Senior Associate, Project Delivery, Data.FI

About Palladium:

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

Palladium Americas:

Our Americas’ business team has brilliant and passionate colleagues working in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America as well as the Caribbean, fulfilling projects and assignments for clients from institutions, corporations, governments, and foundations based in the Americas. We have offices in Washington, DC, New York City, and Raleigh-Durham, NC.

This Opportunity:

Palladium is currently seeking a Senior Associate, Project Delivery to support implementation of the Translating Data for Implementation (Data.FI) award. Data.FI is a five-year global project funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Data.FI partners with PEPFAR programs to accelerate and sustain access to high-quality data to expedite HIV and COVID-19 epidemic control and maintenance. Data.FI supports host country governments to enhance existing health information systems (HIS) and conduct in-depth analysis of epidemiologic and program data to inform management responses to gaps in programming and sustain impact by supporting local partner transition.

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in project financial management, are highly organized, and have great attention to detail, we are interested in hearing from you.

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

The Senior Associate will report directly to the Manager, Project Delivery. The Senior Associate, Project Delivery serves as part of the Project Management Unit (PMU) that is responsible for the management and delivery of a specific activity buy-ins. The Sr. Associate position supports the management of effective and efficient financial and compliance activities to deliver work in accordance with contractual obligations, company policies, local country settings, and client rules and regulations. The Sr. Associate, Project Delivery, is a valued member of the team completing a variety of tasks that are critical to high-quality project management. This role works closely with a Manager, members of the PMU, and Data.FI project staff.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Management

• Contribute to planning and managing project start-up and closeout including assisting with registration, and establishing project offices and facilitating finalized leases
• Serve as a liaison between corporate services, Senior Managers, Project Delivery, and the Compliance and Project Excellence Hub, and the project
• Contribute to the preparation and maintenance of project specific components of the project management manual
• Actively engage in the development, review, and tracking of progress against project work plans
• Lead the development of internal and external reporting, (quarterly Internal Project Reviews (IPRs), CPARs, project risk assessments, annual reviews, and client deliverables) and ensure these outputs are fit for purpose
• Ensure project issues and risks are reported on, managed and mitigated, and escalate risks and issues to practice, project, or Compliance Hub leadership, as required
• Support development of project subcontractor and grants management procedures compliant with both internal policies and procedures, and client rules and regulations
• Lead internal PMU administration, including drafting weekly meeting agendas, taking notes for distribution, tracking tasks, maintaining calendars and deadline reminders
• Actively anticipate project needs and providing compliant, flexible recommendations on processes, or assigned responsibilities, such as suggesting adequate timelines for reviews and coordination between HQ and field offices, proactively handling PMU administrative tasks, etc.
• Contribute to formal training and informal mentoring of new and junior PMU staff
• In collaboration with the Compliance and Project Excellence Hub and corporate services, support training and giving guidance to project staff on and ensure compliance with company policies, and client rules and regulations (covering as required, risk management, project planning, human resource management, monitoring, reporting, finance, procurement, logistics, IT, communications, audit support and all other project management matters)

Contracting and Compliance

• Demonstrate mastery of company policies, SOPs and Guidelines and client rules and regulations (covering for example: security, occupational health and safety, risk management, planning, human resource management, monitoring, reporting, finance, procurement, logistics, IT, communications, audit support and all other such implementation matters)
• Lead procurements, budgets, reports, and other documents, with oversight from a Manager, to ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures; work with in-country finance and operations staff to ensure compliance with SOPs
• Manage service providers and address contractual and payment matters as needed
• Work towards a mastery of procurement guidelines; use critical thinking skills and consult with PMU and the C&C team to work through complex procurements
• Assist in monitoring quality of field procurement; ensure compliance with company anti-corruption and due diligence processes; conduct periodic spot checks
• Support development of project subcontractor and grants management procedures compliant with both internal policies and procedures, and client rules and regulations
• Manage service providers and address contractual and payment matters as needed
• Complete first drafts of partner and vendor agreements, work orders and modifications
• Put in place systems to accurately monitor procurements (including consultants) from start to finish

Technical Contributions

• Develop a working understanding of the technical work across Data.FI
• Coordinate with activity leads to plan attainable and sustainable ways of incorporating anti-oppressive, socially inclusive strategies
• Contribute to technical assistance through reviews, engaging in work planning and discussions with the field team, etc. to build skills with the goal of taking on a more senior role, such as director of project delivery or a functional area

Client Relationship Management

• Support the monitoring and maintenance of compliance with head/prime contracts
• Manage and supports contract amendments as required
• Provide inputs and support to other PMU members on any client communication or reporting needs
• Support project advocacy with internal and external stakeholders

Financial Management

• Advise field teams on company policies for financial management to ensure they are implemented in compliance with the client’s rules and regulations
• Support efforts to ensure project levels of delegated authority issued are in accordance with Palladium’s Expenditure Approval and Signature Authority Policy and Guidelines and facilitate the process for higher-level approvals as required
• Support establishing project charge codes, ensuring they are fit for purpose and meet client’s and project’s requirements for cost allocation, monitoring and evaluation, and client reporting
• May work with Treasury to assist with project bank accounts set-up including getting any appropriate company or project signatories
• Support ensuring the project financial calendar is adhered to
• Lead development of project budgets
• Lead monthly monitoring of all expenditures against budgets, supports monthly project forecasting
• Support project financial / cash-flow planning, review funding requests from the field to avoid excessive cash balance
• Review Field Vouchers and ensuring supporting documentation is complete and accurate
• Complete Payroll Audit of in-country staff salaries
• Help with management of partners and vendors finances, including processing of work orders and invoices
• Assist with internal financial reporting and tasks including budgeting, forecasting, accruals, reviewing partner and vendor invoices, and any other ad hoc financial reporting assignments
• Cultivate a higher-level view of project finances and work towards continuous improvement on forecast accuracy
• Support preparation of contract action requests (i.e., travel, personnel additions/changes, partner, grant, budget realignment, etc.)
• Support audit processes and ensures retention of project records is compliant with company policy

Human Resource Management and Recruitment

• Coordinate input and support from HR for recruitment and contracting expatriate, TCN, and other personnel as needed
• Train in-country staff to complete project staff and consultant recruitment; Support in-country staff with project staff and consultant recruitment and due diligence
• Maintain project data on relevant systems for short-term and long-term staff and consultants
• Support the mobilization and demobilization of all international staff (short-term and long-term) including contracting, travel management, payments etc.

Business Development / Other

• Contribute to company growth by supporting well-managed projects, ensuring Palladium is seen positively by clients for consideration in future business development
• Provide input and supports business development of the company as required
• Researches trends and identifies opportunities for improvement within the project
• Maintains an understanding and keeps abreast of current events, with a particular attention to those that affect Data.FI and Palladium’s priority countries and those that affect the topical focuses of the project
• Complete other duties as assigned

Key Competencies Required:

• Works with respect and dignity for all colleagues and contributes to a cooperative team working environment
• Previous experience with managing projects or activities, using customer service skills, and/or completing tasks where high quality organizational, financial, or managerial skills was needed
• Fluency in Spanish is required
• Basic understanding of management including organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyze financial reports
• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills
• Strong management skills with ability to train and develop staff
• Ability to travel and work in developing countries for extended periods of time if needed
• Ability to work with a low level of supervision and as a part of a team when required

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

• Experience working within an international organization or firm
• Experience supporting work implementing USAID or other donor funded projects**

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or any other circumstance, please email our team at [email protected]

Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.