Program Associate - MENA

Job Summary:

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day-to-day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence - We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people.

Freedom - We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive.

Respect - We believe in trust, empathy, and empowering people.

Teamwork - We believe in diversity, inclusion, and the power of global collaboration.

Transparency - We believe in open communication and clear decision-making.

Accountability - We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Program Associate provides administrative and programmatic support for current and developing programs in the region.

This is a hybrid role based in Washington, DC.

Position Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations or related field.
• 0-1 year of experience in international development or related field, or graduate degree.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.
• Excellent writing, research, evaluation, and communication skills.
• Working knowledge of the politics, economics, history and culture of Iran.
• Farsi language skills preferred.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

Project Management

• Supports the Program Officer (and/or Program Manager or Senior Program Manager/Officer) to implement grant(s) and ensure grant compliance, including logistical support for program activities and events
• Maintains an understanding of funder and IRI policies and procedures related to grant compliance and oversight
• Tracks and follows-up on pending procurement requests, approvals and monitoring once approved
• Tracks spending and regularly updates budget tracker; cross-references with PSR on monthly basis and interacts with appropriate Project Accountant and other Accounting staff
• Assists in monitoring program activities related to the approved grant work plan
• Drafts quarterly, semi-annual, final and other relevant reports for funders
• Contributes to and supports aspects of the proposal development process for new funding opportunities, including the development of new program ideas
• Travels as needed for program support and implementation
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Country Relevant Research

• Supports the oversight and coordinates the workflow of a research consortium, including investigative research partners, subject matter experts, and a research advisor and other relevant IRI personnel to prepare and finalize research products.
• During implementation, recommends improvements to the team’s research strategy, including its approach and workflow, with a persistent aim to improve program impact.

Program Evaluation

• Ensures the program portfolio is compliant, unified and up to date with evaluation and learning requirements, including standard operation procedures, IRI Results Databases, data collection and data retention.
• Organizes data collection requirements uniformly across projects and guides the team to upload data consistently and timely.
• Identifies opportunities to inject evaluation and learning in programs with the aim to improve portfolio learning and iterate program approaches.

Qualifications

Education

Required

Bachelors or better in Political Science or related field.

Experience

Required

Less than 1 year: Undergraduate degree in political science, international relations or related field. 0-1 year of experience in international development or related field, or graduate degree. Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required. Excellent writing, research, evaluation, and communication skills. Working knowledge of the politics, economics, history and culture of Iran. Farsi language skills preferred.

Please apply via the provided link: Program Associate – MENA