Program Assistant

At Counterpart International, we believe that the people closest to the challenges are best positioned to solve them, but they shouldn’t have to do it alone. For more than 60 years, we’ve partnered with communities around the world to turn local ideas into lasting solutions. We connect local vision with global opportunity, working alongside leaders, organizations, and networks to build inclusive, resilient communities where people thrive. Our programs focus on long-term impact supporting women to lead and grow their businesses, strengthening food systems so families have access to nutritious food and sustainable livelihoods, and creating pathways for economic and social progress. As a trusted steward of development funding, Counterpart is known for transparency, accountability, and measurable results. We bring together the right partners, resources, and ideas to help communities build better lives and more durable futures, generation after generation.

Summary:
Counterpart seeks a Program Assistant whose main priority is supporting assigned projects, including the West Africa portfolio of programs, through document preparation, processing, recordkeeping, and related administrative, operational, and compliance support. The Assistant also provides administrative support to the Global Programs (“Programs”) team and, as needed, to Human Resources and Senior Leadership, with such support coordinated through the Senior Director of Programs. This full-time, hybrid position based in Washington, DC will report to the Senior Director of Programs.

Responsibilities:

• Prioritize administrative and logistical support to assigned projects, including the West Africa portfolio of programs. Provide support to Programs and, as needed, to Human Resources and Senior Leadership, with HR and Senior Leadership support coordinated through the Senior Director of Programs.
• Prepare, distribute, and file notes from recurring Programs team meetings.
• Help resolve project issues, share lessons learned with the supervisor and Programs team, and escalate operational risks to the appropriate departmental leaders.
• Prepare, process, organize, file, and maintain administrative documentation and records for active, closed, and terminated projects; maintain pending-action trackers; and manage records related to consultant and vendor agreements.
• Maintain and update Counterpart’s Country Registration Database.
• Coordinate staff travel and arrange logistics for project and global events.
• Copyedit project deliverables, reports, communications, and other materials, as needed.
• Process invoices, payment requests, expense reports, and related financial documentation, and enter data for project budgets, award obligations, cost share, and other financial tracking.
• Review supporting documentation for grantee invoices and process payments.
• Prepare and conduct initial reviews of vendor and consulting agreements, purchase orders, task orders, and other contracts for completeness and compliance with internal policies, in support of the formal review and approval process.
• Support U.S. and project staff in preparing, processing, organizing, and maintaining procurement and grant packages; draft RFQs, RFPs, BPAs, ICAs, checklists, and related documents; and conduct initial quality and completeness reviews of consulting and vendor agreement packages in support of formal review and approval.
• Maintain orderly and complete project records and conduct initial reviews of project files for completeness and alignment with Counterpart and donor requirements, in support of formal review and approval processes.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in international affairs, international development, business administration, public administration or related field .
• At least two years of relevant administrative support experience in an office setting, including internships and volunteer work.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English and French required.
• Ability to solve problems, manage multiple tasks, and set priorities in a dynamic professional environment.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and collaborate effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to gather information from diverse groups, improve processes, and collaborate to resolve issues.
• Strong communication, time-management, and organizational skills
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines and maintain strong attention to detail under pressure.
• Experience working with donor agencies (US government, World Bank, etc.) or development organizations/contractors is preferred
• Experience with budget tracking, procurement, or grants administration is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.