The Academy for Educational Development

Washington, DC, United States

Driven by Passion. Guided by Respect. Focused on Results. We believe these values are essential to the Academy for Educational Development’s (AED) ability in making a difference in individual lives. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to addressing human development needs in the United States and throughout the world.

AED seeks a Field Support Program Officer (6.1) for our FANTA-2 project.

Project Summary: 
FANTA-2 works to improve nutrition and food security policies, strategies and programs through technical support to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and its partners, including host country governments, international organizations and NGO implementing partners. Focus areas for technical assistance include maternal and child health and nutrition, HIV and other infectious diseases, food security and livelihood strengthening, and emergency and reconstruction. FANTA-2 develops and adapts approaches to support the design and quality implementation of field programs, while building on field experience to improve and expand the evidence base, methods and global standards for nutrition and food security programming. The project, funded by USAID, is a five-year cooperative agreement.

Position Summary:  
The Field Support Program Officer will provide program management support to FANTA-2’s Field Support activities, in particular activities focused on nutrition and HIV, emergency nutrition and community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), maternal and child health and nutrition (MCHN), and country-specific nutrition and food security policy and strategy development. The Program Officer will assist FANTA-2 technical managers in planning and managing technical assistance activities through tasks such as preparing Scopes of Work (SOWs), reviewing and editing written products, and preparing documentation for contracts with consultants and partners. The Program Officer’s responsibilities will include a combination of administrative, communications, and technical tasks. The position involves exposure to substantial technical content in nutrition and food security, but expertise in these technical areas is not required for the position.

• Work with technical managers and administrative staff to support backstopping of country activities, including preparation and tracking of workplans and budgets, preparation of travel notifications, tracking and finalization of deliverables, and facilitating collaboration between field-based staff and headquarters-based staff for specific activities.
• Work with technical managers and communications staff to support preparation of technical reports, workplans, and other written products, including proofreading, review for consistency, and light editing.
• Work with technical managers to support preparation of SOWs for technical assistance activities, consultancies, purchase orders, and task orders. In some cases this may entail drafting specific sections or providing input to SOWs, and in other cases may entail drafting new SOWs based on existing SOWs and country-specific and activity-specific information.
• Work with technical managers and administrative staff to prepare documentation required for contracts with consultants and partner organizations, and support other steps to facilitate the processing of contracts such as responding to requests for additional information.
• Contribute to program reviews, assessments, and strategy development by conducting literature searches and compiling documents and information on specific topics.
• Compile and maintain FANTA-2 products and other resources on specific technical topics for use by project staff, USAID, and other stakeholders.
• Assist with the workplanning, budgeting, and tracking of Field Support activities.
• Prepare responses to requests for information about FANTA-2 activities or specific technical issues from USAID/Washington, USAID missions, or other stakeholders.
• Represent FANTA-2 at meetings with external stakeholders as needed.
• Contribute to project-wide workplanning and reporting.
• Complete other tasks as needed.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelors required.
• 5 year(s) of relevant experience required
• 6 years of relevant experience is required with a Bachelors degree. 1-2 years of relevant experience is required with a Masters degree.
• Experience managing complex tasks within fixed timeframes.
• Field experience or experience working with field-based activities from headquarters.
• Experience with USAID-funded activities is preferred.
• Experience with preparation of written deliverables and products.
• Experience working in nutrition, food security, or health sectors is preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage a variety of tasks simultaneously and establish priorities.
• Ability to write concisely and clearly in English.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to initiate and implement activities with minimal oversight.
• Fluency in French is preferred.

#CB9452

Interested applicants should apply online or send resume with cover letter referencing position #CB9452 to: AED/HR, 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009; or fax: (202) 884-8413. For additional information, visit the AED website at http://www.aed.org

We thank all individuals for their interest in AED, however only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

Individuals responding to job postings are considered applicants if you meet the following criteria: (1) have expressed interest through the Internet, email or other related technologies, (2) are considered by the AED for a particular position, (3) possess the basic qualifications for the position and (4) do not at any point remove yourself from consideration.

AA/EOE/M/F/D/V