Program Operations Officer

Pact seeks an experienced Program Operations Officer to support the growing Africa portfolio. The Africa Program Operations Officer will play a significant role in the operations of their assigned portfolio by coordinating and delivering technical, management, financial, and administrative assistance and support to a project portfolio, and by guiding Program Operations Teams comprised of Program Operations Specialists and Officers, in supporting their portfolios.

Key Responsibilities

Country Office Support

• Serve as the main point of contact for multiple and/or complex projects and project staff and facilitate communications between project staff and DC staff on all operational issues, referring issues to appropriate departments within the institution.
• Lead the opening and closing of country offices and projects working closely with HR, Global Security, Global Finance, General Counsel, and Grants & Contracts.
• Coordinate Pact's DC-based and global support to projects, ensuring effective and efficient support.

Project Management

• Lead Africa project- focused reviews of project implementation progress (including technical delivery), operations issues, and address other project management needs.
• Review and contribute to the development of project workplans, budgets, and reports.
• Track and review project deliverables (as required by the program) for submission to donors.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding processes for in-country, project-specific, and DC-based staff relevant to the portfolio.
• Ensure ongoing communication and close collaboration with donors to maintain relationships during implementation to ensure quality delivery of the projects.

Portfolio Management

• Provide support to Regional Directors and Country Directors on Country Office strategy development, or lead strategy development in priority countries without an in-country presence.
• May lead surge support initiatives including development of strategy and coordination with other departments (i.e,. leadership transitions, bridge funding, project expansions).
• Facilitate cross learning and the dissemination of best practices across projects.
• Represent projects within the DC office, advocating for support and prioritization.
• Consult on opportunity pipeline and contribute to prioritization process.

Compliance and Sub-grants Management

• Ensure project compliance with both Pact and donor policies, in coordination with internal audit and G&C teams.
• Identify risk and link to appropriate teams to mitigate risk.
• Provide support on portfolio subgrant management and monitoring.
• Ensure the completion of correction action on any internal audits in portfolio.

Budget and Financial Management

• Lead country office level and project level budgeting, including donor budget requests.
• Work with in-country project teams, and/or DC based colleagues, to track and monitor project budgets against expenditures, providing analysis and proactive guidance in areas of potential challenges.
• Support the development of annual budgets, both for donor and Pact’s organizational budget.
• As needed, support project teams to develop and manage budget modifications, realignments, extensions, and renewals.
• As needed, support new proposal budgets.
• Monitor closeout expenses.
• Support projects in brainstorming strategies to ensure costs share requirements are met.

Procurement Management

• Monitor procurement process to ensure compliance and efficiency, includes engagement of USN/TCN consultants. If no country office exists, manage procurement acquisition.
• Identifying training needs in country and coordinate with Grants & Contracts;
• May lead or co-facilitate procurement trainings

Business Development

• Support/coordinate the development of No Cost Extensions and renewals for projects
• Where required, review and advice on project design and budgets, ensuring that they integrate into existing programming, and are implementable within the country operational context.

Knowledge Management

• Ensure project intellectual capital is properly captured, filed, and disseminated, including maintenance of donor deliverables in Promise.

Basic Requirements

• Master's degree with five (5) years work experience or bachelor's degree with at least seven (7+) years work experience
• Proven experience managing staff and complex projects
• Experience supporting programs funded by major international development organizations, especially USAID
• Experience working in a developing country and coordinating with international field offices
• Ability and willingness to travel to travel regularly and at short notice
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and cross cultural skills.
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

Preferred Qualifications

• 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
• Experience with US Government funded deliverables based contracts
• Competency in another language other than English (depending on region’s requirements) preferred
• Project Management certification
• Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations, specifically 2 CFR 200 and cost principles

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.
At Pact, we recognize your impact, offer you opportunities and support your total well-being. Our comprehensive benefit offerings may include healthcare, retirement (8.8% to 13% based on service tenure) and savings plans, paid time off, disability and life insurance programs, learning and development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections .
With the continuing impacts of COVID-19 around the world, we are taking action to protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and maintain the safety of the communities where we operate. Pact seeks an environment free from COVID-19 and prefers all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Attestation of vaccination status will be required for employment with Pact. Unvaccinated employees may be subject to additional health and safety requirements to include any federal, state and/or client restrictions.

Please apply on our website. https://careers-pactworld.icims.com/jobs/2038/program-operations-officer/job?mode=view