Join AIR as a Project Associate with our International Development Division (IDD) and make a difference, improving the quality of life for individuals and communities in low and middle income countries. AIR’s IDD work spans the globe with projects in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Central and Latin America, and the Middle East.

This position offers opportunities to gain first-hand project management experience on exciting technical assistance, monitoring, and evaluation projects in low-and middle-income countries.

IDD is seeking an entrepreneurial, highly motivated Project Associate to provide project management and business development support to the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) portfolio in West Africa on projects that focus on topics such as early grade learning, language of instruction, curriculum review, and teacher professional development.

Our IDD team is committed and engaged because we drive positive change in the following areas:

• Agriculture, food, and nutrition
• Early childhood development and education
• Refugees and migration
• Social protection
• Water, sanitation, and infrastructure
• Women's empowerment
• Workforce development

Use your experience, knowledge, and education to help us deliver on our mission: to contribute to a better, more equitable world.

Candidates hired for the position can work remotely based in Benin, Senegal or Cote d’Ivoire. Candidates must be eligible to work in the country where the job is based.

About AIR:

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

AIR’s commitment to diversity goes beyond legal compliance to its full integration in our strategy, operations, and work environment. At AIR, we define diversity broadly, considering everyone’s unique life and community experiences. We believe that embracing diverse perspectives, abilities/disabilities, racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds, styles, ages, genders, gender identities and expressions, education backgrounds, and life stories drives innovation and employee engagement. Learn more about AIR's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategy and hear from our staff by clicking here.

The responsibilities for the position include:

 The Project Associate will play a critical role in supporting the implementation of AIR’s FLN work in West Africa throughout the project life cycle and is expected to provide project management, coordination, and practical support on all matters related to project planning and roll out. Experience with technical assistance, institutional development, or public policy implementation is preferred. Fluency in English and French is required for this role. The Project Associate will also work closely with FLN team members to support strategic business development in the region, including the identification and pursuit of new business opportunities and participating in the proposal development process in a variety of roles.

Project Management

• Support project managers in all aspects of implementation of project to ensure timely and accurate completion of deliverables
• Assist in managing relationships and outreach with partner institutions, including academic, corporate, non-profit, and government partners, and vendors

• Support facilitation of technical assistance workshops and other meetings in collaboration with technical staff
• Coordinate and work closely with teams based in other countries
• Manage and support administrative aspects of projects including subawards, budgets, invoices, schedules and timelines, meeting organization and notetaking, etc.
• Contribute to the writing, editing and production of project deliverables, including templates and guides for project partners, and project reports
• Contribute to project monitoring and evaluation, analyze results to inform project implementation
• Track project expenditures and monitor project budgets
  
  

Business Development

• Support the International Development team build and improve knowledge management systems related to new business, for example creating and maintaining archives and file sharing systems
• Prepare texts, tools, and products to assist with planning and preparation of proposals (e.g., outlines, templates, checklists, capabilities statements)
• Conduct or contribute to research on business intelligence related to the international development division’s work
• Coordinate proposal work to include partner selection and management, preparing timelines, ensuring the proposal team adheres to deadlines, ensuring document completion, organizing meetings, and compiling notes, conducting background research, and drafting and proofreading proposal sections
• Help build and actively maintain and use a database of key business contacts.
• Serve as a core business development team member by working collaboratively on organizational and system improvements, anticipating, identifying, and proactively solving problems

Assist with other business development tasks as needed.  

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree with 2 years’ experience or master’s degree in public policy, international relations, economics, education, social sciences, or related field
• Relevant work experience on international development programming required; experience working with the education sector is a strong asset
• Background working on education, public policy, social protection, public health, agriculture, women’s empowerment, or international assessments.
• Familiarity with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems, indicator development, and results framework desirable
• Familiarity with the procurement systems and cycles of donors in the international aid, development, and humanitarian spaces, such as foundations, USAID, USDA, World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR, and others
• Availability to travel internationally up to 10-35% of time.

 Skills: 

• Excellent organizational skills, including attention to detail, ability to prioritize and multi-task, and ability to work under and adhere to tight deadlines
• Excellent cross-cultural and interpersonal communication skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team; must be a team player and demonstrate a sense of responsibility and sensitivity in dealing with diverse audiences
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Ability to translate complex technical language and ideas into a form easily comprehensible to non-technical audiences
• Demonstrated ability to research, synthesize, and present information in organized, succinct, and compelling ways
• Demonstrated computer skills, Microsoft Office, and interest to learn other software tools
• Fluency in French and English

Disclosures:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks.

AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer:

AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to recruitment@air.org.

If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams.

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