Program Officer (WE4F RIH – MENA Program)

Overview

The Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) challenge fund is a partnership between the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Through WE4F, the partners want to expand the scale of innovations that impact the sectors food and water, food and energy or all three sectors of the nexus (food, water, energy) to increase the sustainability of agricultural food value chains, improve energy and water efficiency as well as improve climate resilient agriculture in developing countries and emerging markets in accordance with the SDGs, with a particular focus on the poor and women.

Berytech is leading a consortium made up of locally rooted, water-energy-food and entrepreneurship-focused organizations to deliver the WE4F founding partners’ vision for a Regional Innovation Hub (RIH) in the MENA Region.

The project will run over four years from July 2020 to July 2024.

Berytech is looking to expand its team by hiring a Program Officer.

Position Objective

As Program Officer, you will be responsible for providing program operations and management support to the WE4F RIH – MENA program. You will help manage project operations, administration, finances, and logistics to support WE4F RIH partners. You will work directly with partners to develop the project management systems, to develop and monitor project scopes of work, budgets, and timelines. You will report to the Regional Innovation Hub Manager and you are expected to work independently with limited supervision.

This position requires organization skills, excellent communication skills, a professional and positive attitude. This is a challenging role, but, at the same time, makes available endless opportunities and learning.

Key Responsibilities

The Program Officer will be entirely responsible for providing program operations and management support to the WE4F RIH – MENA program. This would be inclusive of the following:

• Assist in developing and monitoring work plans and associated deliverables and results/outputs
• Prepare project contract documents (subcontracts, sub-agreements, purchase orders, and Memoranda of Understanding) as requested
• Prepare project-related reports and documents, including subcontracts, scopes of work, progress updates, and other documents and reports
• Create and maintain the projects’ SharePoint site(s) and assist with project-related information management
• Develop management tools, e.g., travel and budget tracking tools, partner communication or consultant approval templates
• Work closely with the Head of Grants and Financial Controls to develop and create systems to manage subcontracts and sub-grants
• Work closely with the Head of Grants and Financial Controls to monitor, track and analyze annual, quarterly and monthly expenditures compared to project budget
• Ensure program rules and regulations are followed according to donor and lead partner expectations
• Liaise with other partners on various operational, technical and program areas as well as project-related personnel issues.
• Support in consultant approvals and paperwork, including identifying, interviewing and hiring consultants, managing consultant expense reports and invoices, and ensuring accuracy and adherence to contract
• Perform other duties as assigned

Position Requirements

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field: Business, Management, etc.

Experience

• A minimum of 3 years of program management experience;
• Experience in finance, administration and management, developing and tracking budgets, logistics and operations
• Experience with USAID- or funded projects highly desirable
• Experience working in teams

Knowledge & Skills

• Ability to multitask and prioritize, work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Ability to work and communicate with a diverse group of people of various nationalities and cultural backgrounds
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Fluency in English and Arabic are a must

Application Process

If you feel that you fit the profile, please send your CV to jobs@berytech.org, including only in the subject email ‘WE4F Program Officer.’ Also, include a short paragraph (100-200 words) stating how your skills are a perfect fit for the position. Only resumes sent with this paragraph will be considered.