Program Assistant – Asia

Job Description

As part of the Crisis Response, Recovery and Development Department, the Asia Region has a growing portfolio of humanitarian relief, post-crisis recovery, and development programs currently in seven countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. The region is managed by a regional team that oversees the region’s country programs, headed by a Regional Vice President and a Deputy Regional Director (DRD) and supported by a Regional Grants Director (RGD), Regional Program Officer (RPO), Regional Grant Advisors and Regional Program Manager.

Job Overview/Summary: The Asia Regional Program Assistant (RPA) will be responsible for providing a range of assistance services in support of the programs in the designated regions, working closely with colleagues on the regional team, and reporting to the Regional Grants Director. The position also involves working in close collaboration with other colleagues based in the field and in other HQ units and departments, including but not limited to the Awards Management Unit, Technical Units, External Relations, Human Resources and Finance, and liaising with London, Berlin, and Washington offices, as needed.

Major Responsibilities:

Grants & Partnership Management (35%)

 Liaise with country programs and the Finance Department to process source code requests from the field and relay proper documentation back to the country programs;

 Assist in obtaining Delegations of Authority, Powers of Attorney, and other documents as needed to facilitate field office operations;

 Procure signatures on grant and partnership agreements, amendments, and other required documents;

 Assist in reviewing, providing substantive copy/edit feedback, and submitting grant reports when needed;

 Ensure proper and centralized project as well as grant management filing systems at HQ, both electronic and hard files;

 Assist in guiding field staff on IRC’s grants and partnerships internal processes;

 Assist in providing coverage support when regional support colleagues are absent.

Internal and External Communications (15%)

 Assist the regional and country program staff in drafting, revising and updating regional and country program communication materials such as country factsheets, country updates, newsletters, etc.

 Assist in maintaining up-to-date information and data for the region on the IRC’s intranet site through gathering regular updates from country staff;

 Manage month to month communications calendar.

Administrative (45%)

 Perform office administrative tasks, such as processing payment requests and vouchers, photocopying, scanning, mailing, and filing;

 Manage team trackers, following up with Regional Program Support Team to ensure information gathering, updates, and circulation;

 Schedule regional team meetings, provide call support, and take meeting minutes;

 Support with scheduling of regional management meetings;

 Assist with the organization and note taking of regional conferences and regional meetings;

 Assist in organizing logistics and meetings for field staff visiting HQ;

 Provide administrative support to consultants in the field and process payments;

 Work with CRRD’s Department Manager and field offices to ensure the region’s entries in the International Address Book are kept up to date.

 Assist in travel booking and travel expense reports, as requested.

Other (5%)

 Research and be informed about programmatic issues, security and political developments in the Regions;

 Participate in special projects and other tasks, as needed.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Regional Grants Director, Asia

Position directly supervises: N/A

Indirect Reporting: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Asia Regional Vice President, Asia Deputy Regional Director, Finance Department; General Counsel’s Office; Awards Management Unit; Regional Staff

External: Various depending on information requests (e.g. donors)

Job Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in related field (Education, Int’l Affairs, Social Work, etc.) or equivalent

Work Experience: Minimum 1-2 years related non-profit and/or administrative work experience.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Proven English writing and editing skills; the ability to draft memos, letters, and edit reports and proposals in English;

• Solid organizational and administrative skills, with a proven ability to prioritize projects with attention to detail;

• Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and database software;

• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a diverse team and handle a multifaceted workload;

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: the ability to successfully and effectively liaise with people within and across departments in a multi-cultural environment;

• Ability to work independently and productively in a fast-paced environment – proactivity and initiative to problem-solve within the job parameters is essential;

• Good understanding of the Asia regional context.

Language Skills: English proficiency, both spoken and written.

Certificates or Licenses: N/A

Working Environment: Standard work environment.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.