Project Lead - Functional Excellence

About the role

CARE is hiring a Project Lead for Functional Excellence within its Transformation Office. The role drives organisation-wide change initiatives from conception through implementation and evaluation, partnering with functional areas to support CARE's five-year global strategy. For the remainder of the fiscal year (until June 2027) it focuses on implementing an existing project that clarifies and strengthens the functional relationships between HQ, Regional and Country layers. The position is line managed by the Senior Director of Transformation.

The role can be based in any approved CARE USA location; candidates must hold legal work authorization in the host country, and international relocation or expatriate terms are not available.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver project objectives within budget, timeline and scope, developing plans, timelines, budgets and success metrics
• Liaise with FP&A and the Executive Office budget manager on budget guidance and risks
• Track progress, run team meetings, resolve barriers and mitigate risks
• Collaborate with the Senior Global Change Manager on integrating change management into the project strategy
• Manage resources such as external consultants, travel and translation
• Lead stakeholder engagement, including inclusive workshops and multi-stakeholder communication strategies
• Communicate project updates to country offices, regional offices, HQ teams, IPO and executive leadership
• Support change management training and communications, and represent the project in forums
• Schedule and facilitate Steering Committee meetings, manage governance stage gates and escalate risks and scope changes
• Provide day-to-day direction, coaching and feedback to a change manager, supporting their development

Required profile

• Bachelor's and/or Master's degree in business, organizational or nonprofit management, or equivalent experience
• Professional certification in Project Management
• Track record of leading large-scale organisational transformation and enterprise-wide change in complex global organisations
• Experience in complex INGOs, federated or matrixed environments
• Experience engaging Executive Leadership Teams, Global Functional Leaders, Country Directors and senior stakeholders across geographies
• Knowledge of operating model design, shared services, process harmonisation, workforce optimisation, finance transformation and organisational effectiveness

Preferred qualifications

• Experience across headquarters/global teams and decentralized country operations
• Lean Six Sigma, continuous improvement or operational excellence experience