Officer, Programs

Responsibilities:

• Coordinates grants start up, grants close out and documents lessons learned in the course of implementation.
• Coordinates report development and review.
• Facilitates program implementation review, spending review, and forecasting.
• Supports partner management.

Contributions:

• Collaborates with country program managers and partners in the preparation of timely and quality project reports for donors in compliance with donor and internal Search requirements.
• Ensures and supports the effective tracking and forecasting of project expenditures by the project team through budget versus actuals (BVA) meetings, in line with the approved budget and work plan for both Search and partners.
• Ensures that costed work plans are regularly updated and utilized. Proactively supports needs for no-cost extensions, budget realignments, or other budgetary changes.
• Facilitates or supports grants start up, reviews, and closure meetings and follows up on action points.
• Participates in reflection sessions and discussions on adaptation. Facilitates support for technical assistance where appropriate. Ensures lessons learnt are well documented and disseminated for better program implementation in future, in line with best practice in reflective practice and adaptive management.
• Conducts regular partner visits to track grant progress and ultimately supports Search to meet project deliverables for major and high risk projects.
• Coordinates the Programs team as well as country communication teams in highlighting and documenting success stories.
• When necessary, travels internationally to support complex and/or high risk project start ups and close out processes.
• Participates in design calls and provides proposal review and budget review for strategic proposals when called upon.
• Ensures project budgets are adequately coded and uploaded to the accounting system. Disseminates information on the coded budgets to other program staff.
• Develops subaward contracts and ensures all required documents and processes are completed to facilitate final sign off.
• Supports the Programs Manager in capacity assessment of country offices and collaborates with the Programs Manager and other managers in capacity development by tailoring appropriate training for various country offices.
• Conducts on-boarding of new program staff and familiarizes them with the donor and internal rules as regulations on grants management.
• Other duties that are broadly in line with the above key contributions as assigned.

Competency Behavior Indicators (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):

• Initiates brainstorming or problem-solving meetings. With time in job, develops skills for analyzing and communicating program successes and failures; reports lessons learned to the team and other members.
• Represents Search at local and international events and meetings for professional organizations, vendors, partners, and funders. Develops skills to independently initiate and maintain relations with vendors, partners, and funders. Articulates Search program/project goals and objectives within Search and to external audiences.
• Demonstrates appreciation for diversity of thought. Builds cross-functional relationships with other functional departments.
• Demonstrates ability to be adaptable and willing to confront and change own ideas and preconceptions with the resiliency and flexibility to make changes based on hearing a diversity of thoughts.
• Drafts team documents, briefing materials, and presentations. Articulates program/project objectives and how they fit into a team’s goals and/or Search’s mission and adapts to the communications setting.
• Applies standards, identifies areas for standardization, and coordinates across functions from a multicultural perspective that reflects consideration of other cultures, other viewpoints, and other ways of doing things.
• Takes into account the environmental landscape, assesses one's own and others' viewpoints in their environment, and proposes solutions from an ethical perspective.
• Recognizes the options available for solving problems, conducts analyses, and calculates metrics and other technical tools to support informed decision making.
• Conducts Quality Control of team documents, briefing materials, presentations, and systems data. Carefully reviews and checks the accuracy of information in work reports, management information systems, or with other individuals and groups. Checks the accuracy of one’s own and others’ work. Proactively informs management of potential risks and concerns; suggests resolutions.
• Independently prioritizes time to reach deadlines and reaches end results of assignments with ability to accomplish multiple steps with limited to no supervision.

Type and Nature of Contacts:

• Routinely coordinates with colleagues and consultants on-site and in the field and resolves problem situations with tact.
• Represents, as assigned, selected programs or projects and other organizations, including donors, vendors, and international and local partners.
• Interacts with country office and regional staff.
• Part time: 50%

Education and Experience:

• Typically BS/BA with minimum 5 years’ experience.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Usual office environment conditions; ability to travel internationally at least 20%.

Supervisory and Budget Responsibility:

• Reports to: Chief of Party
• May supervise one or more staff interns.