Program Assistant - ARE Activity

BACKGROUND

The Lebanon Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) program is a multi-year project funded by USAID to develop rural economics in Lebanon through support to the agro-food sector and other industries to unlock local and export sales potential while also creating jobs and increasing farmers’ and worker’s incomes. ARE will increase jobs; improve incomes; improve female participation and employment opportunities; increase domestic and export sales; increase private sector investment; improve access to finance; link value chain actors to domestic and international markets; and improve farm production through improved practices, technology, increased volume, and/or decreased cost.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Program Assistant is an entry-level position for a candidate that seeks to apply their financial and businesses analysis skills to strengthen program design and implementation. The Assistant will work closely with ARE’s Program Specialist and Program Manager and ARE’s technical advisors on the day-to-day technical advisory and activity management that the department provides to the wider ARE program. In addition, the Program Assistant has administrative duties that are essential to the efficient and effective functioning of the TASC team and wider ARE program.   The assistant is expected to have solid MS excel skills with basic financial analysis abilities along with excellent English writing skills.

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES

Administrative

• Arrange programmatic and technical meetings as requested
• Arrange program logistics including but not limited to travel requests, room bookings, event bookings.
• Note-taking and drafting meeting minutes.
• Other administrative duties as assigned

Programmatic and Technical

• Maintain and update individual program activities on MS project including document control and deliverable tracking
• Create basic financial spreadsheets using MS excel showing financial returns, investment returns
• Undertake research on assigned agricultural and agribusiness and tourism sectors, if requested
• Assist in the drafting, editing, and formatting of technical reports
• Other programmatic and technical duties as assigned

Communications

• Collect data and maintain ARE’s database
• Update ARE’s virtual library
• Support in organizing and planning ARE’s public events, site visits
• Assist in maintaining web content and executing social media strategies
• Update databases and media lists
• Track projects and media exposure
• Facilitate effective internal communications
• Maintain calendars and appointments
• Prepare presentations and reports
• Other communications-related duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, including Business Administration, Agribusiness, or Finance
• Minimum of two years of experience preferably working on donor-funded projects in a related role and with demonstrated financial skills experience; Applied financial/business skills in agricultural programs are a plus
• Demonstrated experience in assisting technical teams in day to day program operations, basic financial modeling and analysis, and report writing
• Knowledge of USAID, or other donor preferred;
• Excellent/fluent written and spoken English and Arabic;

LOCATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The Program Assistant will be based in the project’s main office in Beirut, with travel throughout the country as needed.

REPORTING

The Program Assistant will report to the Program Manager