Action against Hunger USA August 2014

ACTION AGAINST HUNGER USA

JOB DESCRIPTION

Program Support Officer (PSO)

Reports to: Head of Program
Location: Action Against Hunger - USA
New York office
Last updated: August 2014

Action Against Hunger is part of the ACF International network which provides humanitarian relief in over 40
countries worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, & food security. ACF-USA, an
independent NGO, currently manages operations in 7 countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South
Sudan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Cambodia & Uganda. ACF-USA, has over $45 million in programs, approximately 50
permanent staff based in NYC, 100 expatriate employees in the missions, & over 1,200 local staff. Additional
growth is anticipated.

I. Summary of position and essential functions and responsibilities:

The Program Support Officer (PSO) will work under the supervision of a Head of Programas (HoP)
and will supervise interns to whom they will fully or partly delegate some of the below mentioned
tasks.
As an essential interface between the Pool Team and Missions, between HoP and the Pool Team
and between Ops and other HQ departments, the PSO will be responsible of ensuring:
Efficient and timely support, control and follow-up is provided to Missions and Pool Team on
grants management as well as program & Mission management quality assurance;
Fluid and timely communication / information management within Pool Team, between HQ
and Missions and between different HQ Departments;
Proper operational research and capitalization system is set and maintained;
Adequate contribution to supporting pre-departure & returns of expats / consultants / media
/ other;
Additional ad-hoc responsibilities set by HoP or Director of Operations


Essential job functions:
1. Grants Management
As the principal focal point between Missions and Pool Team on Grants management, the PSO
will:
Provide Pool Team and Missions with monthly updates on concept note, proposal and
reporting deadlines. Alert CD and HoP on any foreseen delay;
In direct collaboration with HoP, receive from CDs Proposals / Reports package, check
respective Donors guidelines / rules; share Proposals / Reports package with Pool
Team setting clear deadline for feedback, compile feedback and share with CDs, etc.,
until final version is ready for submission to Donor after final validation by HoP. Same
with questions / comments from Donors on Proposals / Reports.
Provide Missions and Pool Team with clear information and/or updates about Donors
Guidelines / requirements prior to Proposal / Report drafting process;

Action against Hunger USA August 2014

In direct collaboration with HoP: ensure Proposals / Reports are in line with Donors
Guidelines / requirements. Alert CD and HoP if not.

2. Program & Mission Management Quality Assurance
Set-up and develop a Program & Missions Management Quality Assurance system:
Provide Missions and Pool Teams with quarterly short analysis on monthly SitRep and
related annexes quality (submission regularity, feedback provided by Pool Team,
improvement following HQ recommendations, etc);
Ensure implementation and proper usage of HQ Recommendations Follow-Up
Table;
Compile and include in HQ Recommendations Follow-Up Table recommendations
made by auditors, TAs during field visits, etc;
In close collaboration with Pool Team members, propose, develop and implement
Program & Missions Management Quality Assurance tools (Proposal and reporting
quality, );
3. Communication/Information Management
Fluid and timely communication / information management within Pool Team, between HQ and
Missions and between different HQ Departments:
Attend Pool and Heads of Program meetings, take minutes and delineate action points,
and email them to the Head of Programs and remote staff, and file them on the server;
Attend Operations meetings, take minutes, delineate action points, and send them to
the Director of Operations for review and sharing on the server;
Attend any other required ad hoc meeting, take minutes, delineate action points, and
share the minutes with the director of the meeting for review and dissemination;
Centralise, files and shares all Missions monthly reports annexed to the Monthly
SitRep (APRs; TMRs; Movement Plans; Log & HR Reports; etc);
Ensure ER department (and others) are regularly informed about Missions main
updates (informal / ad hoc meetings, quarterly newsletter; Country Strategies
synthesis; Missions Positioning papers, etc);
Ensure Missions web page is regularly updated, drafts internal / external
communication documents / briefings; etc;
Cooperates with Finance Department on maintaining records of proposals and grants in
Navigator and documentation on ongoing grants
4. Operational Research & Capitalization
Archive all communications with donors (proposals, contracts, reports, amendments
etc) onto the server, and follow-up with Heads of Programs and appropriate mission
staff when documentation is missing;
Ensures alongside each Head of Programs that folders are up to date on the server for
grants and project material, and key documents are organized and recorded in a
systematic fashion for all files pertaining to ACF-USA missions;
Ensure there are up to date contact lists, briefing packages and presentations on all
countries;
Keep an overview of all MoUs, partnerships, and registration dates in countries in
coordination with Heads of Programs;

