POSITION SUMMARY

Senior Program Officer will report directly to the Program Manager. Senior Program Officer will be responsible for the overall Grant Administration, coordination with in-Country Coordinators network and programming fields.

Essential duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

Programming:

• Works with the REF Program Manager on revisions/changes in projects and project plans of the Scholarship Schemes, develops new projects and project components;
• Oversees the administration and coordination of Health Scholarship Program in Bulgaria, Macedonia Romania and Serbia, coordinates with REF in-country staff; Responsible for the Program Application assessment, application document verification and review in Health Scholarship Program;
• Prepares Health Scholarship Program materials for Selection Board screening, assessment and evaluation, monitors administration and Coordination of the Program;
• Works with REF Program Manager, REF Scholarship programs Steering/Selection Board on developing REF announcements including eligibility criteria, required documents, guidelines for application for scholarship Programs;
• Helps to monitor Program development in the Program countries, participates in planning and organizing the Program related orientation sessions, workshops, conferences, organizing staff training events;
• Works with REF Program Manager to monitor the Program based on annual coordinators’ reports, data reports, feedback from partner organization and Program beneficiaries;
• Participates in developing annual qualitative and quantitative reports, as required;
• Responds to day to day e-mails, letters inquiring about both the scholarship program in general and the actual status of the applications/contracts/grants in particular.
• Actively participates in developing the Program polices and procedures, manuals, information leaflets, liaises w/public entities for promotion of the Program.
• Substitutes for the Program Manager while the later is on authorized leave, business trip or vacation.

Grant Administration:

• Monitors the GMS developments, log-in of applications and reports in Program countries;
• Supervises the registration, updating and tracking of applications and grants in GMS in close collaboration with the in-Country Coordinators (grant contracts, general reports, payment reports, invitation letters, etc.);
• Liaisies with GMS technical support group and in-Country Coordinators in Program countries, updates the group with regards to Program GMS and Grant Administration and processing;
• Prepares and tracks grant expenses and directs payments to Finance Department of REF for processing (Grant and Transfer related expenses);
• Monitors the development of a contact database for in Country Coordinators and Program, as well as the Program Scholars through GMS;
• Administers and operates REXX, collaborates with Admin Consult and Raifeissen Bank with regards to Grant initiation, Grant transfer, accounting and grants report processing (individual and institutional);
• Supervises and prepares grant payment/tracking information for program reporting periods;
• Runs quantitative reports from GMS and REXX upon the request of Program Manager;

Required skills

• MA or equivalent Degree
• Fluency in English
• Fluency in Russian and Romanian Languages
• Skills in report- and project writing, experience of working in education or related projects (5-6 years)
• Experience with MS/Office and grant processing and tracking systems
• Willingness to work extensively with databases
• Ability to multitask, meet strict deadlines
• Flexibility and interest in working in a international environment/multicultural environment

Please send letter of interest in English and CV with at least three references to Ms. Valeria Bodoczky to: [email protected], by the deadline of 5:00 pm, 1st October 2010.