Junior Program Assistant (AFR/SD)

The Junior Program Assistant (JPA) will primarily support the Health Division in the AFR/SD office as an Institutional Support Contractor (ISC). The JPA will be responsible for a variety of both complex and routine administrative, management support, and programmatic duties. These duties range from tasks such as scheduling meetings and maintaining program files to more complex and technical tasks such as researching and analyzing information and data for program documents or drafting necessary program and budgetary memorandums and presentations. The JPA ranks tasks in order of importance and impending deadlines and handles several tasks simultaneously. The individual must develop a working knowledge of USAID policies, guidelines, and procedures.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The JPA time will be split between administrative tasks (approximately 60%) and programmatic or technical tasks (approximately 40%). Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Facilitates correspondence between AFR/SD and other offices in the Bureau as well as with others in the Agency, ensuring that all documentation and correspondence meet deadlines, are complete, and are in compliance with USAID rules, regulations, and standards.
• Supports AFR/SD/Health meeting and travel requests, preparation and follow up.
• Supports technical and managerial meetings.
• Analyzes, organizes, and formats technical information for use in briefings, presentations, publications and correspondence, ensuring consistency with USAID standards.
• Analyzes and edits program communications such as cables, memoranda, emails, and letters that seek approval or request information relative to program matters.
• Collects and makes arrangements for distribution of material to USAID missions, USAID/Washington offices, multilateral organizations, host country institutions, and implementing partners.
• Maintains and provides assistance with administrative, information, travel, and correspondence tracking systems, and designs and maintains spreadsheets and databases to support these systems.
• Schedules meetings and events; supports general logistics; maintains calendars, call lines, meeting setup.
• Documents minutes/notes of regular meetings, as required.
• Ensures that schedules and deadlines are met; and
• Maintains correspondence and program files.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher and a minimum of 1 year of relevant experience, OR Associate’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience, OR High School graduate and 5 years of relevant experience.
• US citizen with ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Access clearance.

• Strong oral communications skills and the ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business communications.
• Strong written communications skills with a keen attention to grammatical detail.
• Strong organizational skills in order to keep track of multiple tasks and deadlines at a time.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public is required.
• Ability to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite of programs (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Experience in executive administration and management procedures preferred.

• 
  Creativity: Employee takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work.
• Customer Service: Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates with customers, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Interpersonal Relationship: Employee demonstrates ability to work in cooperation with others and communicate effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients and other outside contacts.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met. Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to Organization policies and procedures.
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goals. Proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the Organization.