Senior Program Officer (International Portfolio)

Join Our Dynamic Team at Colleges and Institutes Canada!

Are you ready to make a difference in the world of education? At Colleges and Institutes Canada, we’re on the lookout for passionate, innovative, and driven individuals to join our team. If you’re eager to contribute to a vibrant community and work to strengthen Canada’s publicly supported colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics, we want to hear from you!

Why Choose Us?

• Impactful Work: Be part of a mission-driven organization dedicated to advocacy for colleges and institutes across Canada.
• Collaborative Environment: Work alongside a diverse team of professionals who are as committed to excellence as you are.
• Innovative Culture: Embrace a culture that values creativity, innovation, and forward-thinking solutions.
• Salary: Obtain a highly competitive compensation

Ready to Take the Next Step? Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of something extraordinary!

The Senior Program Officer (International Portfolio) plays a key role in supporting the development, planning, execution and management of complex activities, primarily related to international programming. His responsibilities include the development and implementation of the work plan, the management of the budget, the monitoring and evaluation of activities, as well as the drafting of periodical and financial narrative and financial reports.

Working as part of an inter-organizational team made up of CICan members, various stakeholders and funders, the Senior Program Officer (International portfolio) collaborates closely and daily with the various members of the project team to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of the actions carried out.

This role demands proficiency in both French and English, demonstrated through the creation of high-quality written materials such as reports, proposals, and strategic communications. It involves leading bilingual meetings, delivering presentations, and engaging with stakeholders in both official languages, consistently ensuring clarity, precision, and cultural sensitivity.

The incumbent will work for a program managed by a consortium formed by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and Universities Canada, in partnership with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS).

The program aims to strengthen the social and economic development of women and men, especially women, from eligible Commonwealth and Francophonie countries, as well as other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), with 90% of scholarships awarded to partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, CICan and Universities Canada will work with long-standing partners to strengthen the strategies of eligible countries and support the capacity building of women and men leaders so that they can, as agents of change, influence their communities by leveraging their knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills, and by fostering active citizenship.

The program targets 7,000 beneficiaries, 51% of whom are women and girls, through two unique programming streams. The program will host short- and long-term scholarship recipients at colleges and universities across Canada, and will also involve Canadian colleges and universities to co-develop tailored education and training projects to meet the needs of local markets in partner countries.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION 

Post-secondary education in international development, political sciences, social sciences, public administration or a combination of relevant education and experience

EXPERIENCE

Minimum of 5 years of experience:

• Implementing large-scale, donor-funded projects, including planning, execution, and closeout phases
• Implementing Canadian feminist policy framework into projects and programs
• Developing and operationalizing work plans, performance frameworks, and exit strategies aligned with institutional and donor priorities
• Coordinating field activities across multiple countries or regions, including oversight of local partners, consultants, and institutional stakeholders
• Planning, monitoring, and evaluating projects using Results Based Management models and performance indicators
• Planning and drafting calls for proposals with specific terms of reference for defined mandates
• Producing high-quality narrative and financial reports in French and in English
• Building and maintaining relationships with government agencies, academic institutions, NGOs, and international partners
• Facilitating collaboration across cultures and sectors, including conflict resolution and consensus-building.
• Budget development, financial tracking including budgeting, forecasting and reconciliation
• Ensuring compliance with donor regulations, contribution agreements, and procurement policies
• Reconciling accounts, managing disbursements, and supporting financial audits
• Drafting proposals, policy briefs, and strategic documents for internal and external audiences in French and in English
• Synthesizing complex information and communicating effectively in both French and English
• Integrating gender equality, environmental sustainability, and good governance into program design and delivery.
• Developing tools, training materials, and resources to support capacity building
• Supporting international field offices and coordinating logistics for missions, workshops, and events
• Using Excel for budget forecasting, reconciling and analysis
• Using MS Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint for reporting and presentations
• Experience working internationally, preferably in Africa (an asset)
• Working at a Canadian post-secondary institution (an asset)
• Working the federal government, particularly Global Affairs Canada (an asset)

KNOWLEDGE:

• Monitoring and evaluation strategies, platforms and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, ONA)
• Familiarity with knowledge-sharing platforms and digital collaboration tools (Teams, Sharepoint)
• Canadian feminist policy framework of Global Affairs Canada and other funders
• Gender equity and environmental frameworks
• Results-Based Management (RBM) frameworks
• Excel for budget forecasting, reconciling and analysis
• MS Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint for reporting and presentations
• Cross-cultural communication and conflict sensitivity
• French and English in writing, speaking and reading
• Intercultural sensitivity and ability to adapt to a new environment

Compensation: $87,463 to $107,055

Status: Temporary until March 2030.

Location: 1 Rideau Street, Suite 701, Ottawa, ON

Working Conditions: 

• Possible international travel
• Hybrid work environment with ability to attend the Ottawa office regularly

Language:  Bilingual (French and English)

Open to:  CICan employees and the general public.

How to apply

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and résumé in a PDF format before October 19, 2025.

CICan is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in its workforce. We recognize that diverse teams generate unique solutions, ideas, and perspectives. Therefore, we welcome and encourage applications from women, persons with disabilities, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) individuals, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

Do not hesitate to contact Human Resources at Colleges and Institutes Canada (613) 746-2222 x 5827 if you require alternative arrangements to submit your application. CICan provides accommodation during all parts of the hiring process, upon request. If contacted to proceed with the selection process, please advise us if you require any accommodation.

We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only those selected to continue in the selection process will be contacted.

CICan’s offices in Ottawa are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation.