Senior Program Assistant – SENIO002176-00001

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 Senior Program Assistant (SPA) provides overall support to the Africa Center to help accomplish the mission of the Institute. The SPA provides day-to-day programmatic and administrative support, including assistance with general coordination of program activities, developing and updating informational material, maintaining program databases and supporting budget and contract management activities, and meeting and event planning. The SPA position is based in Washington, DC, and will report to the Senior Program Officer and is a member of the Africa Center.

Grade 8 – $58,000 – $60,000

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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Support:
* Develops, edits, and updates program informational items for internal USIP staff members and external audiences (e.g., web content, weekly updates, project pages, event announcements, Senior Study Group reports, etc.).
* Provides research support for Africa Center team members and related projects, including fact-checking and editing research reports.
* Maintains program databases, files, and contact lists.
* Supports the team with reporting on program activities and outcomes to the Vice President, Executive Office, USIP’s Board of Director, and interagency partners, including tracking project activities and developing tools for monitoring and evaluation.
* Assists in the coordination of working groups, dialogues, and conferences, including preparing background materials and note-taking.
* In coordination with the Africa Center staff, assists with travel arrangements.
* Completes special assignments as needed.

* Tracks, updates, and supports development of strategic plan, implementation plan, workplan, and program and budget trackers, supporting smooth day-to-day operations of Africa Center programs.
* Assists timely and accurate communication and coordination between USIP project staff and project partners in support of project implementation.
* Leads in planning meetings, supporting the setting of agendas, tracking next steps, decisions, and follow-up tasks.
* Collaborates in ensuring the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) tools are developed in concert with partner leadership and direction and MEL best practices.

* Provides preliminary analysis of monitoring and evaluation information collected. Assists as a program liaison with the Learning, Evaluation and Research team.

Budget and Contract Management Support:
* Assists program staff with budget and contract management tracking and processing, including drafting contract documents, submitting requisitions and amendments, and tracking status of all program contracts and payments.
* Maintains contract tracking system to answer basic questions about any contract under the teams’ management (e.g. contract expiration date, amount of funds remaining, latest payment, etc.).
* Serves as the main point of contact for external contractors or vendors on contractual or logistical-related items for programmatic work.
* Assists program staff in communications with Grants, Contracts, and Administration and Finance Teams.
* Provides technical advice on contract-related policies, procedures, and requirements.

Events:
* Organize, coordinate, and execute USIP events, including drafting talking points and moderator questions, identifying speakers/panelists, developing substantive materials in support of events, and coordinating agendas/invitations.
* Coordinates logistical arrangements for program events such as off-the record roundtables, dialogues, working groups, and private meetings, including reserving rooms, drafting and formatting event text, sending out invitations and monitoring RSVPs, ordering food and supplies, including submission of hospitality requests, arranging room set-up, and serving as the main point-of-contact for attendees.
* Supports the program team in drafting event text, agendas, panelist bios, etc. and develops promotional and informative descriptions of events for internal USIP staff members and external audiences.
* Coordinates domestic and international travel and overnight accommodations for event participants.
* Serves on USIP-wide events assistance roster.

Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
* Bachelor’s degree in international relations or related field required. Master’s degree preferred.
* Two years (2) or more years of relevant work experience, preferably related to Africa required.
* Excellent writing skills.
* Strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly MS Word, MS Outlook, and MS Excel. Previous experience with QuickBase, Concur and Momentum/Pegasys Financial Management System and strong computer skills in database usage is preferred.
* Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
* Experience organizing conferences and meetings and making domestic and international travel arrangements.
* Demonstrated ability to develop effective working relationships and strong interpersonal skills, including cross-cultural communication.
* Arabic and French language skills highly preferred.

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:

1. Completed employment application including titles, dates of hire and salary requirements.
2. Cover letter
3. Resume

For questions about this position please email [email protected]. Do not send resumes or attachments to this email address.

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.