.
• Working knowledge of U.S. government grant/cooperative agreement compliance requirements (e.g., 2 CFR 200, agency-specific regulations, branding and marking, and standard reporting cycles).
• Experience with subaward and/or vendor management, including budget monitoring and financial reporting.
• Experience coordinating with, or working alongside, digital case management or M&E data systems (e.g., Primero or comparable platforms) preferred.
• Prior experience in child protection, humanitarian response, or psychosocial/rehabilitation programming strongly preferred, given the sensitivity of the beneficiary population.
• Fluent written and spoken English required; fluent Ukrainian required.
• Strong written communication skills, including report drafting and donor correspondence.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and calm decision-making under pressure, including around sensitive child-protection information and security-related operational details.
• Willingness to be based in Kyiv and to travel to program sites within Ukraine as needed, in accordance with the organization’s security protocols.

Working Conditions

This position is based in Kyiv, Ukraine, within a conflict-affected operating environment. The Program Manager will be expected to follow all Save Ukraine security protocols, including those governing travel to program sites and handling of sensitive child-protection and rescue-operations information. Some activities under this role involve confidential, operationally sensitive information; the Program Manager must be able to maintain strict confidentiality at all times.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a CV/resume and cover letter (in English) to [insert application email/portal], referencing «Program Manager — [Award/Project Name]» in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

This description reflects the general nature of the work performed and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities.