Program Director, Philippines PEARL Program

About TechnoServe:

At TechnoServe, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better life. For over 50 years, we have given smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs the skills, connections, and confidence to lift themselves out of poverty. We leverage the power of markets and the private sector to create sustainable economic growth to benefit people and the planet. Our unique mix of business solutions, deep knowledge of local contexts, and data-driven insights is helping to fight poverty across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

TechnoServe staff are local–95% are from the countries in which they work. We put a high premium on collaboration and entrepreneurship. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. And we focus on delivering lasting impact for our mission.

Job Summary:

The Program Director leads TechnoServe’s technical support unit for PEARL, a five-year, USD 19 million program that works with the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) to raise the incomes of 250,000 smallholder coconut households and help the Philippines supply quality copra and premium coconut oil to global buyers.

The Program Director is accountable for strategy, delivery, quality, budget and relationships across PCA, cooperatives, oil processors, government agencies and funders, and builds the systems that let local institutions sustain results after the program ends.

The Program Director leads a dedicated program team of approximately 17 staff based in Manila and across five program regions.

Program Overview:

The Philippines is the world’s largest coconut oil producer, yet about 3 million coconut farmers earn on average PHP 35,000 a year. Aging palms, smoke-dried copra that fails EU food-safety limits, and a trader-dominated supply chain keep farm incomes low and mills under-supplied.

PEARL is a market systems development program designed with and for PCA and aligned with the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP) 2024–2028. By 2030 it aims to reach 250,000 farming households, raise net farm incomes by at least 30% for 80% of participating farmers, and ensure 80% of coconut oil produced by participating processors meets premium and export quality standards. PCA is the lead partner and convener; cooperatives are the implementing partners that own Farm Service Crews and Copra Processing Hubs; anchor oil processors provide quality-based offtake; and TechnoServe acts as the technical support unit, facilitating, training and monitoring rather than implementing directly. The program runs in phases, beginning with a six-month planning phase.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Strategy and Partnership with PCA (20%)

•  Set program strategy and direction with PCA; lead Task Force and governance engagements.


•  Keep PEARL aligned with CFIDP and secure commitments from implementing agencies.


• Partnership identification & management. Work with program partners to ensure the program aligns with respective partners’ social strategy objectives

Program Delivery and Results (25%)

•  Deliver the results framework on time and on budget: cooperative cohorts, Farm Service Crews, Copra Processing Hubs, quality copra volumes and farmer income gains.


•  Adapt the approach as evidence emerges from each phase.


• Set strategy and lead strategy planning and monitoring activities with the program team


• Maintain a culture of executing the program at the highest quality possible, using learnings from the TNS global community and creating, or continuing to use, tools or systems to support this standard


• Direct responsibility for recruitment and management of various consultants for various aspects of the program

Market Linkages (15%)

•  Build and sustain relationships with oil processors, buyers and market-access partners.


•  Structure quality-based offtake between cooperatives and processors and link processors to premium markets.

Cooperative and Institutional Capacity (15%)

•  Oversee training of trainers and technical support for cooperative managers, crews and PCA field teams on quality, drying, aggregation, finance and governance.


•  Ensure women and youth participate meaningfully.

Financial and Operational Management (10%)

•  Own the budget, forecasting, compliance with TechnoServe and funder rules, procurement and risk management.


•  Manage subawards or agreements with partners.


• Manage and plan expenditures to deliver program within program budget


• Approve expenses, adhering to TNS procurement policies

Results Measurement and Reporting (10%)

•  Lead the MEL system, including TechnoServe’s impact platform.


•  Report to PCA, funders and TechnoServe leadership; manage evaluations and publish learning.


• Ensure program has a clear theory of change which is outlined in a monitoring and evaluation framework and log frame, and that established program systems and procedures are followed in order to meet those targets


• Incorporate the use of M&E data into program implementation to inform adaptations of the model such that TechnoServe activities are as impactful as possible


• Conduct annual impact assessments, working with consultants and internal TechnoServe resources

Leadership of People (5%)

•  Recruit, coach and manage the program team; model TechnoServe values and safeguarding, safety and inclusion standards.


• Manage the program team including building an office culture focused on the TechnoServe values

Basic Qualifications:

•  Bachelor’s degree (with 12 years of relevant experience), or Master’s degree (with eight years of relevant experience) in agriculture, economics, business administration or another relevant area


•  At least five years leading a multi-stakeholder agribusiness or market systems program with significant budgets and teams, preferably in Asia


•  Demonstrated experience working with government agencies and private-sector buyers or processors


•  Experience managing donor- or investor-funded programs, budgets and compliance

Required Languages: Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills, including professional fluency in English.

Travel: Travel up to 30–40%, mainly domestic to coconut-producing regions and partner sites; occasional international travel.

Preferred Qualifications:

•  Experience in coconut, tree-crop or other agricultural commodity value chains in the Philippines or Southeast Asia


•  Experience with cooperative strengthening, aggregation or farm-service models, and with agricultural finance or blended financing


•  Knowledge of food-safety and quality requirements in edible-oil export markets (for example EU contaminant limits)


•  Working knowledge of Filipino or another Philippine language


•  Advanced degree in agriculture, economics, business or a related field

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

•  Strategic and systems thinking: designs and adapts interventions that change how markets work rather than delivering services directly


•  Strong leadership: builds high-performing, diverse teams and manages through partners and influence


•  Stakeholder management: credible with senior government officials, cooperative leaders, executives and funders


•  Commercial acumen: understands supply chains, offtake structures, unit economics and financing


•  Analytical and results orientation: uses data to make decisions and report with rigor


•  Strong written and spoken communication, including presentations to senior audiences


•  Integrity and commitment to gender equality, social inclusion and safeguarding

Supervisory Responsibilities: Leads a dedicated TechnoServe program team of approximately 17 staff: an Associate Director, Program; three Technical Managers and three Program Associates; two MEL Managers and four Data Coordinators; and Communications and Finance/HR support. Directly supervises the Associate Director, Technical Managers, MEL Managers and operations leads, and works with the Technical Advisors and the Steering Committee, who provide expertise and oversight. Team size and structure are subject to the approved budget.

Candidates must have valid, unrestricted work authorization in the Philippines. TechnoServe will not provide sponsorship for this position. The position is contingent upon program award.

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at [email protected] or call +1 202 785 4515.