Junior Program Assistant

A. Summary Statement:

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

We are hiring for positions under the Global Health Training, Advisory, Support Contract (GHTASC) in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health (GH). These roles deliver institutional support services in a wide range of technical areas at the junior, mid-, senior, and expert advisory and administrative professionals.

The Africa Bureau’s Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD) provides intellectual, technical and strategic leadership to the bureau on sectoral policies, priorities and budgets through analyses, strategy development, program design, technical assistance, advocacy and information dissemination. It comprises four divisions: health; education; conflict, peacebuilding and governance; and economic growth, agriculture and trade.

The Health Division (where this position will sit) is dedicated to improving health outcomes across Africa and supporting our Missions to do so. Programming ~$14 million USD each year, the team focuses on: 1) strengthening, supporting, and elevating regional institutions and partnerships; 2) recognizing and leveraging multi-sectoral approaches responsive to key health and development challenges; and 3) identifying and communicating regional trends, challenges, and opportunities. The team– comprised of ~20 technical experts spanning COVID-19, HIV, TB, malaria, maternal and child health, family planning, health systems strengthening, and global health security– builds relationships between AFR and other work units across the Agency and interagency, ensuring that AFR context is applied to global health policy, programming, and decision-making.

B. Position Summary:

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.

Full pay range for this position: $21.88 to $38.88 per hour. The typical hiring range for this position is from $21.88 (minimum) to $30.38 (midpoint) per hour. The starting wage is determined based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, as well as budget availability.

Employment Type: Full Time

C. 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.
• Maintains correspondence and program files.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

D. Qualification Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 1 year of relevant experience, 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.

Other Qualifications:

• 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.
• 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.

E. Competencies/Performance Criterion

• 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.

F. APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Prior to submitting your application your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position. Please ensure that all relevant experience and education is documented on your resume. There is no limitation to resume length; updates to resumes will not be accepted during the interview and selection process.

PHI WORKFORCE MANDATORY COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY

Per the PHI Workforce Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, it is a condition of employment for all domestic based employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless they are granted a reasonable accommodation under applicable law.

New hires need to provide proof of full vaccination prior to their start date or apply for an exemption/accommodation within three business days after their start date. Depending on the circumstances, new hires who do not comply with this Policy, or who cannot be reasonably accommodated, will either have their employment suspended or terminated. Candidates who are non-compliant will have their offers rescinded.

This position described in this announcement falls under a contract with the Federal Government, and therefore is subject to the provisions put forward in OMB Circular A-76 which prohibit contractors from performing inherently governmental functions. Specifically, employees placed in agency positions will not perform inherently governmental functions, nor supervise any personnel other than the contractor’s own staff, nor make final decisions or sign documents that commit the U.S. Government.

EEO STATEMENT

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are offered employment and employees are treated during employment without regard to these characteristics.

For further information regarding Equal Employment Opportunity, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser: http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

ADA STATEMENT