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The First Response Fund (FRF) is a new global pooled fund, currently in its design phase, that seeks to resource humanitarian responses led by feminist civil society organizations - by leveraging women’s and feminist funds’ (W/FF) funding capacity, reach, and relationships with women’s rights and women led organizations (WROs/WLOs) across regions. 

Twelve feminist and women’s funds (along with Prospera, the international network of women’s funds) are working together to design the First Response Fund centering the strategies of local WLOs/WROs in ODA-eligible countries, providing resources and accompaniment via a global network of over 50 Women’s and Feminist Funds. FRF represents an innovative advance on localization because it moves core, flexible resources to local WROs/WLOs for the life-saving, humanitarian services prioritized by their communities. 

FRF is a new initiative that builds on the existing expertise of WROs/WLOs doing critical humanitarian response and of W/FFs resourcing these groups. We are creating an accessible channel for donors to resource the humanitarian activities of WROs. 

The Program Manager is the most senior member of the FRF Secretariat, hosted at the Equality Fund. This position will coordinate and drive overall operations across FRF in the three-year pilot phase. Primary responsibilities include project management of the final stages of FRF design and the subsequent implementation of FRF’s humanitarian grantmaking strategy, which will target historically marginalized populations and geographies frequently missed in humanitarian funding and response activities.

The successful candidate must demonstrate solid experience in humanitarian programming. Previous experience managing humanitarian projects, working with women’s rights and feminist organizations in humanitarian contexts and reporting to humanitarian donors is mandatory in this position.  The ideal candidate is also a bridge builder,  with a proven track record in complex initiatives, with an orientation to partnership development and relationship building with multiple stakeholders. We are looking for candidates that are committed to power shifting and enabling local responses, with strong accountability to the needs and priorities of communities and movements. 

Reporting to the Co-VP of Global Programs at the Equality Fund, the Program Manager liaises with the Advisory Group, the participatory body setting the strategic direction and grantmaking priorities for the Fund. The Advisory Group is made up of representatives from Women’s and Feminist Funds, Women’s rights and women led organizations, and humanitarian sector bodies from a diversity of backgrounds. 

The Program Manager works closely with the FRF Secretariat team and relevant Equality Fund staff to develop grantmaking and finance tools for humanitarian programming, coordinate due diligence with implementing partners, drive the preparation and approval of grant dockets and provide support and accompaniment to FRF grant partners during implementation.

This role requires a strong understanding of humanitarian principles and standards and the ability to support capacity-building in humanitarian principles, systems and practices for feminist funds and implementing partners.