Program Associate, Catholic Sisters, Africa/Global

The Program Associate (PA) plays a critical administrative and project management role in coordinating the Initiative's grantmaking activities. The associate will provide support for key operational areas of the team, including project management/tracking, communications, and knowledge sharing, coordination of meetings, contribution to project reports, research, budgeting, and grant process management. This position will also assist the team with general administration functions such as coordinating convenings, site visits, and scheduling. Reporting to the Senior Program Officer, the Program Associate will participate in project and department-wide activities, meetings, conferences, and other events. They will contribute to programming discussions and will be familiar with the Foundation's approaches, possessing significant writing skills and an excellent ability to multitask. This role serves to advance the Foundation's mission of impacting those experiencing disadvantage, specifically by strengthening Catholic sisters' education, formation, and elderly care in Africa, and supporting their advocacy and human development services to improve the lives of children, youth, and families living in disadvantaged situations. The Initiative supports sisters and communities to thrive and achieve self-sufficiency through collaboration and strengthening partnerships with stakeholders across Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, and other regions, ensuring sisters have the tools and platforms needed to make a lasting impact in their communities. Grantmaking Support Monitor grant progress to ensure timely approvals. Track and manage grant budgets and coordinate grant processes with Grants Management (pre‑grant inquiry and grant modifications, etc.). Support mapping of progress reports. Regularly update program officers on the status of grant application documents and funded projects. Participate in workgroups within the department and across the organization, documenting site accomplishments and site‑specific reports. Maintain internal tracking databases in Giving Data, Excel spreadsheets, etc. Collaborate with program officers and grant applicants to develop and submit grant proposals in accordance with approved strategies; support processing of budget and grant modifications. Lead in providing administrative support to applicants. Own the grants payout process, ensuring grants are paid according to the timeline and process. Review, analyze, and prepare grantee progress reports and payments for approval. Support the effective and timely delivery of information and technical assistance to grantees and other key partners. Participate in team‑based strategy development. Program Liaison Maintain collaborative relationships with grantee partners, peer funders, and external stakeholders regarding grant‑making and reporting processes, as well as organizing external events. Work with grants management to ensure compliance with internal audit, grant tracking procedures, and grant‑making processes (such as grant reporting, payment, and reporting schedules, Giving Data entry). Provide advice to the Senior Program Officer (SPO) and Program Officer (PO) on proposals in process; communicate with applicants to address administrative questions regarding their application, budget, and project measurement table. Provide support for key operational and administrative areas of the team, including project tracking, coordination of meetings, vendor/consultant contract agreements, and contribution to project reports, grant oversight, and planning. Program Operational Support Provide support to the team with convenings and site‑visits by taking the lead on preparing materials, booklets, correspondence, information management, and travel arrangements. Support the SPO by taking the lead on organizing meeting logistics, securing the meeting site, arranging materials and technical needs, and catering orders. Additionally, provide logistics support to the meeting facilitator/coordinator as required and participate in team discussions regarding speakers, agenda items, and themes. Coordinate program‑related events such as external meetings, conferences, and presentations. Communications and Learning Support the SPO/PO members in developing program communication strategies and priorities. Assist in creating communication materials, such as blogs, tweets, articles, and reports. Collaborate with the communications team to distribute communication materials to the appropriate audiences. Conduct program‑related research and special projects as needed to identify field trends and best practices, and to store and communicate information. Maintain team contacts and email. Required Education And Experience Minimum 4 years of relevant work experience in the non‑profit sector or a private entity with a social mission. Candidates with lived experience related to Initiative area are encouraged to apply. Skilled writer with the ability to produce communication products for a variety of audiences. Comfortable working with complex budgets and work plans; possess a good understanding of non‑profit finances and budgets and are highly attentive to detail. Possess solid organizational skills and are able to effectively manage and prioritize workflow to meet deadlines. Possess bilingual capacities. Work well independently and collaboratively within a team, demonstrating a high degree of initiative, resourcefulness, and flexibility to meet the needs of the role. Curious, value learning, and continually seek information and new approaches to processes and practices. Critical thinking skills to analyze and summarize reports. Interpersonal skills and cross‑cultural competency, adept at interacting with a range of diverse stakeholders in a professional, collaborative, and diplomatic way. Comfortable with traveling, including 1–2 site visit trips per year and domestic travel. Ability to continually seek information and look for new approaches to processes and practices. Excellent technological skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office (with an emphasis on Outlook, Word, and Excel) and experience with database software (e.g., Giving Data, Salesforce, related grants, and/or data management software). Excel skills include generating graphs and charts, and an understanding of how formulas work. Desired An understanding of grant‑making processes. Knowledge of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Physical Requirements Ability to work on‑site at least three days each week (MTW) according to the hybrid schedule policy. Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time. #J-18808-Ljbffr