Program Specialist, Africa region
Washington | careers-pactworld.icims.com |
PACT Overview:
Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.
Department:
Program Operations (PrOps) - Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Program Operations teams contribute to realizing this by: ensuring effective project management through supporting project startups, implementation, reporting and financial management as well as closeouts; portfolio coordination: providing a coordinating role across departments in DC that support country offices and programs; working with country teams to develop, refine and pursue their strategies by leveraging technical knowledge (our own and others) and supporting business development as needed; knowledge sharing and learning: enhancing communication between country offices and DC-based teams to ensure better understanding of the diverse operating environments and program approaches.
Position Overview:
The Program Specialist supports his/her portfolio by providing broad operational, technical, and administrative support to assigned country offices and projects. This position supports the Africa Program Operations team.
Key Responsibilities:
Country office support
• Deliver a range of management, technical, administrative, and operational support services to empower and enable country offices and programs in achieving time. Scope, and budget objectives.
• May serve as the main point of contact for smaller, less complex country offices and/or portfolios, and support Manager/Officer in serving multiple country offices, project staff and facilitate communications between country office and DC staff on all operational issues. Refer issues to appropriate departments within the institution.
• Support Manager/Officer in the opening and closing of country offices and projects working closely with HR, Global Security, Global Finance, General Counsel, and Grants & Contracts.
• Coordinate Pact’s DC-based and global support to projects, ensuring effective and efficient support.
Project Management
• Participate in regular country or Global project- focused reviews of project implementation progress (including technical delivery), operations issues, and address other project management needs
• May review and contribute to the development of project workplans, budgets, and reports.
• Assist in tracking and review of project deliverables (as required by the program) for submission to donors.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding processes for in-country, project-specific, and DC-based staff relevant to the portfolio.
• Provide support in ongoing communication and close collaboration with donors to maintain relationships during implementation to ensure quality delivery of the projects.
Country Portfolio Management
• Provide research support, as needed, to Regional Directors and Country Directors on Country Office strategy development, or lead strategy development in priority countries without an in-country presence.
• Support, as needed, development of strategy and coordination with other departments (i.e., leadership transitions, bridge funding, project expansions)
• Support cross learning and the dissemination of best practices across projects.
• May represent country offices within the DC office, advocating for support and prioritization.
Compliance and Sub-grants Management
• Support country office and project compliance with both Pact and donor policies, in coordination with internal audit and G&C teams.
• Identify risk and link to line supervisor and appropriate teams to mitigate risk.
• Provide targeted support on portfolio subgrant management and monitoring.
• Working with supervisor, ensure the completion of corrective action on any internal audits in portfolio.
Budget and Financial management
• As directed (by line supervisor), support project teams to track and monitor project budgets against expenditures and provide analysis of spending trends.
• As directed, may support inputs in the development of annual budgets, both for donor and Pact’s organizational budget.
• As directed, may support project teams to develop and manage budget modifications, realignments, extensions, and renewals.
• As directed, may support COs in brainstorming strategies to ensure costs share requirements are met
• Support the tracking and documenting of project costs share requirements.
• If no country office exists to support a project, may support the designated supervisor in CO level and project level budgeting, including donor budget requests, and other tasks as required.
Procurement management
• Monitor procurement process to ensure compliance and efficiency, includes engagement of USN/TCN consultants. If no country office exists, manage procurement acquisition.
• Identifying training needs in country and coordinate with Grants & Contracts. May assist with procurement trainings
• Business Development
• As needed, support the development of components/sections of No Cost Extensions, renewals for projects
Knowledge Management
• Ensure country office and project intellectual capital is properly captured, filed, and disseminated, including maintenance of donor deliverables in Promise.
• Support periodic documentation, archiving and related knowledge management initiatives, as directed (by line supervisor).
Basic Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. Master's and 3 years of experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience supporting programs funded by major international development organizations, especially USAID
• Experience working in a developing country and coordinating with international field offices
• Ability and willingness to travel to travel regularly and at short notice
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and cross cultural skills. Fluency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Competency in another language other than English (depending on region’s requirements) preferred
• Project Management certification
Pact is an international nonprofit that works in nearly 40 countries building solutions for human development that are evidence-based, data-driven and owned by the communities we serve. Founded in 1971, Pact works with partners to build resilience, improve accountability, and strengthen knowledge and skills for sustainable social impact.
