Project Officer – P03

In accordance with paragraph f. of Article 44 of the General Standards, the official languages of the Organization are English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  No candidate for a position in the General Secretariat subject to the competition requirement shall be contracted until he/she has been administered language proficiency exams by the DHR in at least two of the official languages. Nevertheless:

(i) Any candidate, including a staff member, whose native language is one of those four languages shall only be required to demonstrate proficiency on an exam in one of the others; and

(ii) Persons applying for G-1 and G-2 positions at Headquarters and G-3 driver/clerk positions in those Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States where the language requirement unduly restricts the recruitment of otherwise qualified staff shall be exempt from this language proficiency requirement for as long as they occupy those positions. Subsequently, in order to be eligible to compete for a higher-level position, any staff member who has benefited from this exemption must demonstrate proficiency in a second official language of the Organization; and

(iii) A person selected as the best candidate may receive a fixed-term contract, which will be considered to have lapsed in case the person does not pass the required language examination in a second official language within the 36 months following the appointment.
(iv) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, a candidate for a position in the General Secretariat shall demonstrate proficiency in at least one official language of the Organization.

(v) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, the application of language requirements shall be guided by the principles of merit, equitable geographic representation, proportionality, and non-discrimination. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.

(vi) Persons applying for positions in the Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States shall demonstrate proficiency in the official language(s) of the Member State.

(vii) When the native language of the candidate is not one of the four official languages of the Organization, the candidate shall be required to sit a proficiency examination administered by the DHR in at least two of the official languages.

The salary for this position corresponds to Grade P03, Step 1, in accordance with Staff Rule 103.3 Initial Salary:
(a) A staff member on initial appointment shall be placed in the first step of the grade of post, without exemption.
(b) This rule does not apply to a staff member who is already employed by the General Secretariat and is selected, promoted, demoted, reassigned, or otherwise transferred to a different post. In such cases, salary shall be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of these Staff Rules.

            
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
This is a team-leader and/or organizer type position expected to take initiative and provide the seasoned execution of a project and/or activities in the fulfillment of the mission of its designated Department/Secretariat, and is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities (NOTE: these responsibilities and expected results are standardized, and are not necessarily performed by all staff members sharing this job title):
The Project Officer reports to the Director of the Department of Economic Development (DED) and coordinates the design, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of programs and initiatives that promote trade, economic competitiveness, entrepreneurship, innovation, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) development throughout the Americas.

The position contributes to the implementation of DED's portfolio of activities, including but not limited to trade capacity building, competitiveness and productivity enhancement, economic development initiatives, support to MSMEs and entrepreneurship ecosystems, regional cooperation mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and flagship programs such as the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network, and other donor-funded projects.

The incumbent works closely with member states, regional organizations, development partners, academic institutions, private sector organizations, and other stakeholders to promote economic growth, competitiveness, innovation, and inclusive development in the Hemisphere. The incumbent would be expected to, among others:

1.    Coordinate, implement, monitor, and evaluate projects, programs, and initiatives related to trade, economic development, competitiveness, innovation, entrepreneurship, and MSME development.
2.    Manage the planning and execution of events such as the Inter-American Dialogue of High-Level MSME Authorities, relevant editions of the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE), and other high-level events, including coordination with host governments, participating delegations, strategic partners, sponsors, and implementing institutions.
3.    Assist in the development and implementation of initiatives that strengthen MSME competitiveness, entrepreneurship ecosystems, business support organizations, and access to markets, finance, technology, and innovation.
4.    Contribute to the design and implementation of trade-related capacity-building activities, policy dialogues, technical cooperation initiatives, and institutional strengthening programs in member states.
5.    Monitor regional and global developments related to trade, competitiveness, MSMEs, entrepreneurship, innovation, supply chains, digital transformation, and economic development, and prepare analytical reports, briefs, speeches, talking points, and recommendations.
6.    Develop and maintain productive relationships with member states, international organizations, development partners, private sector organizations, chambers of commerce, universities, and civil society institutions.
7.    Coordinate meetings, conferences, workshops, training programs, missions, and high-level events organized by DED.
8.    Participate in fundraising efforts, donor engagement, proposal preparation, project development, and resource mobilization activities.
9.    Assist in the negotiation, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of cooperation agreements, grants, and donor-funded projects.
10.    Prepare and review technical and administrative documentation including reports, concept notes, project proposals, budgets, financial reports, work plans, publications, and communications materials.
11.    Monitor project budgets and expenditures and coordinate administrative and financial actions in accordance with OAS rules and procedures.
12.    Maintain databases and monitoring systems related to DED initiatives and prepare periodic reports on program performance, outputs, outcomes, and impact.
13.    Represent DED in meetings, technical discussions, conferences, and inter-agency coordination activities, as assigned.
14.    Support cross-cutting DED initiatives and collaborate with other departments and secretariats in advancing the Organization's development agenda.
15.    Perform other related duties as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:  
Essential: First University Degree (Bachelor’s) in political science, law, international relations, business administration, economics or related fields and 7 years of experience in similar positions including project management at national and/or international level OR Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in one of the fields listed above and 4 years of relevant experience OR Doctorate and 1 year of relevant experience.

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of the OAS mandates and priorities as related to the area of work and/or the dynamics of the Inter-American agenda and system.

COMPUTER SKILLS: Ability to effectively work using Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other applications such as Oracle, Visio, Access, Share Point) and software applicable to the area of work.

LANGUAGES:
Essential – Proficient in at least two of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (read, write and communicate). The selected candidate must satisfy the applicable language-proficiency examination requirements under Article 44(f) of the General Standards, including passing the required DHR-administered examination in a second official language within the applicable timeframe. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.

Desirable – Working knowledge of other two OAS official languages.

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES: Demonstrated communication skills (verbal and written); tact, discretion and diplomacy; sound presentation skills.

The GS/OAS embraces equality, diversity and inclusion. Accordingly, in accordance with its rules and regulations, the GS/OAS is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and achieving a diverse staff. In selecting candidates, it will take into account equitable geographic representation, as well as gender equity and equality. 

Please note that the mandatory retirement age for staff members at the General Secretariat of the OAS is 65 years.

Benefits:

- Compensation: 
Professional Category: Remuneration = Basic Salary + Post Adjustment 
Net of taxes for non-US citizens  

- US citizens tax reimbursement: US Citizens are reimbursed for most taxes paid on OAS remuneration.  

- Paid Annual Leave: 21 days from 1st year.  Increase to 30 days within 5 years.  

- Sick Leave and Parental Leave.

- Health Insurance: OAS pays 2/3 of premium.

- Pension and Savings Plans: In addition to salary, OAS contributes 14% of pensionable remuneration to a Retirement and Pension Plan. Staff contribute 7%.

- Additional benefits (dependent on contract type): Mobilization allowance, repatriation grant, home leave travel, dependency allowance, life insurance.