Associate, Project Delivery, CATALYZE

About Palladium: 

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. 

 This Opportunity:

 CATALYZE is a $250 million 8-year program, designed to mobilize $2 billion in private capital, especially to underfinanced social sectors (such as education) and higher risk countries (especially low-income and post-conflict countries) around the globe, complemented by a cross-cutting inclusion of gender-lens investing. CATALYZE serves as a “platform of platforms” that provides services to many missions and bureaus that “buy in” to tap the CATALYZE investment and pay-for-results project management expertise.  Our aim is for investors to explore and find commercially viable opportunities and approaches to creating jobs, developing sustainable social services, tightening, and rationalizing supply chains, and advancing inclusive growth – ultimately, reducing the need for development institutions to provide donor funding.

Global CATALYZE teams and USAID missions have spent the last two years co-designing and implementing a series of activities to significantly mobilize private capital for development that make up the CATALYZE portfolio, including the following Activities (also known as Buy-Ins):

• Asia Social Protection: Improving access to financial and social protection for vulnerable women in Asia. Focus countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines. Partners: TBD
  
• CATALYZE Peru: Catalyzing investment and access to finance for SMEs in the Peruvian Amazon. Focus country: Peru. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Private Sector Anchor Firms
  
• EduFinance: Mobilizing capital for non-state education and improving and sustaining learning outcomes for children and youth, particularly those who are the most marginalized and vulnerable. Focus countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Latin America and the Caribbean. Partners: Kaizenvest, UBS Optimus Foundation, PEAS, EPG, Opportunity International
  
• Ethiopia Market Systems for Growth (MS4G):Fostering private enterprise growth primarily in agricultural markets to create jobs and increase incomes. Focus country: Ethiopia. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Transaction Advisory Service Providers (TASPs), Government of Ethiopia (GoE), Consultants, Associations
  
• Sahel Finance for Resilience (F4R):Increasing financing to support capital investment in the agricultural sector and in youth-led enterprises. Focus countries: Burkina Faso, Niger. Partners: ICDE (Burkina Faso) and SINERGI SA (Niger). Financial Facilitators/Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, USAID Implementing Partners Yalwa, Yidgiri, Bridge Youth Connect, Sahel Collaboration and Communication Activity
  
• Sri Lanka Private Sector Development (PSD):Promoting economic diversification and employment opportunities for SMEs, principally women. Focus country: Sri Lanka. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Consultants, Business Associations
  
• Western Balkans Engine of Growth: Increasing SME access to private capital and using finance to drive enterprise growth. Focus countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries
  
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE):Mobilizing private capital to create economic opportunities for women. Global focus. Partners: U.S. Development Finance Corporation, BAC El Salvador, Banco LAFISE Dominican Republic. The Associate, Project Delivery serves as part of an Project Management Unit that is responsible for the management and delivery of a specific activity buy-in, ranging from $10 Million to upwards of $50 Million each
  

The Associate position supports the management of effective and efficient operational, financial and compliance activities to deliver work in accordance with contractual obligations, company policies, local country settings, and client rules and regulations. The Associate, Project Delivery, is a valued member of the team completing a variety of tasks that are critical to high-quality project management. This role reports to the Manager, Project Delivery.

Location:

The position is based in Palladium's Washington D.C. office.

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in verbal/written communication, organization, and attention to detail, we are interested in hearing from you.

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

• The role reports directly to the Manager, Project Delivery
  
• Internally the role will be required to liaise closely with other staff of the CATALYZE Project, including the project delivery team, corporate business services team, Process Excellence Hub, innovative finance/economic growth subject matter experts, and other units within the Americas Regional Business Partnership
  
• Externally the role will liaise with clients, in-country Palladium staff and stakeholders, subcontractors, grantees, and suppliers
  
• The role carries a degree of autonomy with appropriate consultation
  

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Project Management

• Support project start-ups and closeouts
  
• Participate in the development, review, and tracking of progress against project work plans
  
• Support the development and presentation of internal and external reporting, (quarterly Internal Project Reviews [IPRs], project risk assessments, annual reviews, and client deliverables) and ensure these outputs are fit for purpose
  
• Contribute to technical assistance through reviews, engaging in work planning and discussions with the field team, etc. to build skills with the goal of taking on a more senior role, such as manager, project delivery or a functional area
  
• Ensure project issues and risks are logged, monitored, and updated in the issues and risk portal (aka register) and escalate risks and issues to corporate/project leadership
  
• Learn to review procurements, budgets, reports, and other documents to ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures; may conduct spot checks on processes and internal controls including reviewing asset management procedures and updated asset registers for each project
  
• Support the development and dissemination of communications products
  
• Support development of project subcontractor and grants management procedures compliant with both internal policies and procedures, and client rules and regulations
  
• Assist with internal PMU administration, including drafting weekly meeting agendas, tracking tasks, maintaining calendars and deadline reminders
  
• Work towards anticipating project needs and providing compliant, flexible recommendations on processes, or assigned responsibilities, such as suggesting adequate timelines for reviews and coordination between HQ and field offices, proactively handling PMU administrative tasks, etc.
  
• Serve as a liaison between the project and the Process Excellence Hub
  
• Contribute to the preparation and maintenance of project specific components of the project management manual
  
• Learn and contribute to training of project staff on company policies, procedures, and guidelines and client rules and regulations (covering for example: security, occupational health and safety, risk management, planning, human resource management, monitoring, reporting, finance, procurement, logistics, IT, communications, audit support and all other such implementation matters)
  

Contract and Client Relationship Management

• Support the monitoring and maintenance of compliance with head/prime contracts
  
• Manage and support contract amendments as required
  
• Provide inputs and support to other PMU members on any client communication or reporting needs
  

Financial Management

• Support monitoring expenditure against budgets and forecasts, including staff costs, operating expenses and procurements; reconciles & reports on all advances monthly
  
• Assist with project financial and cash-flow planning, process monthly Funds Transfer Requests and payments for assigned projects
  
• Review cashbooks / field vouchers and ensure supporting documentation is complete
  
• Help coordinate service providers and process work orders and invoices
  
• Assist with internal financial reporting and tasks including accruals and reviewing client invoices
  
• Support preparation of contract action requests (i.e., travel, personnel additions/changes, subcontracts, grants, budget realignment, etc.)
  
• Support audit processes and ensures retention of project records is compliant with company policy
  

Key Competencies Required:

• Project Management and demonstrated experience with one of the standard Project Management software (e.g. Microsoft Planner)
  
• Budget management and forecasting
  
• Works with respect and dignity for all colleagues and contributes to a cooperative team working environment
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, in English
  
• Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyze financial reports
  
• Basic understanding of management including organizational skills and attention to detail
  
• Sound problem-solving and decision-making skills
  
• Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team when required
  
• Fluency/proficiency in Spanish
  

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

• Experience implementing USAID-funded programs

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status. 

 Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

 Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.