Program Assistant

Position Title:      Program Assistant

Position Status:   Full time

Vacancies:            2

Supervisor(s):       TBD 

Location:              Washington, DC

Salary:                   Determined by Collective Bargaining Agreement. PartnersGlobal offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

This position is covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement between PartnersGlobal and the Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 2, AFL-CIO.

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND:

PartnersGlobal (previously Partners for Democratic Change), established in 1989, is an international, non-governmental organization committed to building sustainable capacity to advance democratic institutions, civil society, and a culture of peaceful change and conflict management worldwide. PartnersGlobal specializes in organizational development and social entrepreneurship, having provided the seed capital and technical assistance to establish 21 independent, local Centers around the world.

PartnersGlobal adheres to the values of participatory decision-making, collaboration, and consensus-building as the fundamentals of an inclusive, democratic society; and we promote the application of these skills in all aspects of our work. The PartnersGlobal team includes process and technical experts, facilitators, and trainers who apply those collaborative skills to achieve concrete results in technical areas such as rule of law development, women’s empowerment, security sector reform, and natural resource management. Our network of local Centers is renowned for undertaking cutting-edge work and applying our process expertise to convene disparate parties to jointly tackle some of the most complex development challenges.

POSITION OVERVIEW: 

PartnersGlobal is seeking two (2) Program Assistants to support the organization in providing programmatic support services, ensuring high quccuracy, and consistency of work. They will work under the direct supervision of the Director, or the Director's delegate (e.g., Program Manager and/or Senior Program Manager), for whom the Director will remain accountable for oversight. The Program Assistant may serve as an administrative backstop for the Program Team during temporary absences or exigencies of service.

This is an exciting opportunity for early career professionals to contribute to the continued growth of a vibrant organization with a strong record of achievement in the democracy, governance, and peacebuilding space, and which is well respected by donors and local organizations alike. PartnersGlobal maintains a diverse portfolio of projects across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. We are a committed staff with a collegial and supportive office culture, and a shared passion and belief in our work.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Specific responsibilities of the Assistant include but are not limited to:

Program Management

• Provide administrative support for the planning and implementation of activities related to programs/project initiatives.
• Research, compile, analyze, summarize, and present basic information/data on specific programs/projects and related topics.
• Assist in the coordination of program/project planning and preparation.
  
• Draft and maintain project-related documents that are reviewed and approved by the Project-related documents can include quarterly and final reports to donors, project work plans, communications materials, etc.

Business Development

• Provide support to organizational business development processes, including liaising with the Business Development team, to monitor the status of program/project proposals. The Assistant can administratively support (e.g., copy editing, formatting, etc.) the Director to help in the timely and efficient delivery of project documents to relevant parties for approval.
• Under the supervision of the Director, may assist with the development of proposal budgets and attachments, including cost reference sheets and activity sheets, as well as Key Personnel CVs/resumes and descriptions, letters of support, etc. for handoff to the Director and/or Program Lead for completion.

Finance

• Administratively assist the Program Lead in the preparation and analysis of program/project budget proposals, including data entry and coordinating with the finance team to resolve low-level administrative financial issues.
• Liaise with operations and finance teams to verify that all fiscal and performance activities follow PartnersGlobal policies and procedures and funder regulations; elevates non-compliance issues to Program Lead to take necessary compliance action(s).

Knowledge Sharing

• Organize a catalogue of Partners Network approaches and methodologies to conflict resolution and sustainable development topics and maintain calendar of internal training opportunities.
• Participate in training for the operations/program staff on project-related themes.
• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice. 

Other Support Tasks

• Manage logistics/travel and preparations for field missions. 
• Assist team with scheduling, correspondence, expense reports, and other administrative items as needed.
• Prepare, maintain, and update files (electronic and paper) and internal databases. 
• Assists in the design and generation of periodic and ad hoc reports, statistical tables, graphic content, and other background materials/notes to facilitate inspection and other reviews.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: 

• Provide reliable assistance in the coordination of program/project planning and implementation activities and basic research support.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of the context of programs/projects and issues in assigned area and use increasing levels of independence in processing work and follow- up actions.
  
• Demonstrate initiative in the identification and resolution of issues/problems.
• Well organized, produces accurate reports, records and/or data, developed with appropriate guidance.
• Know and consistently apply policies, guidelines, and procedures.
  
• Effectively, and in timely manner, liaises and interacts with colleagues and concerned parties internally and externally.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience

• 1 year of related experience working in peacebuilding and international development, nonprofits, and/or general administration.
  
  

Core Competencies

• Excellent oral and writing skills with ability to express complex ideas clearly.
• Ability to analyze, organize, problem-solve, manage, and prioritize work.
• Demonstrated knowledge and competency in one or more of Partners’ program areas (e.g., organizational development, conflict resolution, civil society, good governance and rule of law, human rights, women’s empowerment).
• High level of interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to effectively interact with U.S. and foreign national staff and civil society, government, and the private sector actors.
• Proven team player with the skills and ability to form positive relations with colleagues. 
  
  

Education and Language

• Undergraduate degree or coursework in international relations, peace and conflict studies, or related area; or one year of relevant experience in lieu of education.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English.

PartnersGlobal is an EEO Employer

At PartnersGlobal, we have a clear vision: to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay and do their best work. Diversity is more than a commitment at PartnersGlobal—it is the foundation of what we do.  We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other fascinating characteristics that make us different. As an equal opportunity employer, PartnersGlobal recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, political affiliations or belief, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.

 Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please contact our  Director of Human Resources & Talent Management, Edith Kardouni, at ekardouni@partnersglobal.org  for assistance. We welcome the opportunity to discuss accommodation of your disability and ensure fairness in our hiring process.