Junior Program Assistant

Overview

Summary Statement

The Global Health Training, Advisory and Support Contract (GHTASC) delivers effective global health programming to advance the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Global Health (GH) through institutional support and workforce development services from junior, mid-level, senior and expert advisory and administrative professionals.

Credence and its partner, the Public Health Institute (PHI), are both employers for GHTASC, and are seeking a Junior Program Assistant in the USAID Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) under GHTASC. This position will be hired under Public Health Institute (PHI).

The Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH) within the Bureau for Global Health’s (GH) advances and supports family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) programs worldwide. The Office provides global coordination and leadership for improved policy, advocacy, and health outcomes; generates, organizes and disseminates knowledge in response to global and country needs; and partners with USAID field missions to accelerate progress towards achieving FP/RH development objectives. PRH is committed to advancing and supporting a more inclusive, diverse, equitable, accessible, anti-racist and learning community and to integrating these values into Office operations, functions and programming. PRH believes having a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the development of all staff and the Office’s work.

The Policy, Evaluation and Communication (PEC) Division within PRH creates the enabling environment for family planning. The PEC division works with partners within USAID and externally in order to promote effective family planning advocacy, policy, financing, and governance (policy); collect, analyze, and evaluate data for evidence-based decision making (evaluation); develop and implement communication efforts to influence attitudes, norms, and behaviors or beneficiaries and providers (communication). PEC provides technical leadership, strategic direction, and implementation oversight, support to field missions, partner coordination, and performance tracking for family planning. PEC also provides technical input for evaluation efforts across the population, health and nutrition sector.

Position Summary

The Junior Program Assistant will serve in the PEC Division USAID’s PRH Office in the GH Bureau. They will work with and provide support to technical staff in PRH, performing a variety of both complex and routine analytical and administrative duties. Analytical tasks include collecting, compiling, and synthesizing data for various program documents; reviewing and providing feedback on project work plans and products; and designing and maintaining spreadsheets in support of financial tracking systems. Administrative tasks involve scheduling briefings and meetings, maintaining program files, and providing support for sub-awards and vehicle waivers.

The Junior Program Assistant will support various project management teams and provide input on related work. The Junior Program Assistant will also work with other staff in PEC, PRH and GH to assist in areas such as onboarding new program assistants and analysts and providing overall administrative support. The program assistant ranks tasks in order of importance and impending deadlines, handles several tasks simultaneously, works in multiple teams, and seeks guidance when needed. The individual must develop a working knowledge of USAID policies, guidelines, practices and procedures. The individual is expected to become familiar with PRH/PEC technical issues, policies and programs.

Full pay range for this position is $22.50 to $40.13 per hour, with the starting wage determined based on candidate’s knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as budget availability.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Project/Program Tracking Data Analysis and Documentation

• Provides analytical and research support and drafts various program documents and correspondence such as memos, waivers, and project design documents, ensuring that all documentation is complete and in compliance with USAID rules, regulations, and standards.

Award Administration, Budget and Financial Tracking

• Tracks budgets and funding tranches for health policy, evaluation- and/or communication- themed projects. Provides program related administrative and financial support to systems, databases, and file maintenance.
• Coordinates and provides support to other USAID offices, missions, and bureaus on financial issues relating to PEC cooperative agreements and contracts.
• Tracks, organizes, and reports on field support actions to help expedite Agency financial processes (for example, ensuring timely obligations and no loss of expiring funds).
• Reconciles budgets on appropriate forms to support all operating units that buy into central projects. Has ability to manage and work with complex Excel spreadsheets.
• Provides support to Agreement and Contract Officer Representatives (A/CORs) for budget analysis and recommendations.
• Maintains administrative and financial tracking systems, including spreadsheets and databases to support the division’s financial management of cooperative agreements andcontracts, and develops quarterly accruals reports.
• Supports the preparation of journal voucher requests for PEC’s policy, evaluation and/or communication projects, facilitating reconciliation of the Phoenix accounting system with partner reports.
• Provides first-line review of sub-awards to ensure they are complete and adhere to federal regulations and Agency policy, providing feedback to recipient organizations and A/CORs when information is inconsistent or incomplete.
• Provides first-line review of travel requests and branding requests to ensure they are complete and adhere to federal regulations and agency policy, providing feedback to recipient organizations and A/CORs when information is inconsistent or incomplete.
• Supports the annual project results and financial review process for reporting to PRH.

Program Document Preparation and Presentations

• Drafts program documents, such as action memos, talking points, and presentations using Microsoft Office and Google
• Gathers and compiles data and prepares visual communication materials for regular and ad hoc reporting and presentations related to budget requests, financial reviews, and results of projects, at the request of project management teams and division or office leadership.
• In conjunction with colleagues and division leadership, organizes and ensures smooth implementation of division-level meetings with partner organizations.

Program and Technical Support

• Participates in division, office, and bureau-level activities and meetings.
• Provides first-line review of all reporting and liaises with technical staff and recipient organizations to ensure that budget requests, financial and technical reports and subawards are prepared and submitted as requir
• Reviews selected program deliverables and shares feedback with relevant technical and management teams.
• Participates in all relevant technical and managerial meetings to support the A/COR in project monitoring and work-planning.
• Participates in all relevant division, office, and bureau meetings for the purpose of understanding and incorporating Agency policy and procedures in daily work and project management.
• Liaises with colleagues in other GH and USAID operating units to support implementation of core and field activities.
• In conjunction with other team members, contributes to design and facilitation of management and technical meetings, strategic planning sessions, partner meetings, co- creation exercises, and other events.
• Supports design, drafting and review of documents to procure mechanisms from concept and design through award. Provides logistical support for procurement selection committees.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 1 year of relevant experience, Associate’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience, or High School graduate and 5 years of relevant experience

Other Qualifications:

• Preference for background and interest in health policy, data for decision making, monitoring, evaluation and learning, and/or health communicati
• Candidates with an interest in international health programming are preferred.
• Some knowledge of USAID rules, regulations and capacity building concepts is a plus.
• Strong quantitative and analysis skills.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Experience in project administration and procedure management preferred.
• Strong oral, written communication, and comprehension skills.
• Ability to handle multi-tasking well.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from team members,managers, and others.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written,oral, or diagram form.
• US citizen or US permanent resident with the ability to obtain and maintain Facility Access.

Competencies/Performance Criterion

• Creativity: Employee takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches, and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work.
• Customer Service: Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates with customers, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Interpersonal Relationship: Employee demonstrates ability to work in cooperation with others and communicate effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients and other outside contacts.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met. Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to Organization policies and procedures.
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goal Proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the Organization.