Senior Associate, Inclusive Growth and Natural Capital (IGNC)

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 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. 

This Opportunity:

Palladium’s Inclusive Growth and Natural Capital Practice (IGNC) is seeking an outstanding professional to join us as a Senior Associate, namely within the Inclusive Growth and Finance and Investment Portfolios. As an early career-level professional in the portfolio, the Senior Associate will bring project management experience and technical curiosity to both project delivery and business development. The Senior Associate will support the startup, administration, and management of projects and, through business development, contribute to Palladium Americas’ growth and impact around the world.

The Senior Associate(s) will support project delivery, business development, and other initiatives across the practice. This may include technical areas as diverse as finance and investment, financial and digital inclusion, market systems, business enabling environments, agriculture, climate change and green economy, enterprise development and entrepreneurship, competitiveness, export and market development, e-commerce, and innovation.

Location and Compensation:

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

For our prospective employees in the United States, please note that the full-time equivalent annual base salary for this position is expected to range from $61,000 to $92,000 and successful candidates may also be eligible for additional, variable incentive compensation dependent on the role. For part-time employees, the salary will be prorated based on the actual number of hours worked.

Please be advised that a final salary offer will be based on various factors, including but not limited to your qualifications, education, experience, skills, seniority, performance, and Palladium’s business or organizational needs.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the compensation for this position, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We value your interest in our company and appreciate the opportunity to discuss this opportunity with you.

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and are interested in expanding upon existing experience in project management and business development in the international development space by gaining additional experience and expertise in economic growth, private sector engagement (PSE), inclusive growth, sustainable market systems development, green economy, agriculture, and enterprise competitiveness 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 Lines:

This role will report to a Manager, Inclusive Growth or Finance and Investment, depending on project assignment(s)

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

Project Management

Functions in an agile manner by working with multiple team members to deliver on multiple requests and project/corporate needs
In collaboration with Manager and Project Director, ensures clear and timely communication between all stakeholders
Identifies, builds, and maintains sector-specific relationships with partners and consultants that can provide technical expertise to Palladium-managed projects
Serves as the project’s liaison between all internal stakeholders including but not limited to corporate services, Senior Managers, the Compliance and Project Excellence Hub
Identifies inconsistencies with technical planning and recommends solutions; plans for procurements/grants to ensure resource availability at critical times
Supports the management of operational activities associated with the various aspects of the life cycle of a project
Processes contract action requests (i.e., travel, personnel additions/changes, partner, grant, budget realignment, etc.)
Manages subcontracts and third-party vendor contracts to address contractual and payment matters as needed

Financial Management

Contributes to financial forecasting and system uploads, identifies and corrects errors
Liaises with project teams on monthly financial reporting requirements
Reviews for accuracy and processes project fund transfer requests
Conducts monthly reviews and oversight of project expenditures, identifies, reports, and advises on any errors or potentials risks
Reviews and processes invoices from consultants, subcontractors, and vendors for timely and accurate submission in accordance with project requirements and Palladium procedures
Maintains subcontractor and consultant payment trackers

Human Resource Management and Recruitment

Coordinate input and support from HR for recruitment and contracting staff and consultants
Coordinate project staff recruitment and due diligence (i.e., posting job descriptions, due diligence, compliance spot checks, biodata verification, record retention, and contract preparation and onboarding)
Maintain project data on relevant systems for short-term and long-term staff and consultants
Support the mobilization and demobilization of all international staff (short-term and long-term) including contracting, travel management, security, approvals, payments and induction

Technical Work and Business Development/Other

Contributes to the pursuit of new business opportunities
Support cross sectoral collaboration as applicable
Research trends and identify opportunities for improvement within assigned projects and/or portfolio
Contributes to technical activities – workplans, activity deliverables, communication products
Contributes to sector-specific research, reports, budgets, workplans, proposals and other outputs intended for distribution to internal and external stakeholders
Performs other duties as required

Essential Criteria:

Ability to learn and apply complex program procedures with exceptional attention to detail
Proven ability to train people on new processes
Demonstrated competence to assess priorities and manage a variety of activities in a time-sensitive environment and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality
Demonstrated ability to work as an effective team member in a complex and fast-paced environment
Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff, clients, and consultants
Sound problem solving and decision-making skills
Ability to work independently and take initiative
Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyze financial reports
Ability to travel and work in developing countries for extended periods of time if needed
Strong editing skills and demonstrated competence using Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Desired Criteria:

Experience working within an international organization or firm in private sector-led economic development, agribusiness, inclusive growth, climate and nature, and/or finance
Experience supporting work implementing USAID or other donor-funded projects
Professional working proficiency in another language, with priority given to Spanish, French, Portuguese and Arabic

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.