Eligible candidates who are based in Ipas Eastern and Southern Africa program countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia) are invited to apply.
The Program Support Director (PSD) is a senior leadership position within the Ipas Global Program Support Team, providing strategic and technical oversight to multiple regional and country programs in East and Southern Africa. The Program Support Director (PSD) provides strategic leadership, technical guidance, and operational oversight to3–5 Regional and country programs. This role will supervise 4-5 direct reports which include senior leaders like Country Directors and Regional Directors and Senior Program Managers who are part of the global team. Reporting to the Deputy COO – Programs, the PSD ensures program quality, alignment with organizational strategy, donor compliance, and effective delivery of high-impact SRHR interventions. The role functions as a bridge between Ipas global team and regional and country offices, supporting program design, implementation, monitoring, learning, and adaptive management while strengthening country-level capacity and accountability
The PSD will bring significant team leadership experience and demonstrated capacity in sexual and reproductive health and rights programming in a variety of global contexts. S / he brings cross cultural knowledge, relevant language skills, a focus on user-centered approaches, and a dedication to shared leadership. S / he works to maximize Ipas’s regional and global impact and results by supporting and partnering with assigned country programs. The job responsibilities include working collaboratively to ensure strong program results, program and risk management, and node leadership. In addition, s / he contributes to ensuring compliance with Ipas’s global quality standards, supporting strategic planning and new business development, and promoting communication and learning across Ipas.
The PSD demonstrates a strong commitment to the individuals and communities we serve, acting with a sense of urgency and providing candid timely support and guidance to their team and peers. S / he provides mentoring, coaching, and strategic advice to country team leaders, as well as to a global team of Senior Program Managers. S / he provides high level oversight and serves an “internal control” function with assigned regional and country programs, to ensure compliance with Ipas quality standards and as a steward of the Ipas global reputation. S / he contributes significantly to addressing programmatic challenges and problem solving; ensuring we achieve desired goals, donor satisfaction and compliance with award terms and conditions, strengthening systems to improve value for money, organizational learning; and promoting a positive and empowering work culture.
Primary Responsibilities :
Strategic Program Leadership
- Provide strategic direction and oversight to assigned regional and country programs, ensure alignment with Ipas’s vision, mission, values, strategy, global standards, and regional priorities.
- Support regional and country leadership in translating organizational strategy into high-quality, contextually relevant program plans.
- Maintain a high-level focus on project program and financial results and adherence to Ipas quality standards; Provide feedback and assistance when problems are noted.
- Represent Ipas on the local Boards of country teams, as needed.
- Participate in global strategic initiatives and other organizational development efforts to strengthen the Ipas Network, such as global strategic planning, expanding implementation of shared leadership practices and risk management.
Program & Technical Oversight
Provide high-level strategic inputs and assistance in project design, planning, implementation, and monitoring, with a focus on addressing challenges and problem solving with assigned regional and country teams.Provide technical oversight across core programmatic areas of abortion and contraceptive care, including intersectional areas of youth, gender equality, GBV prevention / response, climate change, and reproductive justice, etc.Oversee reviews and feedback mechanisms to ensure adherence to Ipas quality standards, local laws and regulations, and standard accounting and business practices.Lead or support technical reviews, program assessments, and learning initiatives.Regional and Country Program Support
Serve as the primary focal point for assigned regional and country programs, providing regular programmatic support and oversight.Promote strong communication, collaboration, and cross learning among Ipas network technical and support units, and other country programs to strengthen programmatic and operational results.Support Regional Directors (RDs), Country Directors (CDs) and Senior Program Managers (SPMs) in addressing implementation challenges, risk management, and adaptive programming.Contribute to developing / updating and implementing strong regional / country strategic plans as requested, ensuring alignment with the Ipas mission and strategic framework.Provide coaching and support to Regional and Country Directors in recruiting and developing a high functioning team that practices shared leadership and maintains a positive and effective work culture.Review and provide feedback on annual work plans, budgets, reports, and key deliverables.Oversee the strengthening of a variety of mechanisms to support a positive and effective work culture, organizational learning, sharing, and peer support across teams.Work closely with the COO and Dy. COO to support start-up, scale-up, and close-out of country programs.People Management & Capacity Strengthening
