Job Brief

Program Operations Officer, Partnership for Healthy Cities

Vital Strategies is an international public health organization. Our programs strengthen public health systems and address the world’s leading causes of illness, injury and death. We currently work in 73 countries, supporting data-driven decision making in government, advancing evidence-based public health policies and mounting strategic communication campaigns. Vital Strategies’ priorities are driven by the greatest potential to improve and save lives. They include non-communicable disease prevention, cardiovascular health promotion, tobacco control, road safety, obesity prevention, epidemic prevention, overdose prevention, environmental health, vital statistics systems building and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment research. Our programs are primarily concentrated in low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific; the Overdose Prevention Program is our first initiative in the U.S. Learn more about Vital Strategies here: www.vitalstrategies.org

Vital Strategies is committed to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive (DEI) organization. We believe our programs are strengthened when they are developed and supported by individuals with diverse life experiences, whose understanding of social and cultural issues can help make our work and workforce more inclusive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, gender, national origin, ancestry, actual or perceived age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, marital status, sexual orientation, predisposing genetic characteristics, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity or expression), partnership status, arrest or conviction record, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws.

Read about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Vital Strategies:
https://www.vitalstrategies.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-at-vital-strategies/

About the Program:

With most of the global population now living in urban settings, cities and their leaders play a critical role in developing, implementing and enforcing policies to create healthy environments for healthier populations. The Partnership for Healthy Cities (PHC), supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vital Strategies, is a global network of 74 cities whose mayors have committed to prevent NCDs—including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease—and injuries through proven interventions. Learn more about the Partnership for Healthy Cities here: www.cities4health.org

Job Purpose:

The Partnership for Healthy Cities initiative is expanding and the Program Operations Officer is a new role. This role will be responsible for providing administrative and operational support that will contribute to the efficient running of initiatives that advance healthier and safer cities across our global network.

This is a full-time, New York City-based role, where candidates are expected to adhere to a hybrid (2-days per week in office) schedule. Vital Strategies offers highly competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits. The salary range for this position is $64,000 USD to $74,000 USD. The candidate must have authorization to work legally in the US at the time of hire.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Program Operations Officer reports to the Senior Program Operations Manager, Partnership for Healthy Cities. As Program Operations Officer, your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Program Operations Support - 

· Support with designing and implementing new systems and processes to improve program-wide operations efficiency, effectiveness and impact;

· Support with conducting internal trainings on operations policies and procedures and provide ongoing guidance and task support to other program staff for operations-related activities;

· Maintain the program tracker that summarizes the status of contract processes, and coordinate with the program team for periodic updates;

· Support with developing and updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for internal and external use;

· Manage program compliance with organization-wide Human Subjects Research (HSR) protocols;

· Resolve escalated operational issues, ensuring effective coordination among relevant parties;

· Support with designing and executing the annual program operations calendar;

· Support with drafting and executing contracts, as needed;

Implementation Plan Portal Management - 

· Support with the program’s transition to a new platform that will receive project implementation plan and budget submissions from city partners;

· Act as the main administrator for the program’s implementation plan portal;

· Maintain the program implementation plan submission tracker;

· Conduct initial reviews of all implementation plans and budgets to ensure completeness and coordinate internal review and approval processes;

· Assist in developing and updating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for internal and external use;

· Coordinate the opening and closing of the portal for each grant cycle;

· Troubleshoot technical issues with internal and external partners, as needed;

· Perform routine system maintenance to ensure system records and contacts are up to date;

Travel Support - 

· Act as the program’s main contact for travel policy and procedures questions and resolve travel-related issues;

· Manage program compliance with organization-wide travel, safety, and security protocols;

· Maintain the program-wide travel tracker, including trip planning and budget tracking;

· Coordinate travel reimbursement requests, and submit for processing;

· Develop and implement systems to improve program travel processes;

· Provide task support to the program team for in-person and virtual events, as needed;

General Programmatic Support - 

· Prepare briefing notes, letters, PowerPoint presentations, and other communication materials as needed;

· Create document templates for internal and external use;

· Perform data entry and generate reports using Microsoft Word, Excel, Airtable, Docusign CLM, PowerBI, and other program management software;

· Correspond with external stakeholders and manage and fulfill their requests for information;

· Support the program team with other administrative tasks as needed;

Other - 

· Work closely with other administrative/operations colleagues across the organization;

· Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education and Degree - 

· Bachelor’s degree preferred.

· Skills and Abilities Comprehensive project management skills, with the ability to set priorities, and make sound, informed decisions;

· Excellent computer skills; proficient user of Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint); strong experience using Airtable is preferred;

· Ability to work across multiple time zones; Strong communication skills with the ability to write concisely in professional business English;

· Strong interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with internal and external partners;

· Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail;

· Ability to produce deliverables within budget and on time following established workplans;

· Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and dedication to the mission of Vital Strategies;

· Ability to build strong, ongoing, impactful relationships at all organizational levels and across a diverse range of cultural, generational, ethnic, racial, educational, and social backgrounds;

· Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Experience:

Required - 

· Minimum of 5 years of professional work experience providing support in an administrative or operational capacity;

· Experience tracking data for programs, including generating reports with program management software.

Preferred - 

· Experience working with global teams in multiple time zones;

· Fluency in Spanish or French;

· Experience using Airtable, Docusign CLM, or PowerBI.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

· The position will be required to travel internationally up to 5% of the time to attend meetings;

· The candidate must be willing and able to work across different time zones.

#LI-Hybrid

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