Senior Program Associate, East and Southern Africa (ESAF)

Chemonics’ East and Southern Africa Regional Business Unit is seeking a Senior Program Associate to provide advanced support with project administration and to complete professional and administrative tasks related to supporting project implementation. The East and Southern Africa region’s current portfolio and forward market includes projects spanning a wide range of technical sectors, including education, rule of law, natural resource management, democracy & governance, and agriculture & food security. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world! Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, as we will interview and fill this position on a rolling basis.

Responsibilities: 

Project Management

• • Responds to and answers questions from corporate and project offices regarding client policies and regulations
  • Liaises directly with relevant support departments, such as human resources and compliance, to ensure project compliance with rules, regulations, and corporate policy, in consultation with program manager or director as appropriate
  • Tracks, and when appropriate, reviews project and financial deliverables and reports for completeness and readiness for submission; may provide copy-editing support as needed
  • Drafts and tracks administrative and financial project requests and changes to clients and partners, including approvals for staffing, financial reporting and tracking, activity modifications, and budget adjustments; may liaise with corporate office and project staff and partners staff to obtain information and submit approvals
  • Leads recruitment efforts for expatriate and local staff under supervision of a manager / director, including sourcing candidates, conducting interviews, checking references, collecting employment verification documentation, and providing finalist feedback
  • Supports monthly reforecasting for project budget; drafts monthly budget and staffing memos; participates in corporate budgeting process as requested
  • Provides review of local expenses, supporting documentation, and draft invoices to manager for review and approval
  • Analyzes and submits subaward invoices and backup documentation; drafts subawards and modifications; liaises closely with subaward partners on contractual issues
  • Completes data entry of monthly project invoicing, subaward partner and consultant information, expense reports, and other types of data as requested
  • Provides travel support for employees and consultants by gathering relevant travel information, reserving tickets, and seeking necessary travel authorizations and approvals; liaises with traveler to collect expense reports and required backup documentation
  • Processes monthly wire transfer requests and provides initial reviews to ensure completeness and accuracy; submits final wire transfer request package for approval
  • Drafts and submits employment agreements and collects necessary backup documentation to complete administrative procedures for onboarding 
  • Facilitates fielding and repatriation of employees and consultants by submitting separation paperwork, updating allowances, coordinating travel and household effects repatriation
  • Facilitates securing residency permits, tax documentation, and housing for expatriate staff; oversees the administration of expatriate staff allowances
  • Leads Project Management Unit (PMU) efforts for complete and comprehensive project documentation by saving relevant project documents and approvals to project SharePoint files and facilitating document reviews and file audits as appropriate
  • Schedules and leads meetings, prepares agenda, and capture notes as appropriate
  • Participates in internal and external training events to strengthen core competencies for project management in line with donor regulations and Chemonics corporate standards
  • May contribute dedicated time to other workstreams and functions to achieve BU goals, including new business, operations, and technical practice contributions
   
• New Business and Technical Development
  • Participates on proposal teams in specific line roles of increasing complexity, including, but not limited to, past performance writer, corporate capabilities writer, expatriate and/or local recruiter, section writer, cost preparer, coordinator, and