Program Officer- Post Award

Background:

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organization committed to the relief, assistance and advancement of the poorest people in the least developed countries of the world. Founded in Ireland in 1968, Concern Worldwide has nearly 4,000 personnel working in 23 countries across the globe. Concern believes in a world where no one lives in fear; where all have access to a decent standard of living and the opportunities essential to a long, healthy and creative life. Our mission is to help people living in absolute poverty achieve major improvements in their lives, improvements that are sustainable without ongoing support from Concern.

Concern envisions a world where no one lives in poverty, fear, or oppression where everyone can exercise their rights to a decent standard of living with equal access to opportunities. We believe in creating a culture of inclusion where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to the workplace. Building a diverse and inclusive team is an absolute necessity to deliver the solutions needed to achieve our core mission, because without promoting justice and equality, we cannot eliminate extreme poverty.

Concern Worldwide US (CUS) is an independent affiliate of Concern Worldwide, with offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. CUS advances the Concern Worldwide mission through mobilizing financial and human resources, as well as influencing and activating networks in the US to elevate programs globally.

The Role:

The Program Officer is an essential position in the Programs Team of the Concern US office and will provide award (grants and contracts) management support to Concern’s growing grant portfolio in overseas operations, including programs funded by US government and institutional donors such as USAID, BHA and PRM, as well as by US foundations, corporations, and private major donors. This position will be responsible for a dedicated portfolio of country and awards which they will support through a high level of grants and contracts management, donor compliance, administration, monitoring and general program support.

The successful candidate will be extremely detail oriented and will have robust collaboration and problem-solving skills. The candidate will ensure that procedures, reporting obligations, and general compliance issues are fully met to the highest possible standard.

Responsibilities:

Grants and Contracts Management

• Collaborate with Concern Worldwide HQ in Dublin, Ireland and with overseas teams in Concern country programs to ensure all reporting/deliverable obligations and general compliance requirements of US donor awards are fully met to the highest possible standard.
• Collaborate with Concern US’s Finance and Programs staff to ensure an accurate, timely, efficient, and transparent process for the entire award life cycle. This entails tracking expenditures, payments, reviewing or producing relevant reports, cost modifications, sub-grant/sub-contact management tracking processes, monitoring, and closeout.
• Assist the finance staff in completing compliance and performance audits at HQ level as well as country program level.

Country Program Based Monitoring and Support

• Provide capacity building trainings, both in-person and remote/online, to Concern overseas staff to ensure that they are aware of their Concern US supported award requirements, and are equipped to respond to all required responsibilities and regulations (specifically US government awards).
• Undertake monitoring visits to Concern US supported programs to ensure compliance with reporting and financial guidelines as well as assessing program scope and impact.

Information Management and Donor Relations

• Maintain a deep understanding of the operational contexts of Concern’s overseas programs, particularly those within dedicated award portfolio.
• Respond to significant policy developments and collaborate on donor briefings, key advocacy events, updates, and overseas trips as appropriate.
• Keep abreast of changes to donor rules and regulations, update guidance materials as needed and become a key source of information for overseas staff on regulatory questions.
• Maintain Concern’s global information and knowledge management system (Grant Management System – GMS) as well as Concern US’s information management platforms.
• Collaborate with Communications and Marketing Team in development of informative content and materials specific to relevant Concern country/awards.

Additional

• Support to Concern US Business Development Team on high priority proposal tasks, including review of proposal and budget drafts, as needed.
• Assist advocacy team as needed with country relevant work – especially related to funding and donor related issues.
• Possible opportunities for emergency support / program support deployments to overseas programs.

Requirements

• A minimum of two years’ experience working in international development, humanitarian, or social sector;
• Familiarity or previous experience working US or other governments, private institutions, multilateral or other donors;
• Extremely detail oriented, with strong writing and editing skills;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; capable of facilitating a diverse range of internal and external relationships, often through remote communications;
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects and prioritize workload in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment, which involved working with colleagues in different time zones;
• Ability to provide guidance to people with a wide range of cultural backgrounds/languages, training levels, and experience;
• Ability to undertake domestic and international travel to Concern program areas – which includes complex environments (minimum 10%);
• Must have eligibility to work in the U.S.

Desirable:

• Minimum 1-2 + years of experience with US Government, specifically those of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and/or US State Department, around portfolio management including grants and contracts administration, management, and donor compliance.
• An undergraduate degree in International Development, International Relations, Humanitarian Studies, or related discipline
• Overseas professional experience.