Program Officer

Overview

The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) promotes the rights and empowerment of women and girls globally through U.S. foreign policy, partnerships, and programs.  The Program Officer position on S/GWI’s Global Programs Unit is responsible for assisting S/GWI Grant Officer Representatives (GORs) and other staff in ensuring effective execution of program requirements by establishing systematic methods for every stage of the grant and program process, including pre-award, award, and post-award.  The program officer will have experience with foreign assistance and international programming, ideally related to gender equality and women’s empowerment; women’s economic security; Women, Peace, and Security (WPS); prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV); and/or related areas.  The position may report to the Division Chief or Deputy of the Global Programs Unit.  The program officer will support with the following: 

Responsibilities

• The program officer will be responsible for ensuring effective execution of program requirements; establishing systematic methods of program execution, evaluation, and advocacy; determining whether funding is warranted and available and assessing activities to determine funding requirements; analyzing program and budget proposals and presenting them to the State Department and interagency panels; preparing justification or recommendation memoranda for review and approval by appropriate officials; and providing follow-up problem-solving assistance, guideline interpretations, and technical consultations as required to applicants. The program officer will provide S/GWI leadership technical assistance throughout the federal assistance life cycle that includes pre-award, award, and post-award phases in grants and cooperative agreements. The program officer will also assist with Departmental briefings to congressional staffers on programs. 
• Advise senior S/GWI officials on development of goals, objectives, and programs for utilization of foreign assistance funding. 
• Coordinate with Grant Officer Representatives (GORs) in the administration and coordination of programs and to ensure that program deadlines are being met in a timely and efficient matter. 
• Work directly with S/GWI Global Programs leadership to oversee program funding for assigned portfolio. 
• Collect grant documentation and review and provide analysis of program and budget proposals for review by decision-making panels who will select grant recipients according to established evaluation criteria and within available funding levels. 
• Skillfully communicate verbally and in writing to provide briefings, status reviews, and advice upon request to the other S/GWI program staff and senior personnel on grant issues. 
• Work on designated portfolio to ensure pre-award, award, and ongoing management and monitoring of programs globally. Monitor grantee budget execution and drawdowns to ensure program objectives are met and are in accordance with 2 CFR 200. 
• Negotiate program solicitation language with and obtain necessary approvals from regional bureaus, Post leadership, and within S/GWI. 
• Remain informed on the changing political environment in the designated portfolio as well as global issues impacting any assigned region(s) by regularly meeting with grantees, women leaders, researchers, and other donors. 
• Communicate S/GWI's program objectives to other State Department and U.S government offices, including but not limited to regional bureaus, office of acquisitions management (AQM), office of the legal advisor (L), congressional liaison office (H), office of foreign assistance (F), USAID, and other interagency offices.   
• Assist with Congressional requests for information regarding programs and S/GWI program objectives. 
• Coordinate with policy colleagues to prepare papers and brief S/GWI leadership for meetings on issues related to a specific policy thematic area or region. 
• Prepare budget and programmatic reports that track grant obligation data and program successes for active grants. 
• Prepare responses to auditor inquiries on programs. 
• Attend stakeholder workshops and conferences on topics related to duties and responsibilities, provide program monitoring and technical assistance to grantees, while supporting S/GWI GORs. 
• Assist in the coordination of foreign assistance funding throughout the federal assistance life cycle that include pre-award, award and post-award phases in grants and cooperative agreements. 
• Coordinate and assist S/GWI Global Programs leadership in the administration and coordination of gender equality and women’s empowerment foreign assistance programs. 
• Work directly with Department staff (including program staff, bureau planners, and budget analysts), USAID and other interagency staff, and other foreign assistance donors, to analyze and report on trends, best practices, and provide evidence-based data for gender equality program design and oversight.   
• In coordination with S/GWI Global Programs leadership, develop strategies and work with monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) staff to develop portfolio specific evaluation indicators as needed. 
• Support the S/GWI Global Programs Unit on all matters relating to grant, program, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) data, and to track and provide guidance and training on implementation of required 18 FAM 301 activities and general gender equality assistance programming requirements. 

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree with 6-8 years of experience or a master’s degree with 3-5 years of experience or a PhD with 2-4 years of experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen and possess or be able to obtain a Secret clearance. Preference will be given to those with active security clearance.
• Must have knowledge of and experience in managing foreign assistance and international programming in addition to relevant education and training. 
• Experience related to gender equality and women’s empowerment; women’s economic security; Women, Peace, and Security (WPS); prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV); and/or related areas is strongly preferred. 
• Strong knowledge of 2 CFR 200. 
• Must be able to travel globally to highly sensitive areas as needed. 
• Experience working in professional, fast paced, and demanding environments.  
• Ability to manage competing priorities with minimal supervision. 
• Experience working on diverse teams and ability to handle diverse work styles. 

Pay Range

EEO

PCI Federal Services (PCIFS) and it's subsidiaries is an equal-opportunity employer. PCIFS does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or identity, Veterans or Disability status.

Preference may be extended to qualified Native American Indian candidates

in accordance with applicable federal law.

Salary : $130,000 - $140,677