Action against Hunger USA August 2014

Follow up on acute emergencies in countries and areas relevant to the strategic interests
of ACF-USA and does delegated desk reviews on countries or specific topics
Reviews regularly literature on topics such as humanitarian field evolution,
NGOs/partner positions, and changes of policies of institutional donors or local
governments, and provides update to the Director of Operations and Heads of
Programs
Document and capitalize information on ACF Missions and programs;
Maintain Donor guidelines / regulation database up to date;
In close collaboration with Pool Team, propose and develop relevant capitalisation
tools / systems;
5. Pre-Departure / Return Support
In close collaboration with Missions, HR Department and Pool Team, the PSO will ensure:
Complete briefing packages are regularly updated;
Provide some expats / consultants / media / other with pre-departure briefing;
Compile and analyse post-Mission debriefing notes and provide feedback to Pool
Team when required;
6. Additional Responsibilities
Main Focal Point between Mission and Pool Team / Director of Operation during HoP
absence;
Lead Pool Meetings during HoP Absence and provide HoP with feedback / requests for
action and/or follow-up on main / urgent issues;
Coordinates the logistics for bi-annual Country Director meetings;
Provide support to HoP with visa applications and relevant travel documents on ad hoc
basis;
Manages recruitment for consultancy opportunities when needed;
Attends internal and external meetings and events on humanitarian coordination,
technical meetings, presentations, and other such functions relating to ACF-USA and
ACF-INs work and public image.
Brief new staff from ER department on ACFs Missions, the Operations department
etc

II. Supervisory Responsibilities:
The PSO is responsible for recruiting and supervising interns dedicated to support Pool Team /
Ops Dpt.

III. Fiscal Responsibility
N/A

IV. Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods & to
concentrate on work, including typing, & turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within
short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with
many interruptions. Must be able to proofread own work accurately so that only minor
corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.

Action against Hunger USA August 2014

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an
employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
functions.

V. Working Conditions, Travel and Environment
The duties of the job require regular job attendance at least five days per week. Employee must
be available to work outside normal office hours, or on the weekends, as required by contact
with the missions, mission security, or other obligations.
Employee must be able to travel as required for standard domestic & international business
travel, as well as to the missions, if appropriate. While visiting the field, the employee may be
exposed to precarious settings under high security risks &/or very basic living conditions
&outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.

VI. Qualifications
Bachelors degree required
Two years of experience as a humanitarian generalist or similar experience preferred
Previous experience with an international NGO advantageous

VII. Required skills & experience
Fluent written and spoken English and French are required
Ability to work cooperatively with subordinates, colleagues and supervisory staff at all
levels
Knowledge of MS Office Suite (high proficiency in Excel); comfortable working with
computers with minimal IT support
Knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics Navigator software is a plus.
Ability to work in a stressful environment, respect and enforce deadlines, take
initiative, and prioritize multiple tasks with minimal supervision
Strong organizational skills, extremely detail-oriented
Excellent written and verbal communication skills are a must. Experience
communicating in different cultural work environments preferred
Genuine interest in and commitment to the humanitarian principles of Action Against
Hunger
Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work both independently and as a flexible and
supportive member of a team
Must be authorized to work in the US if not US citizen

All candidates should apply online at www.actionagainsthunger.org/about/employment/job-opportunities
The salary for the Program Support Officer position is $ 52,000.00 per year. ACF-USA provides all staff with
an attractive benefits package. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees &
qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual
orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. ACF-USA complies
with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.