Who we are

We’re Population Services International (PSI), the world’s leading non-profit social marketing organization. We work to make it easier for people in the developing world to be healthy by providing access to products and services that range from mosquito nets to HIV testing.

There are over 9,000 “PSI’ers” around the world. It’s a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds - from the medical industry to the music business - all with unique skills we bring to the job.

Join us!

Though contested by other departments, the Anglophone Africa (AA) team is clearly the best at PSI. AA is known as the innovation lab, a place where exciting new ideas in global health are tested. Currently, we have programs operating in Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, Ghana, Zambia, Namibia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, and Uganda.

We are looking for a Program Assistant (PA) to support program management functions in the Anglophone Africa department. The PA will have wide ranging responsibilities and work with PSI staff at all levels both in Washington and overseas. The position requires flexibility and willingness to assume varied duties and projects with an emphasis on administrative and financial tasks. This position is based in Washington, D.C. and reports to the Associate Program Manager for Anglophone Africa.

The position will form part of a regional backstopping team based in DC and Nairobi and will be expected to interact regularly with the Regional Office in Nairobi, the field offices in the region, as well as other departments in Washington including Contracts, Finance and Procurement.

Sound like you? Read on.

Your contribution

RESPONSIBILITIES: The Program Assistant is responsible for providing administrative and financial support to the staff of the Anglophone Africa region, ensuring smooth and timely flow of work and will be assigned to support country offices. Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide dynamic and proactive administrative support to the Associate Program Managers, Program Managers, Finance Manager, Subaward Manager, Financial Analysts, and Regional Directors
• Liaise with the Grants and Contracts department for review of contracts and budgets, and track/respond to issues
• Create review, update and realign donor budgets as assigned, and manage the project setup and modification process
• Review and process vendor and consultant invoices generated both through DC and the country offices; track and reconcile credit card activity and business communications expenses
• Support the review of monthly financial status reports review for assigned countries
• Collect and review supporting documents for audit requests
• Support maintenance of internal report management systems and tools
• Manage and organize departmental events such as: department meetings, retreats, team building activities, etc.
• Assist with travel arrangements for Anglophone staff including: helping to secure visas for urgent travel, making hotel reservations, airport pick-up for visitors to D.C., and scheduling appointments
• Maintain existing departmental system of filing, classifying, and tracking country-specific documentation and support the design of tools and systems for knowledge management and information tracking
• Schedule and prepare for meetings and take minutes as requested
• Assist with regional expenses and reconciliation
• Other administrative and programmatic duties as assigned

What are we looking for?

The candidate we hire will embody PSI’s corporate values:

Collaboration: You can work independently, but thrive within a team.

Trust: You trust that your manager and team will have your back and care deeply about gaining that same trust from your teammates

Pragmatism: You dive in and maintain momentum even when things are ambiguous and you don’t let perfect get in the way of good enough.

Honesty: You aren’t afraid to speak up and speak your mind.

Measurement: You set clear and challenging goals and hold yourself accountable to driving measurable results.

Commitment: You’re independent and a free thinker, but you’re ready to buy in to the direction of the team and commit to its success.

The basics

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least one-year experience working in a fast-paced office environment
• Experience living outside the United States and in multicultural environments preferred
• Advanced computer skills with strong Excel skills (and including MS Office applications)
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills with strong attention to detail and timeliness
• Proven ability to develop routines to manage large workloads and organize work efficiently
• Readiness to interact with a variety of people and assume diverse duties and tasks
• References will be required.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.  N.B. PSI will not consider work visa sponsorship for this position.
• The successful candidate will be required to pass a background check.

Successful candidates will be customer service oriented, exhibit excellent communication and interpersonal skills; have proven problem solving ability; be able to work efficiently and quickly under pressure; be able to prioritize and perform multiple tasks; and have the ability to work with minimal supervision and follow through on assignments. Preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated interest in international health and development issues.

Icing on the cake

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills; you feel comfortable speaking up when you have something important to say and have the ability to effectively interact with senior management.
• Mind for Process Improvement. You bring awareness and commitment to doing work effectively and efficiently.  We want people who will see a way to streamline or improve a process and who won’t hesitate to share their ideas in making it happen.
• Champion of Fun. You support the idea that the team that works hard should play hard. We like people with a team attitude who smile and encourage others through both easy and tough tasks.
• Can-do Attitude. You can juggle multiple competing deadlines without getting flustered and with a sense of humor.
• Your Passion: You are passionate about international health and development issues.
• Organizational and Administrative Wiz. You love staying organized and paying special attention to details.

Status: Non-exempt

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of actual or perceived race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, family status or responsibilities, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions or breastfeeding, genetic information, amnesty, veteran, special disabled veteran or uniform service member status or employment status.