Program Specialist - Pact - Washington, D.C., United States

Pact Overview: 
At the heart of Pact is the promise of a better tomorrow.  The promise of a healthy life.  Of a decent livelihood. Of sustainable natural resources that benefit communities.  Now more than ever in its 42-year history, Pact is helping millions of people who are poor and marginalized discover and build their own solutions and take ownership over their future.
Pact enables systemic solutions that allow those who are poor and marginalized to earn a dignified living, be healthy, and take part in the benefits that nature provides. Pact accomplishes this by strengthening local capacity, forging effective governance systems, and transforming markets into a force for development.

Department Overview: 
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 Delivery and Country Office teams contribute to realizing this by: 

• Ensuring effective project management through supporting project startups, implementation, reporting and financial and human resource management as well as closeouts
• Portfolio coordination: providing a leadership role in the regional portfolio teams in DC and organizing monthly calls for the portfolio team with each country office.
• Working with country teams to develop, refine and pursue their strategies by leveraging technical knowledge (our own and others), researching, and analyzing potential partners and opportunities.
• Grow and diversify: contributing to scoping, pre-positioning and proposal development with the Opportunity Development team.
• Knowledge sharing and learning: enhancing communication between country offices and DC, to ensure better understanding of the diverse operating environments and program approaches. 

External relations: participating in the development conversation by attending events, hosting meetings, and reaching out to potential partners and donors.

Position Purpose:
The Program Delivery Specialist provides broad operational and administrative support to the East & West Africa and Latin America project portfolios. S/he supports projects as needed by coordinating timely and comprehensive responses to country teams’ requests and needs. S/he will help manage Pact’s knowledge management systems and will interact daily with colleagues in country offices and DC-based departments. Program Specialists will work closely with the Program Officers and Program Manager in a team approach and will be asked to perform discrete tasks. The Program Specialist will report to a Snr. Program Officer or Program Manager, or in some cases directly to the Director of Program Operations.

Key Responsibilities:
Program and Field Support

• Provide broad operational and administrative support to projects as needed; coordinating timely and comprehensive responses to country teams’ requests and needs
• Maintain strong knowledge of project status, operations and working environment in order to proactively facilitate country project operations
• Support country office staff in the development of project reports, work plans, and other project contractual obligations, and ensure timely submission and quality of content
• Liaise with country offices to ensure project compliance with donor and Pact’s operational policies and regulations
• Contribute to project start up and close out processes, harmonizing efforts of country office team and headquarters office
• Oversee project-related consultancies, inclusive of drafting agreements, processing payments, and travel-related logistics
• Support the development of annual financial and pipeline plans and work plans alongside country office and supervisor, and monitor performance against plans on a monthly basis
• Collaborate and provide technical support to field teams when necessary, including providing training to country office staff on relevant topics as requested

Communications and Knowledge Management

• Produce key internal and external communications (both print and media) in consultation with regional portfolio team and country offices
• Review and edit major project deliverables, in line with donor reporting requirements
• Coordinating meetings, including monthly project calls, quarterly program reviews, portfolio meetings and internal team meetings and organizing timely follow up on action items
• Ensuring project intellectual capital is properly captured, filed and disseminated
• Attend external events to promote and disseminate relevant project and/or portfolio information

New Business Opportunities

• Support supervisor, Opportunity Development, Program Advancement team, and staff to prepare proposals for new project activities and/or amendments to current projects
• Assists with research, analysis, and writing to preposition Pact for future opportunities

Program specialists work across a continuum of entry, experienced, and senior levels based on their demonstrated capacity. Program specialists at more senior levels demonstrate progressively higher levels of competency in meeting the performance requirements of the program specialist position, in particular in successfully supporting larger and more complex programs and management issues, mentoring interns and new and rising program specialists, and working more independently.
 
Other Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Basic Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a field related to Pact’s mission, such as in international development, international relations, regional studies, economics, business, environmental studies, or public health
• At least two years of full-time work experience (or 2-year Master’s degree as equivalent)
• Ability and willingness to travel
• Proficient with Microsoft Office programs, including Excel
• Excellent verbal and written cross-cultural communication skills  
• Detail oriented with the ability to prioritize and perform multiple tasks
• Fluency in English

​Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in French and/or Spanish a plus
• Demonstrated interest and/or experience working or living abroad in a developing country context
• Master’s degree in a field related to Pact’s mission, such as in international development, international relations, regional studies, economics, business, environmental studies, or public health

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, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.