Department:
Program Operations (PrOps) - Pact exists to help create a world where those who are poor and marginalized exercise their voice, build their own solutions, and take ownership of their future. The Program Operations teams contribute to realizing this by: ensuring effective project management through supporting project startups, implementation, reporting and financial management as well as closeouts; portfolio coordination: providing a coordinating role across departments in DC that support country offices and programs; working with country teams to develop, refine and pursue their strategies by leveraging technical knowledge (our own and others) and supporting business development as needed; knowledge sharing and learning: enhancing communication between country offices and DC-based teams to ensure better understanding of the diverse operating environments and program approaches.
Position Overview:
The Program Specialist supports his/her portfolio by providing broad operational, technical, and administrative support to assigned country offices and projects. This position supports the Africa Program Operations team.
Key Responsibilities:
Country office support
• Deliver a range of management, technical, administrative, and operational support services to empower and enable country offices and programs in achieving time. Scope, and budget objectives.
• May serve as the main point of contact for smaller, less complex country offices and/or portfolios, and support Manager/Officer in serving multiple country offices, project staff and facilitate communications between country office and DC staff on all operational issues. Refer issues to appropriate departments within the institution.
• Support Manager/Officer in the opening and closing of country offices and projects working closely with HR, Global Security, Global Finance, General Counsel, and Grants & Contracts.
• Coordinate Pact’s DC-based and global support to projects, ensuring effective and efficient support.
Project Management
• Participate in regular country or Global project- focused reviews of project implementation progress (including technical delivery), operations issues, and address other project management needs
• May review and contribute to the development of project workplans, budgets, and reports.
• Assist in tracking and review of project deliverables (as required by the program) for submission to donors.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding processes for in-country, project-specific, and DC-based staff relevant to the portfolio.
• Provide support in ongoing communication and close collaboration with donors to maintain relationships during implementation to ensure quality delivery of the projects.
Country Portfolio Management
• Provide research support, as needed, to Regional Directors and Country Directors on Country Office strategy development, or lead strategy development in priority countries without an in-country presence.
• Support, as needed, development of strategy and coordination with other departments (i.e., leadership transitions, bridge funding, project expansions)
• Support cross learning and the dissemination of best practices across projects.
• May represent country offices within the DC office, advocating for support and prioritization.
Compliance and Sub-grants Management
• Support country office and project compliance with both Pact and donor policies, in coordination with internal audit and G&C teams.
• Identify risk and link to line supervisor and appropriate teams to mitigate risk.
• Provide targeted support on portfolio subgrant management and monitoring.
• Working with supervisor, ensure the completion of corrective action on any internal audits in portfolio.
Budget and Financial management
• As directed (by line supervisor), support project teams to track and monitor project budgets against expenditures and provide analysis of spending trends.
• As directed, may support inputs in the development of annual budgets, both for donor and Pact’s organizational budget.
• As directed, may support project teams to develop and manage budget modifications, realignments, extensions, and renewals.
• As directed, may support COs in brainstorming strategies to ensure costs share requirements are met
• Support the tracking and documenting of project costs share requirements.
• If no country office exists to support a project, may support the designated supervisor in CO level and project level budgeting, including donor budget requests, and other tasks as required.
Procurement management
• Monitor procurement process to ensure compliance and efficiency, includes engagement of USN/TCN consultants. If no country office exists, manage procurement acquisition.
• Identifying training needs in country and coordinate with Grants & Contracts. May assist with procurement trainings
• Business Development
• As needed, support the development of components/sections of No Cost Extensions, renewals for projects
Knowledge Management
• Ensure country office and project intellectual capital is properly captured, filed, and disseminated, including maintenance of donor deliverables in Promise.
• Support periodic documentation, archiving and related knowledge management initiatives, as directed (by line supervisor).
Basic Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. Master's and 3 years of experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience supporting programs funded by major international development organizations, especially USAID
• Experience working in a developing country and coordinating with international field offices
• Ability and willingness to travel to travel regularly and at short notice
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and cross cultural skills. Fluency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Competency in another language other than English (depending on region’s requirements) preferred
• Project Management certification
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