Program Manager, Economic and Climate Prosperity

The core mandate is to lead the design, implementation and evolution of the Economic and Climate Prosperity team's country-level work in South Africa and Senegal, while contributing to selected pan-African initiatives. In practice, that means building country work plans that map policy windows and politically feasible coalitions, then converting technical evidence on green industrial policy, climate finance, debt reform and trade into actionable briefs for government and civil society partners. A second strand is grant and consultant contract management: you would manage a multi-million Rand portfolio, communicate with grantees about proposals and reporting, prepare grant records, process payments, and oversee consultant contracts. This is not a passive regranting role: you are expected to actively shape the portfolio to reach agreed outcomes. Finally, the role carries a strong representation and convening component. You would sit in policy forums, build trusted relationships with senior government officials, development finance institutions, researchers and civil society, and manage sensitive relationships in contested political terrain, all while coordinating with colleagues across OSF so the full institutional toolkit is mobilised.

The most obvious growth area is deep exposure to the mechanics of international climate and fiscal policy, how loss and damage, equitable debt reform and global tax reform actually get negotiated and implemented in the Global South. Working at this level with OSF likely means fast, substantive learning from senior experts and visiting practitioners. Beyond policy substance, you would sharpen a distinctive dual skillset: political-economy analysis on the one hand, and philanthropic grant-making craft on the other. Designing RFPs, evaluating local civil society applications, structuring contracts and managing a large rand portfolio are skills that travel well into development finance, climate philanthropy and donor advisory roles. The role also exposes you to cross-country collaboration with the Dakar team and OSF's Strategy and Impact Unit, which could build real fluency in log-frames, theory-of-change modelling and how philanthropic strategy is actually monitored and learned from.

The essential profile is someone with substantial experience at the intersection of green industrial policy, international finance and trade systems, combined with hands-on grant or programme management. Experience working with national governments, national development banks or other development finance institutions is treated as near-essential, as is a genuinely strong read of South Africa's political and policy environment. On the analytical side, the candidate needs to assess how institutions, stakeholder incentives and power dynamics affect whether policy gets designed and implemented, and to translate technical evidence into briefs and engagement strategies. On the relational side, credibility with government officials, policymakers, civil society and researchers matters, the role requires managing sensitive relationships in contested terrain. The desirable profile adds convening experience bringing CBOs, climate activists and government together around unified positions, familiarity with log-frames and theory-of-change models, and a track record designing RFPs and managing multi-million Rand disbursement portfolios. A university degree or equivalent experience is stated as the formal bar.

Because OSF screens hard on South Africa policy literacy, a generic cover letter describing your interest in climate change will likely fall flat. Instead, be concrete: name the specific policy processes, national development banks, ministries or civil society coalitions you have worked with, and describe a moment where you helped shift a policy decision. Evidence of trusted government relationships is effectively the centrepiece here. On the grant-management side, quantify your portfolio, size in rand or dollars, number of grantees, types of instruments. If you have designed RFPs, evaluated local civil society applications or structured contracts, say so explicitly, since these are listed desirable criteria that many policy specialists lack. Log-frame and theory-of-change experience is worth surfacing as well. Finally, engage with OSF's values and its rights-and-equity framing honestly rather than performatively. A note on how you handle contested political environments, how you maintain relationships across opposing interests without losing analytical integrity, would speak directly to the sensitivities of this role.

The sustainability angle here is fundamentally about just transition finance in the Global South. Rather than corporate decarbonisation targets, the team focuses on green industrial policy, climate finance including loss and damage, equitable debt reform and global tax reform, questions of how countries finance their transitions and who bears the cost. For South Africa specifically, this intersects with the country's energy transition and the political economy around coal-dependent regions and workers. The role likely supports partners working to shape how international finance flows into national industrial and energy strategies, and how accountability mechanisms hold those flows to public-interest standards. On the governance side, there is a strong equity and inclusivity strand: the foundation frames its work around democratic accountability and marginalised communities, so the programme would likely stress that climate and fiscal policy decisions are made transparently and benefit those historically excluded, not only large institutional actors.

The most immediate challenge is navigating a complex and contested political environment. South Africa's climate and fiscal policy space involves competing ministries, powerful incumbent interests, and shifting coalitions; building influence without being captured or sidelined requires constant political judgement. Managing sensitive relationships across such terrain is explicitly flagged in the job description. A second tension is balancing grant-making rigour with policy urgency. Philanthropic processes (RFPs, proposal review, contracts, reporting) can move slowly relative to political windows that open and close quickly. A Program Manager must keep the portfolio disciplined while still responding fast enough to matter. Cross-country coordination adds another layer: working across South Africa, Senegal and pan-African initiatives, with colleagues and vendors in multiple time zones, demands flexibility, cultural sensitivity and the stamina to reconcile different national contexts into coherent strategy.

A day might start with internal check-ins, a call with the Associate Director on portfolio progress or risk, or a sync with colleagues in Dakar or the Strategy and Impact Unit. Administrative work on grants and consultant contracts is a steady undercurrent: reviewing proposals, preparing grant records, chasing reports or payments. Much of the week is external-facing. You could spend an afternoon in a policy forum or in a bilateral meeting with a government official or development finance institution, then debrief with grantees on how to adjust an engagement strategy. Some days are dominated by convening, bringing together civil society, researchers and officials around a shared policy position. Because the role spans multiple countries and time zones, working hours can stretch to accommodate calls with regional partners, and periods of international travel reshape the rhythm, field visits, regional convenings and donor or partner meetings are likely in the mix.

The role sits within a well-resourced foundation that offers a generous annual professional development allowance and access to onsite training with visiting experts, so structured skill-building is a realistic expectation rather than an afterthought. The breadth of the portfolio (climate finance, debt, tax, green industrial policy) gives unusually wide exposure for a single position. Career-wise, this is a profile-builder. A Program Manager who has led country strategy, managed a multi-million Rand portfolio and built credibility with governments and DFIs is well positioned for senior philanthropy roles, climate finance positions at development banks, or advisory roles in the just-transition space. The pan-African dimension would deepen regional networks. Internally, growth could come through expanded geographic remit, leadership of larger opportunity strategies, or lateral moves into OSF's Strategy and Impact Unit. The foundation's emphasis on continuous learning around equity and social justice suggests movement across issue areas is encouraged.

Internally, the key relationship is with the Associate Director of Programs, who sets direction and receives regular progress and risk updates. Peers across the Economic and Climate Prosperity team, including those working on Senegal and regional initiatives, plus colleagues in the Strategy and Impact Unit, shape how strategy is learned from and adjusted. Externally, the role is intensely networked. Grantees (civil society organisations, researchers and community-based groups) are the front line of implementation, while senior government officials, national development banks and other development finance institutions are the primary targets of policy influence. Private-sector actors and regional bodies also feature. The nature of these interactions varies sharply: some are collaborative and aligned, others require managing contested interests where stakeholders openly disagree. Convening and quiet diplomacy are both part of the toolkit.