Administrative Management Specialist — USAID/Africa

About Us

International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. (IBTCI), a U.S. based international development consulting company established in 1987, has worked in over 100 countries and implemented over 300 projects. IBTCI serves government agencies, private sector companies, and several donor agencies. IBTCI specializes in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) and institutional support across many areas and sectors including, but not limited to, conflict and crisis, democracy and governance, agriculture, economic growth, food security, education, environment, and global health.

Job Title: Administrative Management Specialist

Department/Location: USAID Africa Bureau in the Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD)/Washington, D.C.

Type: Regular Full-Time

Clearance Required: Secret

Overview:

This position is located in the Africa Bureau in the Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD). AFR/SD provides leadership on African development issues through analysis, strategy development, program design, technical assistance and advocacy. The Office disseminates information in areas of capacity building, institutional strengthening, partnership development, information technology, social sciences, democracy and governance, natural resources management and environment, agriculture, population, HIV/AIDS, health, nutrition, education, and crisis mitigation and recovery.

The Administrative Specialist will work closely with the AFR/SD Leadership Team, and the full technical staff. The incumbent, under the supervision of the AFR/SD Director and the AFR/SD Deputy Director, provides direct support to the Director and the Deputy Director, and to designated members of their staff. The Administrative Specialist performs a combination of duties requiring the knowledge of a broad range of administrative, management and human resources tasks involved in supporting the functional responsibilities of AFR/SD. The Program Assistant provides support to technical staff, performing a variety of both complex and routine administrative and analytical duties. These duties range from administrative tasks such as scheduling briefings and meetings, arranging travel and maintaining program files, to more complex analytical tasks such as collecting, compiling, and analyzing data for various program documents and designing and maintaining spreadsheets in support of tracking systems.

The Program Assistant ranks tasks in order of importance and impending deadlines, and handles several tasks simultaneously. The individual must develop a working knowledge of USAID policies and guidelines, as well as corporate practices and procedures. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

The work is primarily sedentary, although some walking, bending, or carrying of light items may be involved. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting rooms, training rooms, etc. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

This position is Washington, DC based, requires regular in-office presence three days per week, and is telework eligible for up to two days per week.

Responsibilities

Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:

GS 09:

Administrative Planning/Support Work 50%

• Researches and provides information to organizational POC and participates in planning meetings and activities.
• Works with the Director/Deputy Director and occasionally the Program team to Interpret procedures and guidance for organizational services provided.
• Serves as the AFR/SD expert concerning administrative issues.
• Plans and develops new methods for coordinating the administrative work of a complex organization with disparate organizational segments requiring complicated administrative controls to accomplish the work of the organization.
• Assists with preparing and/or assembling complex charts (including Bureau organizational charts), data, reports, and narrative and statistical materials provided for on-going organizational planning.
• Reviews and Interprets procedures and guides for organizational services provided and shares that information with managers and staff.
• Provides administrative support to the Office on special projects, frequent reporting, and maintaining the Director’s calendar.

Organizational Management 25%

• Performs administrative management functions that service and/or fulfill a number of organizational requirements.
• Maintains databases that reflect the fulfillment and/or status of administrative requirements and/or systems, prepares administrative paperwork, and maintains and tracks the status of the office’s personnel actions.
• Maintains and updates existing spreadsheets that capture staffing related information, including but not limited to the Africa Bureau staffing list, AFR/SD’s emergency contact spreadsheet, the out of office calendar, and email listservs.
• Drafts correspondence, minutes, recommendations, reports, and memoranda related to management and administrative programs and issues.
• Serves as timekeeper for U.S. direct hire staff. Provides advice and guidance on procedures for submitting time and attendance through USAID approved systems (i.e. GovTA). Serves as backup GovTA timekeeper for other AFR/SD timekeepers
• Serves as the primary E2 resource for AFR/SD, and manages travel for AFR/SD, including the Universal Technical Request and Mission Support (UTRAMS) system.

Special Project Planning or Accomplishment 15%

• Conducts research of data from diverse sources. Extracts and assembles information.
• Prepares and presents oral presentations to a variety of audiences related to present duties, responsibilities and leadership, and current and future workload.

