PATH is an international organization that drives transformative innovation to save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accelerate innovation across five platforms-vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and system and service innovations-that harness our entrepreneurial insight, scientific and public health expertise, and passion for health equity. By mobilizing partners around the world, we take innovation to scale, working alongside countries primarily in Africa and Asia to tackle their greatest health needs. Together, we deliver measurable results that disrupt the cycle of poor health.
The Better Immunization Data (BID) Initiative’s strategy is based on the premise that better data, plus better decisions, will lead to better health outcomes. Its vision is to empower countries to enhance immunization and overall health service delivery through improved data collection, quality, and use. The BID Initiative will shine a light on the challenges surrounding data collection, quality, and use, and identify practical, country-owned, country-led solutions in immunization that could spread to other health interventions. The Initiative will partner with countries and global health stakeholders to develop and deploy a holistic and scalable approach that focuses on information system products, data management policies, and the practices of people that use them in order to enable evidence-based decision making. These components will be packaged into a replicable solution that can be easily and cost-effectively adapted by additional countries interested in using it to improve their immunization management. If successful, a true tipping point will occur—one in which countries can access, analyze, and act upon accurate immunization data—anytime, anywhere, resulting in improved immunization outcomes.
PATH under the BID initiative seeks to recruit a Program Assistant who will play an important role in supporting the overall activities of the initiative in Zambia. The Program Assistant will work closely with the Finance and Operations Manager and provide key support to the BID Initiative Zambia Country Representative and technical leads. S/he will provide the ongoing administrative support for the BID Zambia team, as well as have the specific responsibility to monitor the project timeline and integrated work plan.
Responsibilities:
- Assist in the creation of and provide ongoing monitoring of the project timeline and integrated work plan in conjunction with the Finance and Operations Manager and BID Country representative, including tracking of various team activities, key resource allocations, critical-path management, and parallel track planning to ensure milestones and deliverables are constantly defined and monitored across the initiative within Zambia.
- Utilize identified team tools to coordinate communication, work efficiency, and collaboration within the Zambia BID Initiative team, as well as with team members in other countries as needed through virtual teaming practices.
- Support BID Zambia leadership to achieve proper planning, completion, and dissemination of deliverables and maintain tracking systems for project implementation.
- Draft correspondence to partners and collaborators, including cover and thank-you letters and general email correspondence.
- Support activities led by initiative technical staff by helping to plan events, logistics, basic information gathering, and support with overall coordination of activities.
- Serve as project point person for email, faxes, and other correspondence; alert appropriate individuals regarding necessary action items and gather information to draft responses to routine incoming correspondence.
- Maintain appropriate electronic and paper information management systems, including maintenance of Zambia SharePoint site on BID Initiative central site.
- Maintain project calendars and travel schedules and coordinate with Seattle-based BID Program Assistant on BID-related international travel and meetings.
- Schedule and assist with team meetings, including making all arrangements for rooms and equipment, compiling and organizing relevant background materials, preparing agendas, drafting meeting minutes, and monitoring follow-up activities.
- Coordinate arrangements for conferences, workshops, meetings, and other events, including liaising with procurement and addressing equipment needs, catering, travel arrangements, hotel suggestions, taxicabs, and other necessary details for staff, guests, and project consultants. Assist with post-travel expenses and invoices as needed.
- Coordinate with other PATH departments as needed on communications, travel, and accounting activities.
- Assist with completion of administrative forms as required, including procurement request forms, check requests, meal conference forms, etc.
- Assist Finance and Operations Manager with contracts monitoring, including submission and follow-up of agreement requests to relevant PATH departments, expiration reports, and payment processing.
- Assist in coordinating initiative team’s work with other PATH programs.
- Liaise with the Seattle-based BID Initiative Program Assistant and other project support staff in other countries on cross-collaboration activities.
Required Experience
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, or equivalent.
- Minimum of one (01) year of experience working in an office setting. Experience working with international organizations preferred.
- Demonstrated strong administrative and organizational skills.
- Excellent oral and written communications skills, including proofreading and editing.
- Strong interpersonal and critical thinking skills.
- Excellent organization, attention to detail, and ability to appropriately prioritize competing tasks.
- Effective time management and able to work under time pressures.
- Ability to work with diverse vendors and stakeholders to organize frequent meetings, workshops, and travel.
- Ability to maintain accurate records.
- Capacity to collaborate and communicate effectively with team members.
- Proficient in working with computer software.
- Applicants must have legal authorization to work in Zambia.
More Information
- Job City Lusaka
