ACHIEVE Operations Officer at Pact

At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow. A nonprofit international development organization founded in 1971, Pact works on the ground in nearly 40 countries to improve the lives of those who are challenged by poverty and marginalization. We serve these communities because we envision a world where everyone owns their future. To do this, we build systemic solutions in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and governments that create sustainable and resilient communities where those we serve are heard, capable, and vibrant. Pact is a recognized global leader in international development. Our staff have a range of expertise in areas including public health, capacity development, governance and civil society, natural resource management, poverty, fragile states, monitoring and evaluation, small-scale and artisanal mining, microfinance and more. This expertise is combined in Pact’s unique integrated approach, which focuses on systemic changes needed to improve people’s lives.

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 Operations Officer will provide day-to-day operations support for buy-in start-up, support for the project at buy-in level, in close coordination with relevant Pact HQ and country-based buy-in teams, and will serve as a principle operations point of contact on a portion of the ACHIEVE buy-ins.

Key Responsibilities

New Buy-in Start Up

• Lead the administrative start-up process for new country buy-ins, including but not limited to initiating country registration process, arranging local legal counsel and travel logistics.
• Oversee logistical coordination for global team participation in buy-in planning, start-ups, and implementation with a particular focus on non-presence buy-in countries, including development of SOWs and scoping budgets.
• Facilitate new country authorization and security assessment processes.
• Liaise with Pact HR on all HR matters such as job requisitions, development of job descriptions, recruitment processes, etc.
• Organize set up of local bank accounts and establishment of bank signatories.
• Document and effectively maintain all information regarding registration and lease decisions.

Continued Operations Support

• Provide regular timely and clear communications and updates to key stakeholders, both within the organization and outside.
• Support buy-in work-plan and budget development.
• Supports budget monitoring to track against spending and update projections as needed.
• Oversee local sub-grant reporting and modifications for submission to Operations Director and Project Director review
• Manage the development and issuance of work orders and modifications to the project’s global partners.
• Ensure local office procurements are in line with USG rules and regulations as well as Pact global policies.
• Adapt country office policies/procedures, as necessary.
• Support Capacity Development and Technical teams in providing or organizing technical assistance to local partners and local staff.
• Support buy-in reporting including semi-annual and annual reports.
• Ensure close collaboration and communication with country office team and ACHIEVE Global team through regular meetings, calls and emails.
• Interact with project leadership to communicate lessons learned, alert them to issues/risks, and provide information in a timely manner.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Closeout Support

• As buy-ins prepare to close out, lead activities related to closing the project and office as required.

Basic Requirements

• Master’s degree with five (5) years work experience or bachelor’s degree with at least seven (7+) years work experience
• Degree in a related field such as in finance, accounting, business, international development, or international relations.
• Program management experience in international development or a related field.
• Experience with USG project management.
• Ability to meet short deadlines with quality deliverables.
• Demonstrated experience with project start-up and close out in various country contexts.
• Critical thinker with a can-do approach to problem solving, disaggregating large/complex problems to identify underlying drivers and critical nuances
• Demonstrated effective interpersonal and creative problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ethical management practices.
• Professional-level English language skills (written and oral).
• Ability to travel internationally
• Professional-level fluency in foreign language is preferred (Spanish or French, other languages optional)
• Proficient in Excel
• Detailed understanding of USAID rules and regulations including 2CFR 200 and procurement best practices
• Experience with PEPFAR expenditure reporting a plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience overseeing and coordinating with international field offices is preferred.

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, citizenship status, genetic information, matriculation, family responsibilities, personal appearance, credit information, tobacco use (except in the workplace), membership in an employee organization, or other protected classifications or non-merit factors.