Provide supportive supervision and manage the performance of direct reports which include Country Directors, Regional Directors and Senior Program Managers.Provide mentorship, thought leadership and technical support to regional / country program teams and direct reports from the Program Support Team.Support capacity strengthening of regional / country teams in program management, technical areas, financial and donor compliance.Promote organizational training and other capacity strengthening efforts as needed.Foster a collaborative and high-performing culture and promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the assigned teams as well as across the network.Donor Engagement & Compliance
Ensure programs comply with donor requirements and organizational policies.Support resource mobilization efforts by contributing to proposal development, donor briefings, and strategic partnerships. Contribute to new business development efforts as requested, working closely with regional / country and other teams, including donor cultivation, project design, and bringing a strong program management perspective in proposal development processes.Oversee that new business efforts and proposals are well aligned with the country program’s strategic plan, Ipas strategic framework, the Ipas quality standards, technical excellence and innovation, good stewardship of funding, and optimal cost recovery.Represent Ipas in donor meetings, technical forums, and external engagements as required.Risk Management & Safeguarding
Ensure timely identification and mitigation of programmatic, operational, and reputational risks.Promote safeguarding, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and ethical programming across all supported programs.Ensure adherence to organizational policies on safeguarding, gender equality, and inclusion.Responsible for the oversight of Ipas interests and reputation. Responsibilities include but are not limited to oversight on adherence to policies, performance against the annual operating budget, addressing audit findings and ethical issues, and compliance with donor requirements.Work closely with regional and country leaders and other Ipas units to ensure there are adequate internal controls to reduce the risk of fraud and mismanagement of funds; Play an internal control function where needed, such as to reduce perceived or actual conflict of interest with regional and country leader decisions.Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Accountability (MEL)
Promote strong monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning practices across assigned regional and country programs.Support the use of data for decision-making, learning, and program improvement.Encourage documentation of best practices, innovations, and lessons learned across all projects.Minimum Requirements :
Essential
Commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially safe abortion and access to contraception, and an understanding of principles, policies, and best practices related to sexual and reproductive health, and related intersectionality.Sound political economy understanding of the East & Southern Africa region and knowledge of the issues and context of women's sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Africa region, including demonstrated experience working with NGOs in Africa, preferably based in an Ipas implementing country in African region.Proven ability to lead and motivate teams and create a positive work environment through supportive supervision, strong communication and teamwork, and shared leadership approaches, including demonstrated successes in program management, team leadership, strategic planning and problem solving.Strategic stakeholder management skills with proven ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with a variety of partners, including government officials, regional or global donors and partner organizations. Ability to work across cultures and manage complex relationships remotely.Demonstrated ability to work effectively across cultures, and to manage the complexity of multi-country programs and stakeholder relationships remotely.Strategic expertise in risk, compliance, and governance management, and anticipating regional and network-wide risks while strengthening and supporting effective local board governance in the region.Demonstrated experience overseeing large, complex grant awards and operations portfolios—strengthening finance and operational architecture and driving cross-country integration to deliver efficient, compliant, and high-performing programs.A highly mature regional leader who navigates multi-country complexity with advisory and as an ‘enabler’, practices shared leadership, balances strategy with execution, and builds strong teams that deliver sustained performance while respecting and preserving country-level ownership.Minimum Qualifications
At least 15 years of increasing responsibility in non-profit leadership and program management in the international development or NGO-sector.Minimum of 7 years of senior program leadership experience overseeing multiple country programs and proven ability to provide strategic and technical oversight across diverse country contexts.Strong experience managing donor-funded programs (e.g., bilateral, multilateral, foundations).Relevant postgraduate degree (e.g., MBA, MIA, MPH).Respect and credibility as an advocate for reproductive health and rightsStrong advocacy and speaking skills in a context of stigma and opposition.Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.Knowledge of local languages will be considered as an added asset.Travel Requirements :
Up to 30–40% travel to regional and country programs and regional / global meetings.
How to Apply
The search is being led by The Taplow Group (www.taplowgroup.com). Interested applicants may submit their resume via email to
Please include “Application for the role of Program Support Director – East & Southern Africa (ESA) Ipas” in the subject line.
The application deadline is 5 March 2026
Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity. We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy. Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.
