The Global Education department seeks a Program Officer I to provide administrative, financial, programmatic, logistical and other operational support to Spanish-speaking post-primary programs, in addition to some communications support and technical assistance. The position will support the Advance Program funded by USAID, the Guatemala Secondary Quality Improvement Program funded by MCC, and other projects as needed (approximately 85%). Additionally, the Program Officer will contribute to business development efforts for the Post-Primary Education team as needed (approximately 15%).
The Advance Program strengthens the capacity of select two- and three-year technical tertiary institutions, providing market-relevant, quality training to disadvantaged youth in Guatemala, Honduras, and Jamaica. From 2015-2020, FHI 360 will strengthen degree programs in selected academic institutions in 5 key areas: curriculum design and pedagogy, teacher professional development, career services, admissions and recruitment, and scholarships.
The Secondary Education Quality Improvement Program, funded by MCC, is a 3-year (2017-2020) project to improve the quality and relevance of lower secondary education in Guatemala. In partnership with the Government of Guatemala’s National Competitiveness Program (PRONACOM) and the Ministry of Education, FHI 360 works in five provinces. The program improves education quality in three key areas: (1) strengthening teacher training and professional development programs; (2) developing education networks of teachers, parents, students, and community members, and (3) building institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education in evidence-based decision-making to help sustain the reforms.
Project Management
- Provides project management support to teams in the field and liaises with internal units at headquarters to ensure smooth project operations in the areas of project start-up, procurement (Costpoint), accounting, travel, human resources, contracts, information technology, and finance.
- Assists with the recruitment and hiring of consultants. This includes coordination and posting of scopes of work, coordinating consultant selection processes in compliance with FHI 360 polices, obtaining contract management services (CMS) approval and issuing consultant agreements, initiating travel and security clearance, and accepting final deliverables and processing consultant invoices.
- Supports the development and management of sub-agreements with local and international partner organizations, including drafting memos of negotiation, contractual documents, scopes of work, and other relevant attachments in coordination with CMS and project teams.
- Works with project director, program officers, and finance manager to assist with management of awards, contracts, and sub-awards by developing project tracking tools, processing vendor invoices and subcontractor payments, and expediting contract actions.
- Coordinates travel arrangements and logistics for project staff across post-primary projects. Helps to facilitate expatriate staff/dependent travel and posting/repatriation, including shipping and storage of household effects, processing of travel documents, international insurance coverage, general logistics, and employee benefits. Additionally, assists with the management of allowances for expatriates, including processing of expense authorization for Annual Travel Leave, expense reimbursement, etc.
- Maintains proper filing systems, both electronic and hard copies, in accordance with FHI 360 policy.
Technical, Communications, and Business Development
- Works directly with project manager(s) to contribute to workplans and budgets and support the writing, review, and/or translation of project reports as needed.
- Documents and shares project accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned among internal and external partners as needed.
- Assists with regular reviews and updates to project web site(s), SharePoint site(s), and other communications materials.
- Assists with business development efforts, including data gathering, formatting and editing of documents, and other related tasks.
- Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
- At least three years of experience with international programs, US government rules and regulations preferred.
- Experience managing complex tasks within fixed timeframes.
- Articulate and professional and able to communicate in a clear, positive fashion with clients and staff. Strong writing skills required.
- Must be able to read, write, and speak fluent English and Spanish.
- Prior work experience in a non-governmental organization (NGO), government agency, or private organization preferred.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.