Program Management Assistant, Africa - United States

Democracy International (DI) is seeking to hire a full-time Program Management Assistant, Africa to be based in DI’s home office in Bethesda, Maryland. The Program Assistant will be primarily responsible for providing administrative and programmatic support to DI staff in Bethesda and DI field offices in Sub-Saharan Africa. We will only consider applicants who are based in the DMV area and anticipate filling this position quickly.

Essential Job Duties:

• Providing administrative and programmatic backstop support for DI staff in Bethesda and overseas;
• Coordinating with travel agent to book travel for field staff and consultants;
• Providing programmatic and logistical support for overseas consultants and staff members;
• Working with supervisors to ensure program compliance with relevant USAID regulations and mission orders;
• Contributing to timely report writing and editing;
• Assisting in project startup and staff deployment;
• Expand expertise of political, cultural, and operational contexts in specified region;
• Ensuring timely submission of invoices and contribute to expense reconciliation;
• Supporting tracking of project finances and deliverable timelines;
• Providing research support related to politics, governance and elections in foreign countries;
• Supporting the development of internal reports, annual work plans, quarterly, monthly and weekly reports;
• Maintaining sound relationships with counterparts in the field to ensure teams are adequately supported. 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, public policy, political science, or a related field.
• One to two years' professional experience in project support and oversight, ideally in supporting USAID-funded programs abroad.
• Applicants should be highly organized and able to prioritize multiple tasks and meet dynamic client deadlines.
• Knowledge and experience in elections, politics, governance, and/or international development is desired.
• Very comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite
• Fluency in English and excellent writing and communications skills required.

Reporting and Supervision:

• This position reports to the Program Manager.

Environmental Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Moderate noise (i.e. business office with computers, phone, printers, and moderate traffic).
• Ability to work in a confined office space/area.
• Ability to sit and/or stand at a computer desk for an extended period of time.
• Ability to travel on long plane flights across several time zones and at irregular hours.

Physical Requirements Required to Perform Essential Responsibilities:

While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to;

• Stand, sit; talk, hear, use of hands and fingers, and perform repetitive motions to operate a computer and telephone keyboard.
• Reach, stoop, or kneel, to adjust computer and/or telephone equipment.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work.
• Hearing abilities required due to telephone.
• Light to moderate lifting is possible.
• Travel will require moderate lifting, sitting for extended periods of time, overnight flights across multiple time zones;
• Regular, predictable attendance is required; as business demands dictate.

Democracy International is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its employment process for individuals with disabilities to meet any and all physical requirements of our jobs.

Application Process:

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter and CV. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be filled as soon as a qualified candidate is identified. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. The starting salary range for the Program Management Assistant position is $41,000 - $50,000 commensurate with experience.  DI will only contact candidates of interest. 

All interested applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of application.

About the Organization:

DI provides technical assistance, analytical services and project implementation for democracy, human rights, governance and conflict mitigation programs worldwide for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. State Department and other development partners. Since its founding in 2003, Democracy International has worked with civil society organizations, political parties, election-management bodies, government agencies, legislatures, justice-sector institutions, and others in 80+ countries.

DI welcomes and supports a diverse and inclusive work environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities (EEO) for all applicants seeking employment and for DI employees. DI makes employment decisions based on organizational needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, personal appearance, military status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, political affiliation, educational status, unemployment status, place of residence or business, source of income, or reproductive health decision making. Additionally, harassment or discrimination based on these characteristics will not be tolerated at DI. To perform the essential functions of this position, reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities.