Job Description

Opportunity

Abt Associates is the lead implementer of a USAID project called Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus. The SHOPS Plus project is a five-year Cooperative Agreement. The mandate of this USAID-funded project is to increase the role of the private sector in the sustainable provision and use of quality family planning (FP), HIV/AIDS, and other health information, products, and services.

SHOPS Plus is currently seeking an entry-level Program Analyst to join the Regional Francophone Team in our Rockville, MD, office. The candidate will be expected to support program management tasks across a number of activities and countries. Excellent time management, written and oral communication skills and fluency in French are required for the position.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

• Supports desk research and literature review needs for technical deliverables and technical products/reports
• Develops charts, graphs and tables for technical deliverables and technical products
• Contributes to drafts of deliverables and sections of deliverables including work plans, quarterly reports, annual reports and other technical products/reports; provides formatting and editing support for all products
• Under the direction of the Regional Manager and Team, drafts communications products such as success stories, newsletter articles, web updates, stories and features for SHOPS Plus website and other external sources for SHOPS Plus, Abt web site and other venues
• Supports administrative needs of the Francophone Team including note-taking and dissemination for team meetings/calls, organizing project documents and project files and other tasks/duties, as needed
• Works with finance team to track work plan activities against the budget and report against process, coordinates with finance team in the home office and field offices to provide local cost inputs to budgets
• Supports start-up and close-out processes and tasks including office selection, registration, set-up of bank account, personnel/hiring and other administrative, contractual and financial tasks related to start-up and close-out
• Drafts scopes of work, terms of reference for consultants and sub awards or subcontracts; collects and reviews documentation and inputs for accuracy and compliance; liaises with finance team and Abt Departments to finalize contracts
• Develops and posts short-term and long-term personnel job descriptions and advertisements; reviews and shortlists applications; participates in interviews and provides recommendations on candidate selection; tracks and coordinates recruitment process from start to finish; communicates with candidates and liaises with Abt Departments throughout the process
• Supports logistical needs of home office travelers to the field, coordinates with field offices/staff and ensures necessary approvals are obtained for travel from USAID
• Other programmatic and administrative tasks/duties, as needed
  
  

Preferred Skills / Prerequisites

• BA/BS in Public Health, Business, International Development, or other relevant field plus 3-5 years of relevant professional experience or MA/MS with 0-1 years of relevant professional experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Project management experience with USAID projects preferred. Experience working in developing countries especially Francophone countries preferred
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are required
• Fluency in French required
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• BA/BS (3 - 5) OR MA/MBA (Entry Level) years of experience OR the equivalent combination of education and experience

About the Organization

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1965, Abt Associates was built on the concept that sound information and empirical analysis are the best foundations for effective decision making. The firm blends the subject matter expertise of our staff with technical capabilities in applied research, program implementation, and data collection to shape policy, strengthen systems, measure performance, and deliver other solutions to our public and private sector clients. Examples of Abt Associates’ work include nationally recognized research, evaluation, and technical assistance to improve the efficiency of healthcare systems, the effectiveness of government housing programs, the production of food, and the measurement of public opinion. Abt’s staff of more than 2000 includes national and international experts who are known for their understanding of communities and governments worldwide, innovative research techniques, and insightful—and often groundbreaking—analyses and recommendations. Approximately 51 percent of our staff has graduate degrees; one in six has a doctorate. Our staff’s educational and professional disciplines include economics, engineering, environmental analysis, epidemiology, food security, health, housing, international development, psychology, social science, statistics, and survey methodology. Abt’s research staff is experienced with prominent statistical software packages, including SPSS, SAS, and STATA, along with qualitative software such as NVIVO and Atlas. In 2011, Abt Associates was ranked among the top 20 global research firms and one of the top 40 development innovators. Abt has offices in Atlanta, Ga.; Rockville, Md.; Cambridge, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Durham, N.C.; and New York City and program offices in nearly 40 countries in Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. www.abtassociates.com