Senior Program Manager

Title: Senior Program Manager

Employee Working Location: Partially Virtual / Hybrid (Canada)

Employment Status: Temporary Full-time - 12 months

The Canadian Red Cross (Red Cross) - an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. As a Canada's Best Employers 2026 , we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment.

The Senior Program Manager is responsible for the design, planning, implementation, and oversight of programs and services, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and community needs. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders to deliver high-quality interventions that are culturally safe and evidence-based. They will oversee program operations, manage budgets, and monitor performance to drive continuous improvement and innovation. Additionally, the position will engage with key stakeholders, build partnerships, and ensure compliance with relevant policies and standards to maximize program impact and sustainability.

In this role, you will:

• Support the design, planning, and implementation of programs and activities in collaboration with relevant teams and stakeholders.
• Ensure program interventions are culturally sensitive, contextually appropriate, and aligned with best practices and standards.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including community leaders, governmental bodies, and partner organizations, to foster collaboration and support for program initiatives.
• Actively engage stakeholders in program planning and evaluation to ensure their perspectives and needs are considered.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting on program activities, outputs, and outcomes.
• Monitor and evaluate program performance, identifying opportunities for improvement and integrating lessons learned into planning.
• Represent the program in national coordination meetings, raising issues related to care standards and operational concerns.
• Work with relevant hubs to develop new resources when gaps are identified.
• Provide technical guidance and support to program teams on best practices, ethical standards, and safety protocols.
• Ensure program interventions are evidence-based, trauma-informed, and aligned with ethical principles and human rights standards.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, donor requirements, and national/international standards relevant to program implementation.
• Review the implementation of program tools and provide feedback to improve relevance and effectiveness.
• Conduct regular quality monitoring and gather feedback from beneficiaries to implement necessary improvements.
• Prepare regular program reports for internal and external stakeholders, documenting activities, lessons learned, and best practices.
• Support the review and development of programmatic tools to enhance the efficiency and quality of services.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with program implementation to ensure sustainability and effectiveness.

What we are looking for:

• Qualifications include a minimum of 6-9 years experience and a 3-year college diploma or university degree in in emergency management, social work, social sciences, psychology, health, or a related field and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience. May require a graduate diploma/degree in a related field and/or a professional degree, certification, or designation.
• Requires expertise in a specialized discipline or broad experience across fields, along with an understanding of interconnections between processes and business units.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and SharePoint.
• Experience in program management implementation.
• Ability to guide and motivate cross functional teams to achieve project objectives.
• Ability to identify complex problems, analyze interrelated factors, assess and mitigate risks, and develop solutions using specialized skills.
• Communication and influence skills to gather perspectives, understand needs, and present information to reach consensus, often in somewhat sensitive situations.
• Ability to identify and assess potential risks that may affect project outcomes by developing risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans to minimize the impact of risks.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, and best practices related to program management.

Working Conditions:

• This role is a response and operational profile that requires scheduled travel, deployment and in community in-person presence.
• Occasional requirement to lift up to 5kg in order to perform the requirements of the role.
• Occasional requirement for prolonged sitting with infrequent breaks in order to perform the requirements of the role.
• Occasional requirement for prolonged standing with infrequent breaks in order to perform the requirements of the role.
• Requires significant attention to detail and concentration and ability to mentally process large amounts of information.
• The work pace is often unpredictable with significant time pressures.
• Ability to adapt to frequent and often urgent changes in priorities, and make decisions under pressure, work at an unpredictable pace.
• The role includes fieldwork, deployment to emergency operations, and office-based work during non-deployment periods.
• Some domestic travel to generally safe locations; exposure to moderate adverse conditions requiring attention to personal safety.
• Work requires the ability to work to multiple, conflicting deadlines.
• Work requires interactions with clients who may be agitated, or are experiencing stressful situations.
• In a large-scale emergency, where staff numbers are compromised or additional resources are required provide disaster relief and/or emergency field operational support.
• Will be required to work extended hours during peak periods on short notice.
• As we work with and support people (managers, colleagues, beneficiaries/customers, volunteers, donors and external partners) and communities in Canada and around the world, applicants whose first language is not English may be required to perform the responsibilities of the role in English.
• Eligibility to work in Canada: At this time, we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for. Refer to our FAQ for more information.
• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).