Program Operations Associate – Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Middle East and North Africa (MENA) At Open Society Foundations

Program Operations Associate – Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Competitive salary + excellent benefits

Amman, Jordan

Do you want to help make the world a better place with your expertise on administrative and project management skills? We’re seeking a Program Operations Associate – Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) focus based in Amman, Jordan to support the unit within MENA with the technical administration of grants, grant making data analysis, organizing convenings, arranging travel for staff and others, and administratively support the Unit’s budgeting and strategy preparations.

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. We are active in more than 120 countries, making us the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.

The Middle East and North Africa Program is the central regional program working on all MENA issues, headquartered in Amman. The regional program also has a sub-regional office in Tunis, with staff located in Amman, Tunis, Berlin, New York, London and Washington DC, supports a diverse group of local civil society organizations, research centers, universities, and media organizations across the Middle East.

As a Program Operations Associate at Open Society, you will:

• Provide advanced administrative support for grant making activities and/or other program functions by performing operational work that help achieve a specific program’s goals.
• Provide overall support for the grant making process, including reviewing proposals and reports and other documents for compliance, following up with grantees to maintain an updated contractual record and other specific tasks as assigned by manager.
• Assist with processing grants, including setting up records, soliciting necessary documentation, updating partner information, etc. as well as identifying and implementing grants-management and online application troubleshooting.
• Contribute to the research and drafting of grant-making documents, compiling background information on organizations and/or fields of support, supporting program staff in gathering preliminary data for the assessment of organizations including desk-research, basic analysis of budgets and audit reports, and reviewing publicly available information as required.
• Contribute to the annual budget process for the unit, including drafting preliminary budgets, data entry and analytics using OSF systems.
• Contribute to the development of a functional and efficient workflow among team members using the program’s information management systems, tools, and templates, including maintaining the unit’s budgets, tracking workplan progress, monitoring overdue reports and payments, and processing contracts and consultancy agreements.
• Provide grant making or other data review and visualization. Collaborate closely with Program staff to meet program needs, such as editing drafts, compiling and presenting information in an accessible way.
• Provide primary operational and logistics support to the unit team members in coordinating events, organizing site visits, planning convenings and meetings. This will include soliciting quotations from venues and suppliers, managing reservations and bookings, scheduling meetings and maintaining updated calendars for major team events.
• Other duties as may be assigned.
• Travel may be required.

What we are looking for:

• Experience with civil society projects, preferably in project administration.
• Knowledge of one or more substantive areas including human rights, arts & culture, media, civic engagement, and government relations.
• Proven research skills and an ability to compile and analyze data.
• Proven ability to recognize and work effectively in compliance with internal policies and external constraints.
• Excellent technical skills, including use of social media; for research, monitoring, and outreach.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, able to respond to colleagues with awareness and sensitivity to cultural and communication differences.
• Diplomatic, discreet, able to handle confidential matters with a high level of integrity, and ability to exercise sound professional judgment on issues of sensitivity.
• Well-developed emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, self-management, and empathy.
• Organized; proven experience in project management ability; self-directed on work initiatives; strong attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to work constructively with colleagues at all levels in the hierarchy of the organization as well as with external partners.
• Strong commitment to open society values of rights, justice, accountable governance, human dignity, and democratic practice.
• Collaborative, collegial working style.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing in English and Arabic.

What we offer:

• Ample opportunities to learn and grow, from annual professional development allowances to onsite trainings and learning conversations with visiting experts.
• Top-notch benefits and perks designed for your well-being and a healthy work-life balance. With some variability according to location, this includes generous time off, flexible work arrangements, employer-paid health insurance, generous retirement savings plan, progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, sabbatical opportunities, and much more.
• A commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace that enables everyone to bring their full self to work and make a positive impact on the world.

Please note, this position is not eligible for work authorization sponsorship