Project Officer at Management Sciences for Health

This Project Officer (PO) position provides high-level support to projects, including program management, administrative, and logistical support.

The Project Officer is a member of the Program Delivery Group’s Center for Project Management Excellence and will be assigned to one or multiple projects. The PO is able to conceptualize and execute project management support strategies to enable the project director to deliver project results on time and within budget, while maintaining MSH’s strong reputation with donors and stakeholders.

The PO coordinates planning, implementing, and monitoring of global and country projects. The PO is responsible for the efficient organization and functioning of project activities, ensuring prompt and seamless communication and follow-up with country/project teams, MSH business units, consultants, and partners.

The PO’s primary accountabilities are:

• Plan and manage activities related to project support, including logistics, procurement, security, travel, consultants, calendar management, meeting management, and files and minutes management, etc.
• Maintain clear communication with MSH business units, offices, and different project staff and teams to facilitate efficient and smooth project support functions.
• Create and maintain global project management systems and tools for centralized management and oversight of numerous activities and initiatives (e.g. deliverables, workplans, calendars, contacts, consultants, subcontractors, procurement, travel).
• Coordinate work planning and quarterly reporting processes, and track work assignments, deliverables, and implementation.
• Set up file management systems, maintain project files, including a library of reports and technical resources.
• Plan each week’s project meetings in advance; compile and share background materials and agenda items. Take notes during each meeting to disseminate, follow up on action items. Coordinate logistics for meetings with project partners, stakeholders, and donors including USAID.
• Contribute to project implementation and technical activities as requested.
• Contribute to internal and external communications, including writing, editing, and formatting correspondence, communications, presentations, reports, webpages, and other documents.
• Manage consultants, including recruitment, onboarding, and invoice processing; support procurement requisition processes.

Project Operations Support (70%)

Project Operations

• Plan and manage activities related to project support, including logistics, procurement, security, travel, consultants, calendar management, meeting management, and files and minutes management, etc.
• Create and maintain global project management systems and tools for centralized management and oversight of numerous activities and initiatives (e.g. deliverables, workplans, calendars, contacts, consultants, subcontractors, procurement, travel). Develop and maintain internal project pending lists, trackers, and meeting agendas.
• Serve as “first responder” for all issues related to operations support needs of the project management team, tapping into expertise of content area experts as needed.
• Follow up on requests and processes with corporate business units. Gain familiarity with MSH policies and procedures to ensure projects are in alignment.
• Anticipate and manage administrative and operational activities, ensuring the Project Director and project management team is informed of and prepared for upcoming events, commitments, and responsibilities, with appropriate and timely follow up.
• Set up file management systems, maintain project files, including a library of reports and technical resources.
• Manage consultants, including recruitment, onboarding, and invoice processing; support procurement requisition processes.
• Assist with subcontract/subaward monitoring and management, including tracking invoices, budgets, deliverables, and planning meetings.
• Set up cost share plan and tracker, as applicable, compile all necessary cost share documentation and coordinate with contracts unit and accounting unit to record all approved sources of cost share.

Project Coordination/Liaison/Meetings

• Act as liaison between project senior management team and other MSH staff, units, countries.
• Maintain clear communication with MSH business units, offices, and different project staff and teams to facilitate efficient and smooth project support functions.
• Manage project start-up or close-out processes, tailoring the MSH start-up or close-out toolkit to the project.
• Plan each week’s project meetings in advance; compile and share background materials and agenda items. Take notes during each meeting to disseminate, follow up on action items. Coordinate logistics for meetings with project partners, stakeholders, and donors including USAID.

Project Activity Planning, Monitoring, Reporting

• Coordinate work planning and quarterly reporting processes, and track work assignments, deliverables, and implementation. Set up templates, process flow charts, production calendars; manage work flow.
• Help organize and monitor multiple workstreams and commitments across large global project.

Project Travel Coordination

• Coordinate international or U.S. domestic travel for project management team, including hotel arrangements.
• Ensure that all travel arrangements are in compliance with USAID regulations and MSH procedures.
• Provide travelers with Memorandum of Engagement (containing all travel details) prior to departure.
• Provide general support to project team members when traveling.

Project Communications (10%)

• Support design and implementation of project strategic communications and knowledge management plans, including monitoring and follow-up with the project team, communications team, and contributors.
• Contribute to internal and external communications, including writing, editing, and formatting correspondence, communications, presentations, reports, webpages, and other documents.
• Provide support developing, drafting, and editing deliverables as needed, including quarterly progress reports, STTA reports, and other technical or contract deliverables.
• Draft project briefs and reports, presentations, documentation, and other communication materials and collaborate with project, technical, and communications staff in final development and production.
• Contribute to the development of key technical pieces, as requested.
• Ensure electronic archiving of documents, including submission of documents to DEC or MSH’s Institutional Memory.
• Monitor project materials and deliverables for alignment with project branding and marking plan

Project Donor, Partners, and Stakeholder Relations (10%)

• Track donor requests. Establish system and tools to systematically anticipate and respond to donor requests. Coordinate across multiple teams and individuals for inputs and verification to ensure fast turnaround to USAID requests.
• Coordinate closely with project contracts officer to plan for formal correspondence with donor contract contacts.
• Establish and maintain effective working and liaison relationships with project partners as well as external stakeholders.
• Follow up on contacts made by the Project Director and senior management team and support the cultivation of ongoing relationships.

Program Delivery Group Initiatives (10%)

• Support PDG or cross-department initiatives, as assigned, such as development or improvement of systems, tools, processes.
• Act as manager for special projects within PDG, as assigned, including planning, coordinating, and follow-up with colleagues.
• Participate in relevant meetings related to special initiatives.

Education

Required: Bachelor’s degree

Preferred: Master’s degree

Experience

Required: BA with 4 years of experience supporting global health or development projects for an NGO or contractor. Knowledge of US Government funded programs, regulations and requirements, and experience in the management of USAID-funded activities. Experience writing, editing, and formatting communications, reports, and presentations, including professional communications for important stakeholders and donors.

Preferred: Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated success and experience in project support and management. Direct overseas project work experience. Demonstrated, relevant and related experience in project management, specifically setting up and maintaining project management tools and systems for large complex global multi-country projects. Understanding of USAID and field Missions; USG audiences, trends, and requirements. Understanding and interest in health systems strengthening, health governance, health financing.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong analytical, organizational, and management skills.
• Able to assess priorities and solve problems using innovative, evidence-based solutions.
• Strong conceptualization, facilitation, and planning skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and within and across multiple teams.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve high performance goals and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly.
• Successful experience working in a home office environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills, written, and oral presentation skills; demonstrated ability in consensus building.
• Excellent cross-cultural communication, diplomacy, and active listening skills.
• Proficiency in foreign language (French or other) preferred.
• Proficiency with advanced functionality of Microsoft Office products including Excel, Word, PowerPoint.

Competencies

• MSH Core Competencies: Information Sharing, Managing and Measuring work outputs, Negotiating, Priority Setting, Business Acumen.
• Demonstrated ability to succeed in a dynamic and fast-paced business development environment.
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to various competing demands, and demonstrate the highest level of client service and response.
• Demonstrated ability to assess priorities and manage a variety of activities with attention to detail.