Program Officer

Reach for Change Bulgaria is looking for a new Program Officer.

Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Program Officer:
- Is part of a passionate team and a mission to support local social entrepreneurs (SEs) and empower them to develop and scale innovative solutions that help children and youth to better lives.
- Works on project and program activities with the support from and in cooperation with the local and global team.
- Supports selected social entrepreneurs SE(s) to further develop their innovative solutions, business models, and to design sustainable plans for scaling. The ultimate goal is to help position our selected social entrepreneurs to eventually reach a significant portion of their target group with proven interventions to address poverty and social exclusion.

COMMITMENT: Part time/Full time

DURATION: Until 31st of December 2021, with a strong possibility of extension.

REMUNERATION: Based on skill-set & experience

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: April 15th 2021, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position filled once the right candidate is selected.

START DATE: May 2021 or upon agreement.

>> APPLY HERE

Primary Responsibilities:

• Drive and deliver program activities of our local programs for social entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, using our organizational methodology and tools.
• Arrange and facilitate workshops and mentorship meetings, peer-to-peer learning sessions, as well as evaluation after each activity.
• Tailor support plans developed together with the SE(s) which may focus on developing (a) Effective solution, (b) Financial sustainability, (c) Leadership and team, (d) Impact scaling and (e) Systems change.
• Identify portfolio strengths, barriers and opportunities and provide coaching and creative ways to help SE(s) realize their full potential.
• Manage and deliver capacity building support to the selected social entrepreneurs in the Scaling Readiness Program through individual coaching and group workshops.
• Engage and coordinate the work of consultants and experts who could provide targeted support on key challenges related to the support needs of the program participants.
• Manage main administrative tasks connected with the implementation of our programs in Bulgaria, including all relevant documentation, administration and collecting data on the progress of the SE(s) supported within the program to ensure we are able to measure the impact on the program on their organizational development.
• Report on the Scaling Readiness Program's key Impact Measures and Milestones from each phase after each phase is completed.
• Manage the interests of our partners to ensure continued commitment and engagement.
• Manage the search and selection process for social entrepreneurs who will participate in upcoming Reach for Change programs and events.

Other responsibilities:

• Report and share best practices with the rest of the team.
• Participate in, and take on activity tasks for other upcoming projects and program activities in Bulgaria and Europe.
• When necessary, and during periods of high workload, support the remaining part of the organization to achieve team and organizational goals.
• Build up your own knowledge of the field of social entrepreneurship and innovation in Bulgaria.
• Share knowledge internally, across functional boundaries and markets to build on Reach for Change as a learning organization.
  

Competencies & Skills we are looking for:

• Passion for entrepreneurship and how it can drive positive improvement for children and young people.
• Business & entrepreneurship skills
• Able to implement and use suitable tools and models to carry out activities and reach objectives as well as develop new tools and models.
•  Knowledge of common needs and pitfalls of early stage organisations.
•  Ability to allocate resources in an effective manner.
•  Ability to prioritize during pressured time and follow through to deliver on time both in one's own work and in teams.

People & communication skills

• Able to effectively communicate and interact with other people in both Bulgarian and English.
• Good listener that can understand people's needs and is able to influence and negotiate in a good manner.
• Ability to receive and convey information from and between different target groups.
• Good abilities in networking and interpersonal communication.
• Works effectively with and supports colleagues, fostering a positive and collaborative environment.
• Ability to facilitate teamwork by guiding, influence and synthesizing and helping a group reach a conclusion.
• Inspires others toward a common vision and fosters trust and ethical behaviour.

Education & experience

We expect you to tick of some of the below: 

•  Minimum 3 years of experience in similar positions.
•  A university degree in a related field, e.g. business administration & development,  social entrepreneurship, political sciences, humanities or similar.
•  Experience from project managing, leading, driving or coordinating programs.
•  Demonstrated experience in successfully implementing similar programs is particularly appreciated.
•  Experience from work/volunteering within the philanthropic/non-profit or business sector will be an advantage.
•  Knowledge and experience of local ecosystems and political structures.
•  Experienced user of Microsoft Office/Google Suite and ability to quickly understand and use web based applications and platforms.

About Reach for Change

Reach for Change is an international non profit organization with the mission to unleash the power of innovation and entrepreneurship to create a better world for children and youth. We find and support local, early stage social entrepreneurs to scale their innovations and solve the most pressing issues faced by children. Our core product is development programs for social entrepreneurs, in which the entrepreneurs are supported to scale their innovations through capacity building, networks and funding. Being co-created by successful entrepreneurs in the non-profit and the business sector in 2010 in Sweden, we have a portfolio of 600+ social entrepreneurs in 18 countries across three continents (Africa, Central Asia and Europe) who, together with us, have positively impacted more than 4 million children's lives to date.

For more information about Reach for Change, please consult our website www.reachforchange.org