Program Specialist, China – PROGR002281-00001

Who We Are
Peace is our commitment. The United States Institute of Peace represents the American people’s shared values and commitment to peace worldwide. We know that Peace is Security – it advances both U.S. and international security by preventing, managing, and mitigating violent conflict.

We are an independent, non-partisan institution and are actively engaged with peacebuilding efforts worldwide. Together we tackle the most challenging problems and hold fast to the possibility of a more peaceful world. To learn more about USIP programs and job openings, go to https://www.usip.org/about/careers.

If you have a passion for making the world a better place and want to have a front-row seat on the world stage, USIP is the place for you.

Job Brief
The Program Specialist will contribute to, support and lead where applicable, the USIP China Program with substantive research, writing, and analysis, project and/or program management, budget and contract management, day-to-day administrative and logistical support. The Program Specialist will report to a senior member of the China Team, work closely with all members of the China Program and is a member of the Asia Center. This is a full-time position, based in Washington, DC, with some travel required.

TARGET SALARY
Grade 10 – $71,000 – $73,000

The Institute uses the General Schedule salary tables for administering compensation. Offers are determined based upon candidate qualifications, related experience, internal equity, and the amount budgeted for the position.

Major Duties and Responsibilities
Research Support:
• Assists China team colleagues with substantive research, writing, and project development.
• Works with the China team colleagues to define research priorities and identify partners.
• Reviews and edits products written by USIP or external authors.
• Provides meeting notes.
• Builds and maintains substantive expertise on a range of issues related to China.
• Writes and/or assists in writing and publishing articles for the USIP website and other USIP and external publications with colleagues.

Program Planning Support:
• Develops, edits, and updates program informational items for internal USIP staff members and external audiences (e.g., web content, project pages, event pages, etc.).
• Supports program strategy development.
• Maintains program databases, files, and Sales Force contacts, and holds responsibility for the accuracy of the data.
• Assists China team colleagues in identifying new programming and managing existing program activities (e.g., plans, develops, coordinates, and implements the program’s support services).
• Assists in the development of concept notes and proposals for new areas of research and programming as needed.
• Coordinates the implementation of the day-to-day operations of the program, including with key external stakeholders.
• Designs and manages the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for team projects/programs in collaboration with the Learning, Evaluation, and Research (LER) Team.

Events:
• Assists in the planning and organizing of workshops and other meetings in Washington, DC, and abroad.
• Coordinates all logistical arrangements for program events, including reserving rooms, drafting event text and panelist bios, sending out invitations and monitoring RSVPs, ordering food and supplies, arranging room set-up, serving as the main point-of-contact for attendees, and developing promotional and informative descriptions of events for internal USIP staff members and external audiences.
• Drafts event text, agendas, panelist bios, etc. and develops promotional and informative descriptions of events for internal USIP staff members and external audiences.
• Liaises with panelists and/or co-sponsoring organizations.
• Creates web content for events on USIP website and Exact Target.
• Assists in the organization and expansion of the program’s Salesforce contact list to help the team better target research, event, and other list engagement announcements to the appropriate audiences.
• Serves on USIP-wide events assistance roster.

Budget and Contract Management:
• Leads requisitions, invoice and expense processing, and cash requests, monitors payment of contract services; and generates budget reports.
• Develops and maintains contract tracking system and remains prepared to answer basic questions about any contract under the China Team’s management (e.g., contract expiration date, amount of funds remaining, latest payment, etc.).
• Leads budget tracking for select projects/programs as assigned.
• In coordination with the Director and other colleagues, assists in the preparation of the initial program budget.
• Serves as Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative as needed and appropriate.
• Serves as the main point of contact for external contractors or vendors on any contractual or logistical-related items.
• Achieves mastery of USIP financial management systems and answers questions related to financial management.
• In coordination with China Team colleagues, analyzes the program/project budget to develop recommendations on budget-related matters.
• Performs Other Duties as Assigned

Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree (Masters preferred) in international relations or related field required.
• Four (4) or more years (2+ with MA) of relevant work experience related to China required.
• Experience living or working in China strongly preferred.
• Mandarin Chinese language skills strongly preferred.
• Excellent writing skills.
• Experience working as part of a team.
• Ability to anticipate program needs and challenges and, more importantly, develop options for addressing those needs and challenges is required.
• Competence in program administration and financial management.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, and Excel), and databases and/or data management tools is required.
• Experience assisting in the organization of conferences, meetings, and events.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to develop effective working relationships and strong interpersonal skills, including cross-cultural communication.

CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS 01/05/24.

All applicants must be US citizens to be considered for positions with USIP.

All USIP contract and employee positions are contingent upon the favorable completion of a suitability background investigation.

HOW TO APPLY
To be considered for this position, please submit a complete application package consisting of:
• Completed employment application including titles, dates of hire and salary requirements.
• Cover letter
• Resume

Only those applicants that are selected for further discussions will be contacted.

No Phone Calls. Interviews will be scheduled by appointment only.

USIP is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy and practice of USIP to offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, political affiliations or belief, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.