Program Specialist,
Fiscal Governance Program,
Open Society Foundations,
New York USA,
Application Deadline August 24, 2017
Fiscal Governance Program
The Fiscal Governance Program’s (FGP) mission is to improve the generation, management and expenditure of public resources in ways that better promote equitable development, democratic accountability and human rights. The program works across the public resource chain—from revenue collection and budget allocations to expenditures and service delivery—to promote new global norms, strengthen independent oversight and accountability mechanisms, and increase government capacity to harness public resources for development. We have a thematic focus on natural resource governance, budgets and service delivery, taxation, and trade.
Job Profile
FGP is seeking a Program Specialist to perform a wide range of responsibilities that materially advance both portfolio and program strategies. The Program Specialist is at the forefront of our grant making activities, developing relationships with our partners in the field and providing crucial programmatic support to our Program Officers.
Contributions include tracking organizations and developments in relevant fields, the design and processing of program grants, and the assessment of grants and portfolios. Program Specialists may also take the lead on projects or issues – such as research initiatives, convenings, or advocacy efforts – as assigned. The Program Specialist will be based in New York and will report to the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager.
Typical duties and responsibilities include the following:
- Supporting programmatic efforts by conducting a wide range of activities related to the grant making process and/or analytical work in support of field development, advocacy, regional consultations, and integrative activities
- Conducting research and synthesizing large amounts of data/information to be used in decision-making, strategy development, and evaluation of the grants portfolio or other program processes
- Designing and carrying-out field scans and ongoing field monitoring in the areas of trade and tax governance and financial transparency more broadly as well as working together with the other program specialist to advance learning approaches in the various areas of the program.
- Analyzing grant proposals (including budget analysis), designing grants (type of support, degree of flexibility, duration, payment structure, reporting/learning expectations, etc.) and drafting grant recommendations
- Partnering closely with program administration specialist to ensure efficient flow of grants processing, payments, reporting and other similar information. This includes managing and maintaining a schedule of the program’s organizational assessment process and actively working with program officers to ensure compliance with OSF internal policy/guidance
- Developing the concept, agenda, key players, etc. for convenings, research initiatives, and advocacy efforts
- Drafting internal documentation and explanation for specific grants in coordination with program officers
- Contributing to assessment of organizations. This includes primary responsibility for the assessment of organizational finances and budgets (including grant budgets) as well as drafting of the first version of the assessment based on input, judgments and guidance of program officers
- Monitoring grantee work and activities throughout the grant period and synthesizing this information into a customized tracking system per the grant conditions
- Providing support to and active participation in FGP’s team-wide learning activities and efforts
- May participate in preparing and presenting portfolio reviews or evaluations
- May provide support to the director for reserve spending and other activities as needed
Candidate Profile
- Bachelor’s degree and three to five years of experience working with issues such as transparency, corruption, natural resource governance, trade, tax, public budgets, local governance, democracy or human rights and accountability; or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Experience implementing systems in philanthropic organizations and/or not-for-profits preferred
- Proven ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment; to troubleshoot and follow projects through to completion, consistently on schedule, without loss of attention to detail and budget
- Excellent written, verbal, organizational, analytical and interpersonal skills
- Excellent listening and communication skills with sensitivity to cultural communication differences
- Highly skilled in researching, processing large amounts of information, and analyzing its importance in informing OSF programs and strategies
- Flexibility and willingness to work simultaneously on a wide range of tasks and projects and ability to prioritize tasks
- Previous experience in data management, evaluation, and/or organizational learning preferred
A resume and cover letter are required for all applications.
We are strengthened by the diversity of our colleagues across the Open Society Foundations, and we welcome and actively seek applications from people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.