Program Manager in Southeast Asian countries

Application Deadline: 5 January 2025

Start date: As soon as possible

Hours: Full time

Location and Time Zone: Remote; being located in Thailand or Malaysia is preferred, but not required. Must be located between UTC and UTC +8. Exact working hours to be confirmed based on location, in order to optimise for overlap with program partners and LEEP’s team (who are mostly within UTC to UTC+3).

Language requirements: Full professional proficiency in English; Thai or Bahasa Malaysia is preferred, but not required.

Salary: Competitive depending on location and experience

How to apply: Fill out this application form

Extra Information: You can find out more about the role by watching this video

Contact: [email protected]

About LEEP

LEEP is an impact-driven, evidence-based nonprofit that aims to eliminate childhood lead poisoning, which affects an estimated one in three children worldwide. We primarily focus on one important source of exposure: lead paint. Our paint programs involve generating data, supporting governments with the introduction and enforcement of regulation, and assisting manufacturers in switching to lead-free paints. Beyond our paint programs, we are piloting interventions to address other sources of lead exposure, such as spices and cosmetics.

Since our founding in September 2020:

• We have initiated lead paint elimination programs in 31 countries and completed paint studies in 18.
• We have agreed on goals to establish lead paint regulation with government agencies in 16 countries (e.g., in Angola).
• We have received reports in 10 countries of manufacturers representing more than 50% of the lead paint market share (in that country) reformulating to lead-free (e.g., in Pakistan).
• We have conducted a repeat paint study which showed more than a 50% reduction in lead paint market share since our initial study in Malawi.
• We have conducted lead in spices studies in Ethiopia and Türkiye.
• Founders Pledge estimates that it costs $1.66 to prevent one child’s lead exposure (in expectation) through our work, making LEEP one of its most cost-effective nonprofit recommendations. Our own analysis estimates that it costs under $5 to avert one DALY-equivalent through LEEP’s first 13 established programs.
• We are a partner of the WHO and UN Environment Programme’s Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint, and a member of the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, launched by USAID and UNICEF.
• We have received grants from major grantmaking organisations, including USAID, Founders Pledge, Open Philanthropy, and Schmidt Futures.
• We have appeared in Nature, Vox, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, Prospect, on the 80,000 Hours Podcast, at the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future launch on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, and our co-founders were named in Vox’s Future Perfect 50.

About the Role

LEEP is seeking a dynamic generalist to lead our paint programs across the globe, with a focus on Southeast Asia. LEEP expanded to this region in 2024, launching programs in Indonesia and Vietnam, and plans to expand further to Thailand and Malaysia in 2025. The Program Manager will be responsible for the successful delivery of the steps of our paint programs, including: conducting paint studies to obtain country-specific data, supporting governments to implement lead paint regulations, and providing technical assistance to help paint manufacturers go lead-free.

We are looking for candidates who are high-agency, have strong interpersonal skills, and who share LEEP’s values. By running LEEP’s program work, with support from the team, in multiple focus countries, you will be able to make a huge difference, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Responsibilities

• Working with governments on introducing and implementing lead paint regulation (30%)
  • Engaging with policy-makers across multiple ministries and agencies, and staying in close communication
  • Preparing advocacy communications and educational resources
  • Participating in government meetings and presenting at stakeholder workshops
  • Project planning with government partners
  • Conducting training and providing expert feedback
• Industry assistance (30%)
  • Engaging with all manufacturers in a focus country, both large companies and small- and medium-sized enterprises
  • Presenting the case for lead paint phase-out and how LEEP can support
  • Working in collaboration with LEEP’s paint technologist to find solutions to manufacturers’ requirements
  • Finding suppliers of non-lead based raw materials
• Research and data collection (10%)
  • Conducting paint studies: finding and purchasing paints, preparing samples, and sending them to the lab, in collaboration with government partners
  • Preparing study reports and summarising existing literature
• Strategy and planning (10%)
  • Designing a project plan to meet LEEP’s goals and considering stakeholders’ requirements
  • Troubleshooting any program blockers and identifying creative solutions
  • Sharing learnings with the LEEP team and constantly improving our programs
• Recruitment, partnership building and management (5%)
  • Recruiting local consultants and/or building partnerships with local organisations, and managing these relationships
• Engage in weekly all-hands calls, program team meetings and 1-1s with your manager (10%)
• Assist with a variety of other tasks across LEEP as and when required (5%). For example, some Program Managers:
  • Design new content for our programs, such as videos and slide decks
  • Improve internal program guidance and processes
  • Help organise global webinars on lead paint

What We’re Looking For

A successful applicant will possess most of the following:

• Passion for LEEP’s mission and a strong commitment to achieving meaningful, scalable impact
• Strong interpersonal skills and adeptness at understanding the perspectives of various stakeholders and collaborating towards shared goals
• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Strong focus on and commitment to impact
• Comfort with educating and persuading a variety of stakeholders on material that may be new to them
• Ability and willingness to work across a broad range of tasks
• A strong ability to prioritise your tasks and recognise how they tie in with LEEP’s wider goals
• Enterprising, a quick learner, and creative problem-solver
• Comfort with risk and ambiguity, and working with a high level of self-direction
• Ability to remain focused and solution-oriented in a fast-paced environment
• Capable of working in a remote environment
• Willing to travel for at least 8 to 12 weeks per year
• Must be have full professional proficiency in English

Other promising attributes:

• full professional proficiency in Thai or Bahasa Malaysia
• Experience working or living in a Southeast Asian country, particularly Thailand or Malaysia

We are most interested in talent, not credentials. If you don’t fit some of the above criteria but think you are a good fit for this role, we’d love to see you apply.

Work Environment

Our culture is one of genuine care for each other and passion for our work and its impact. We are a team that values collaboration, openness, and mutual support, which creates an environment where everyone can thrive while contributing to meaningful work. Though we are a remote team, we are supportive and close-knit. We stay connected through weekly team calls and 1:1 calls, where we have conversations about both non-work and work topics; we regularly share photos and celebrate milestones and successes in our Slack; and we come together annually for an in-person retreat to strengthen relationships and reflect on our mission.

Our team of 18 people is based across five continents and speaks over 10 languages. We have diverse expertise, from medicine to environmental health to international law.

Our work schedule is flexible. Some of the team work 9-5:30, and some adjust their daily schedule around school pick-up. We value work-life balance and rarely contact the team members outside their work hours.

LEEP offers:

• A chance to have a very large positive impact on the world
• 33 days of paid leave
• Generous sick leave and parental leave policies
• 4% pension contribution or equivalent salary match