Program Associate, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Global Health Division

More than one billion people – mostly in the developing world – suffer from one or more neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). While relatively unheard of in developed countries, diseases like lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, trachoma, onchocerciasis and soil-transmitted helminths, cause disability, reduce mobility, contribute to childhood malnutrition and can lead to blindness and severe disfigurement. Neglected tropical diseases typically affect rural populations, who tend to be poor and lack access to safe water, basic health services and essential medicines. Affected individuals often face stigmatization and abuse, further contributing to social and economic marginalization.

The Act to End NTDs | East program seeks a Program Associate to assist project leadership and provide administrative support for day-to-day operations including meetings, workshop coordination and logistics, travel, procurement, and oversight for vendors, suppliers and subawards as assigned. The position reports to the Operations Lead and will be based in Washington, DC. This position will start as a contract role. Based on performance there is a possibility for the position to become a permanent role at the end of the contract.

Essential Duties

Project Administrative Support

• Provide professional, timely administrative support with excellent attention to detail and a high level of autonomy.
• Coordinate assigned project meetings from planning through to conclusion including but not limited to: managing logistics; scheduling and reserving conference rooms; catering and IT/AV set up and support as needed, and provide administrative assistance such as sending invitations, agenda development, recording written meeting notes, document photocopying and distribution, etc.
• Support headquarters procurement and initiate purchase order requisitions through RTI’s Marketplace system.
• Assist with arranging new-hire orientation schedules and conducting on-boarding to Act | East platforms, charge coding, etc.
• Maintain project org charts, contact lists, listservs, etc.
• Provide other administrative support as required.

Domestic and International Travel

• Support Act | East Director and consultants with domestic and international travel arrangements (travel authorization request forms, air travel and hotel reservations, visas, create expense reports, and provide guidance on expense reimbursement).
• Maintain international travel tracker and final itineraries for project team.
• Submit requests for client notification and approval of international travel.
• Provide full range of administrative and operational support for workshops and related activities.

Vendor and supplier management

• Serve as primary point-of-contact for assigned suppliers and vendors on finance and budget-related issues.
• Initiate consultant contracts and serve as administrative point-of-contact for consultants (travel, logistics, invoices).
• Review and negotiate associated budgets.
• Review invoices and submit for approval and payment:
• Assess the allowability of invoiced expenditures based on USAID and RTI regulations and procedures.
• Reconcile expenditures claimed against the amount of funds disbursed.

Additional Duties

• Provide quality control and assurance reviews of Fixed Amount Award (FAA) packages noting errors and inconsistencies. Format, maintain, and provide quality control review of FAA pipeline tracker. Submit weekly to USAID.
• Compile country quarterly reports; take necessary action to make these report Section 508 and Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) compliant; post reports to USAID’s DEC .
• Provide project management and operational support to projects and project management teams, ensuring project management effectiveness and compliance with RTI and donor regulations.
• Monitor and report on project and subcontractor budgets and cost performance.
• Review project costs to ensure compliance with procurement and finance procedures, identify challenges and errors, and work with field-based staff to find solutions.
• Support the recruitment and onboarding of field- and home-office based project staff and other human resources processes, including identification of short-term technical assistance needs and resources.
• #LICT1

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant social science discipline with 1 year of relevant work experience in program support, administration, event management and other related activities.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Must have strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task, and be detail and deadline oriented.
• Must be a self-starter, proactive, energetic; able to work independently as well as across multiple subgroups within the Act | East team.
• Must be flexible in order to meet changing deadlines and demands.
• Must have excellent interpersonal and communication (both written and verbal) skills.
• Must be able to work with staff across different cultures and with different work styles.
• Must be able to interact with staff at all levels in a fast-paced environment, sometimes under pressure; must be resourceful and efficient, with a high level of professionalism.
• Must have advanced computer and software skills including experience with Microsoft Office Suite; additional experience with SharePoint and video conferencing systems preferred.
• Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without requiring sponsorship.

The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below. Our pay ranges represent national averages and may vary by location as a geographic differential may be applied to some locations within the United States.

RTI considers multiple factors when making an offer including, for example: established salary range, internal budget, business needs, and education and years of work experience possessed by the applicant. Further, salary is merely one element to our offer.

At RTI, we demonstrate our commitment to rewarding individual and team achievement through a total rewards package. This package includes (among other things) a competitive base salary, a generous paid time off policy, merit based annual increases, bonus opportunities and a robust recognition program. Other benefits include a competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability), access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan, paid parental leave for all parents, financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments, financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities, an employee assistance program, and numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance.

Additional Information