Liaison Activities 10%

• Responds verbally and in written format to requests for information requiring coordination with other agency offices.
• Assists higher-grade specialists in formulating internal policies and procedures to resolve conventional problems and situations in assigned liaison activities.
• Follows guidelines and procedures to develop communications plans in support of an organizational program to include travel, time and attendance, and other areas as assigned; reviews them for impact and effectiveness.
• Ensures the most effective and efficient support is provided to the staff in the execution of their responsibilities. Performs other duties as assigned.

GS 11:

Administrative Planning/Support Work 45%

• Analyzes established programs and performs program liaison duties to support long-and short range administrative planning activities for the organization.
• Reviews work completion reports to ensure accuracy and compliance with organizational standards.
• Prepares and assembles complex charts (including Bureau organizational charts), data, reports, and narrative and statistical materials provided for on-going organizational planning.
• Reviews and Interprets procedures and guides for organizational services provided and shares that information with managers and staff.
• Serves as the contact person concerning administrative issues.
• Carries out special studies of a program and policy nature involving various aspects of administrative management and recommends corrective action to remedy any detected deficiencies or to improve operations.

Administrative Management of an Organization 30%

• Performs administrative management functions that service and/or fulfill a number of organizational requirements, to include supporting documentation management.
• Applies existing and new policies, provides advice on requirements, maintains databases that reflect the fulfillment and/or status of administrative requirements and/or systems, prepares administrative paperwork, and maintains an awareness of the status of the office’s personnel actions.
• Drafts correspondence, recommendations, reports, and memoranda related to management and administrative programs and issues.
• Provides advice and guidance to managers and employees on questions and situations related to the administrative services provided.
• Prepares correspondence, minutes, reports, budget, spreadsheets, or other documents related to structured work assignments or developmental activities.
• Gathers, interprets, and analyzes information to develop recommendations.
• Prepares and delivers oral presentations to a variety of audiences concerning programs relating to present duties, responsibilities and leadership, and other areas specifically researched and analyzed.
• Compiles and prepares written reports on an ad hoc basis. Reports require the ability to research, analyze, interpret data, and sustain conclusions through the extensive use of supplemental computer applications to produce the final products.
• Analyzes statistical and program data to develop reports.
• Designs and sets up complex spreadsheets and databases. Maintains and updates existing spreadsheets that capture staffing related information, including but not limited to the Africa bureau staffing list, emergency contact spreadsheet, the out of office calendar, and email listservs.
• Serves as the timekeeper for U.S. direct hire staff. Provides advice and guidance on procedures for submitting time and attendance through USAID approved systems (e.g. GovTA). Provides advice and guidance on procedures for submitting time and attendance through USAID approved systems (i.e. GovTA). Serves as backup GovTA timekeeper for other AFR/SD timekeepers.
• Serves as the primary AFR/SD resource on travel, advising on E2, travel approvals, and UTRAMS.

Special Project Planning or Accomplishment 15%

• Conducts extensive research of data from diverse sources. Extracts and assembles information. Uses advanced analytical techniques to develop conclusions.
• Develops written reports or oral presentations to recommend changes to programs or procedures.
• Solves unusual problems in performing a variety of duties related to special projects involving administrative or program issues.

Liaison Activities 10%

• Follows established policies and procedures to assist in the development and maintenance of relationships with various stakeholders in government, private industry, and/or academic institutions.
• Assists higher-grade specialists in formulating internal policies and procedures to resolve conventional problems and situations in assigned liaison activities.
• Responds verbally and in written format, to requests for information requiring coordination with other agency offices.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with agency program staff, headquarters staff, state and local officials, and/or private industry individuals.
• Works closely with the Africa Bureau’s Office of Administrative Management Services (AMS) to coordinate a wide variety of administrative issues, ranging from file management to supporting relocation of staff and their possessions to ensuring that policies and procedures are being followed.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and with others.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and handle multiple/detail-oriented tasks.
• Proficiency in administrative and clerical functions.
• Effective interpersonal skills, especially with senior leadership.
• Proficient in Google (Docs, Drive, etc.) and Microsoft (MS Word, Excel, etc.) applications.
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a secret security clearance.

Education:

• A bachelor’s degree in a field such as international relations, economics, finance, trade, business, international development, or public policy with a minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience, or
• A master’s degree with a minimum of one year of relevant work experience.

Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.

Supervisory Responsibility: This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Travel: International travel may be required and may include travel to fragile and/or conflict-prone zones.

Work Authorization: Candidate must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

About the Organization:

IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education & human capacity development, energy & infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.

IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page, https://careers.ibtci.com/jobs).