Program Implementation Manager

Position Overview

ABOUT RARE

Rare inspires change so people and nature thrive. Grounded in behavioral science and local leadership, Rare partners with communities around the world to adopt sustainable practices, restore ecosystems on land and at sea, and strengthen livelihoods.

With more than 50 years of experience across over 60 countries, Rare develops and scales community-led solutions that address climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, and resilience. Rare works alongside coastal and traditional communities to strengthen the governance and sustainable management of small-scale fisheries. Rare's culture is entrepreneurial and results-oriented, committed to pursuing ambitious goals and achieving measurable results.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Senior Program Implementation Manager, the Manager, Program Implementation is responsible for leading and coordinating the implementation of Rare Brazil's program portfolio across the Amazon coastal zone, ensuring quality, consistency, and impact across all workstreams. The Manager directly supervises and supports the team of Coordinators — including Policy & Governance, Financial & Market Inclusion, and other implementation functions — integrating their work into a coherent program strategy and ensuring alignment with Rare Brazil's institutional priorities and Rare Inc.'s global methodology. The Manager translates strategic objectives into actionable work plans, oversees timelines, budgets, and deliverables, and serves as a key point of articulation between field implementation, leadership, partners, and donors. The position requires strong people-management skills, sound technical judgment, organizational discipline, and availability for frequent field travel to coastal and riverine communities of the Amazon Coast.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Team Leadership and Supervision (25%)

• Directly supervise, mentor, and develop the team of Program Implementation Coordinators, setting clear goals, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance reviews, and professional development planning, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented team culture.
• Coordinate workloads across Coordinators, balancing capacity, resolving bottlenecks, and ensuring timely delivery across the portfolio.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding, and capacity building of team members as the program grows.

Program and Project Implementation Oversight (30%)

• Lead the planning, execution, monitoring, and adaptive management of Rare Brazil's program portfolio across the Amazon coastal zone.
• Ensure that implementation activities are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with technical quality standards and Rare's Fish Forever methodology.
• Anticipate, identify, and resolve implementation challenges, including stakeholder
• management and conflict resolution in the field.
• Ensure integration and coherence across workstreams (governance, financial and market inclusion, behavior change, and others), avoiding silos and maximizing synergies.

Strategy, Planning, and Budget (15%)

• Translate Rare Brazil's strategic objectives into annual work plans, activity schedules, and budgets, in coordination with leadership and Coordinators.
• Monitor budget execution and support sound financial and operational management of program activities.
• Contribute to program design, proposal development, and strategic decision-making for the expansion and continuous improvement of Rare Brazil's portfolio.

Stakeholder, Partner, and Government Relations (15%)

• Cultivate and manage relationships with key partners and government counterparts at the municipal, state, and federal levels (ICMBio, municipalities, EMATER, state environmental agencies, and others).
• Ensure the integration and alignment of partner institutions in the implementation of program activities.
• Represent Rare Brazil in technical forums, working groups, conferences, and institutional meetings as needed.
• Strengthen relationships with traditional and fishing communities, ensuring participatory, culturally sensitive, and community-led implementation.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Coordination with Rare Inc. (15%)

• Oversee the collection, quality, and use of program data, ensuring robust monitoring and evaluation of outcomes and impact.
• Consolidate program results into clear, accurate reports for leadership, donors, and partners.
• Coordinate closely with Rare Inc.'s program and technical teams to ensure alignment with global standards and to surface Brazil-specific learnings.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned to inform continuous program improvement.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

• Internal – Reports to senior leadership and directly supervises the Program Implementation Coordinators. Collaborates closely with Rare Brazil's development, communications, finance, and operations teams, as well as with Rare Inc.'s and technical staff.
• External – Serves as a key point of contact with government counterparts at all levels, traditional and fishing communities, partner organizations, financial institutions, and socioenvironmental governance forums across the Amazon Coast.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position has direct supervisory responsibility for the team of Program Implementation Coordinators. The Manager is responsible for setting goals, managing performance, supporting professional development, and ensuring the team delivers high-quality results in alignment with Rare Brazil's standards.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Public Policy, Economics, Development, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience implementing socio-environmental, conservation, or community development projects, including at least 5 years in team leadership or supervisory roles.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex projects from concept to completion,
• including planning, budgeting, and monitoring.
• Experience working with government counterparts, traditional communities, and multistakeholder partnerships.
• Strong people-management skills and the ability to lead, motivate, and develop
• multidisciplinary teams.
• Full professional fluency in Portuguese and English (listening, reading, writing, and
• speaking).
• Proficiency in standard office tools (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and data/project
• management platforms.

Desirable:

• Master's degree in a relevant subject matter area.
• Experience with small-scale fisheries, coastal-marine conservation, or the Amazon region.
• Experience applying behavioral science and/or social marketing approaches.
• Familiarity with the Brazilian socio-environmental regulatory framework (e.g., SNUC, RESEX, fisheries management, climate policy).
• Experience managing donor-funded programs and contributing to donor reporting and fundraising.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Technical Skills:

• Program and project management (planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation)
• Team leadership and performance management
• Budget management and resource planning
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership management
• Conflict resolution and adaptive problem-solving
• Technical report writing and results communication
• Integration of multidisciplinary workstreams

Core Competencies:

• Strategic thinking and ability to connect program delivery to institutional goals
• Strong leadership and people-development orientation
• Clear and effective communication, internally and externally
• Organizational discipline and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Collaborative mindset across multidisciplinary and multicultural teams
• Adaptability and openness to learning and innovation
• Cultural sensitivity and respect for the communities with which Rare Brazil engages

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers and smartphones. This position may operate in a hybrid format, combining in-office and remote work depending on organizational policies.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This is a largely sedentary role, with some light walking around the office. However, during field trips and travel, one needs to be prepared for long inland commutes, sometimes with minimum comfort, boat trips, and long walks.

POSITION TYPE AND EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

This is a full-time position; typical workdays and hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, there may be times when longer work hours are required. This position is eligible to participate in Rare's telecommuting or flexible work schedule program.

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Rare is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic.