Program Associate Position with Helen Keller International

in Jobs
September 2nd, 2015

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT 

Program Associate,

Integrated Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases

 (New York, NY)

Established in 1915 with Helen Keller as a founding trustee, Helen Keller International

(HKI) is dedicated to saving the sight and lives of the world’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged. Headquartered in New York City, HKI currently conducts programs in 21 countries in Africa and Asia, as well as in the United States.  Renowned for its reliability, efficiency and high level of technical expertise, HKI promotes the development of sustainable, large-scale programs that deliver effective preventative and curative services for nutrition, eye health and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The hallmark of the organization’s work is its proven success in developing, testing and scaling-up health interventions, and integrating them within government and community structures to support and build local capacity and sustainable solutions.

Background

HKI has established itself as a leader in the global efforts to control and eliminate NTDs, namely lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil transmitted helminthes, and trachoma.  Currently, HKI is the recipient of funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide technical assistance to the Ministries of Health in their management of National NTD Control Programs in six countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Sierra Leone.  Additionally, HKI receives funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in Mali and Niger to help these countries reach their trachoma elimination goals.   We are seeking a Program Associate to join the HQ team that works with regional and country office colleagues to plan, implement, and report on these projects.

Scope of Work

The Program Associate will provide programmatic and program-related financial support to HKI’s portfolio of Integrated Control of NTD programs.  To ensure an appropriate balance of work priorities, the Associate will report directly to the VP, NTDs, and will be assigned to work under the technical and/or administrative guidance of other NTD staff and will liaise frequently with other HQ, regional and country office program staff.

The Program Associate’s main responsibilities will be to backstop the program team on the preparation of donor reports, day-to-day monitoring and evaluation of program objectives, work plans, budgets, and success stories.   S/he will also coordinate and implement knowledge management initiatives related to the programs, act as the coordinator for proposal development teams, tracking progress and contributing supporting materials, and provide some general logistical support to the department.

Responsibilities

Program planning, monitoring and reporting

Collaborate with team to provide quick and accurate program and financial information as needed, and to monitor progress of country NTD programs against stated objectives and program outputs.

  • Manage NTD reporting calendar, incorporating all required donor reporting by country offices. Ensure the progress of all reports is accurately tracked to ensure timely submission of high quality reports to donors.
  • Receive, review, edit, synthesize information, and coordinate layers of review among all parties.
  • Conduct quality review of Monitoring & Evaluation workbooks and other data received from country offices to ensure consistency and integrity of data.
  • Draft routine donor program reports and compile program data for review by managers.
  • Contribute to development and monitoring of work plans, as assigned.
  • Procure medical supplies and review drug forecasts on behalf of the country offices including: requesting quotes, placing orders, arranging for payment and shipment, and documenting the process. Assist with other procurements as needed.
  • Pull data for financial reports and compile data for review by managers.
  • Review budgets and financial reports for errors and inconsistencies.
  • Prepare budget narratives for annual program budgets and fixed obligation grants, as assigned.
  • Maintain master file of travel approvals and prepare reports.
  • Compile documentation from country offices for selected financial transactions for monthly desk audits.
  • Review and copy-edit reports prepared by managers for data quality, and compliance with branding.
  • Ensure that the Project Database is fully up-to-date at all times and that all reports are posted.

Program Knowledge Management

  • Write summaries of peer-reviewed articles for NTD News for Africa
  • Draft success stories, and/or briefs to be shared with internal and external audiences.
  • May conduct literature reviews, as needed, to identify important and relevant documents for country program implementation and research reports.
  • Curate the NTD department’s presence on HKI’s intranet (KellerNet) including Shared Resource Libraries and Communities of Practice pages.
  • Review, organize and/or annotate resources pages (tools; guidance; research papers; relevant HKI field reports) on NTDs.
  • Coordinate content on cross-cutting topics such as monitoring and evaluation, social and behavior change communications, use of mobile technology and gender with Program Associate for Nutrition & Eye Health.
  • Upload recent NTD publications by HKI staff to KellerNet and public website.
  • Review documents for KellerNet library, identifying technical focus and keywords with which to tag resources on an on-going basis.

Department Administration

  • Participate in new proposal efforts, working under project lead to coordinate and track assignments, deadlines, milestones, etc.  Prepare annexes to proposals as assigned.
  • Work closely with NTD team to jointly define requirements and build internal data collection systems and track program progress.
  • Manage department calendar; ensure integration with project and organization-wide calendars.
  • Prepare agendas for and schedule team and/or department meetings. Document outcomes including decisions, assignments, milestones, pending action items and due dates.
  • Coordinate logistical support for project meetings, workshops, trainings and/or attendance at conferences.
  • Make travel arrangements for international guests; Research and maintain up-to-date data regarding visa requirements; issue travel letters.
  • Work with team to prepare materials for presentations.
  • Prepare payment requests and monthly report of expenses incurred on department credit card accounts.

Qualifications:

  • Master’s Degree in public health, international development or a related field plus at least 2-3 years directly relevant work experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  • Experience in data management and program implementation or monitoring and evaluation.
  • Demonstrated ability to think through problems systematically, and integrate information from multiple sources.
  • Proficient in use of spreadsheets and databases; eager to learn new platforms.
  • Ability to perform duties that require very close attention to detail and synthesize large amounts of information.
  • Oral and written proficiency in English. Ability to communicate effectively across cultures and to communicate complex technical information to a non-technical audience.
  • Ability to prioritize workload, assume responsibility for work, and follow through to completion.
  • Ability and willingness to work under pressure as a part of a global team.
  • Current US work authorization plus residence in or willingness to relocate to the NY metro area.

Preferred:

  • Use of data analysis software such as STATA, SAS, SPSS, and EpiInfo.
  • Knowledge of USAID rules and regulations.
  • Knowledge of the Africa region.
  • French language skills.

To Apply:

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hki.recruitment@hki.org noting the position title in the subject line.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.