Project Coordinator

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a global leader in public health research and education, is looking for a Project Coordinator to support the programmatic, operations, financial and management work at its India Research Center (IRC) located in Mumbai, India. The overarching mission of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is to advance the public’s health through learning, discovery, and communication. The India Research Center has three foci: Research, Training, and Translation and Communication. The Center, established with the support from extraordinary generosity of leaders in India, is housed in Lower Parel, Mumbai with almost 4000 square feet of space for office, classroom and conferences.

Job-Specific Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Contribute to the coordination and implementation of the research, capacity building, and knowledge dissemination activities of the Center under the supervision of the Director of the Center:

• Monitor project plans, timelines, and project schedules
• Compile and develop review summaries, meeting notes, report writing, editing, and assisting in writing scientific papers
• Support in the development of agendas, training modules; prepare presentation materials and other project-related materials
• Contribute to identifying key stakeholders working in the thematic areas of faculty-led projects and initiatives
• Work closely with Harvard faculty, collaborators, and project teams to identify scope, plan and implement projects, schedule regular check-ins, develop monitoring plans and identify opportunities for capacity building and dissemination

Communication, event, and logistics management:

• Organize and coordinate in-person and virtual training workshops, capacity building programs, symposiums, and seminars, and contribute to the development of training modules
• Organize and participate in stakeholder meetings at national and state levels
  Support the team in developing outreach strategies and communication materials for training, seminars, conferences, and workshops
• Work closely with communications teams at the School and Center levels to draft and disseminate research and capacity building program-related material on social networks, emails, website
• Support the team in extending invitations and handling RSVPs for workshops and training programs
• Act as the primary contact to the Administrative Assistant for travel, local stay, local conveyance bookings for faculty, speakers, and trainees
• Guide the Administrative Assistant in local logistics for activities hosted by the Center
• Perform administrative activities as needed, such as setting up meetings, making minutes, preparing for events, etc.

Operations and financial support:

• Work with project teams to identify and engage vendors, interns, and consultants
• Work with HR and administrative teams to draft contracts and agreements
• Working closely with and receiving support from the Administrative Assistant, support the accounting of
• IRC-related invoices (object codes, gift codes and cross-checking business purpose identified for various spends)
• Guide and monitor the processing of IRC-related invoices through the Swift AP system and corporate card, and ensure consistent and timely account maintenance and reconciliation
• Vendor management including facilitating vendor registration, managing vendor timelines and responding to vendor queries related to TDS, GST and invoices
• Duties and responsibilities will be continued in the “Additional Information” section.
• This position has a term of one year from date of hire, with possibility of extension.
• Shortlisted candidates will be required to provide writing samples.
• This position will require regular evening work to coordinate with US-based operations. It will also require travel within India when normal business operations resume.
• The primary work location for this position is Mumbai, India. Until our return to the office, which is still to-be-determined, this interview process and position will be conducted virtually – including virtual interviews, remote onboarding, and remote work. The remote nature of this position is only temporary. Local, onsite work in Mumbai will be required as a condition of continued employment once the Center and this role return to an operational status that supports it.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 3+ years of related experience required; a combination of education and experience may be considered

Additional Qualifications and Skills

The following job-specific skills and competencies are preferred:

• Master’s degree in public health, social sciences, social work, development, health management or related field
• Experience in project management/coordination, and in public health or allied fields strongly preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including English language skills and/or fluency (including speaking, writing, understanding, and reading), strongly preferred
• Experience with Microsoft Excel and Word
• Basic knowledge of accounting and record keeping
• Familiarity of local financial practices, including an understanding of basic finance compliance issues, a plus
• Experience with working in larger professional organizations
• Strong attention to detail
• Proven capacity to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines

The following cultural competencies are also preferred:

Awareness of and aptitude to appropriately and effectively understand, respect, and adapt to cultural and identity-based difference within group environments
Knowledge of and commitment to concepts and issues tied to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion
Skills related to creating and supporting an environment that allows for inclusion, effective intercultural engagement, and personal humility and authenticity

Additional Information

Duties and responsibilities continued:

The Project Coordinator will also work closely with IRC leadership, the SBS Department, and HGI on the following tasks:

• Provide monthly accounting reports to the IRC leadership and grant management teams in support of strategic planning and to ensure appropriate spending
• Draft quarterly and yearly programmatic reports for submission to various funders and donors of IRC, and for leadership at School
• Under the guidance of IRC leadership team, manage communication with funding organizations on grants
• Collaborate with Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
• Health administrative and financial staff to ensure smooth functioning of administrative and financial processes
• Ensure compliance with Harvard policies and procedures
• Perform other duties as assigned