We are looking for a Program Assistant to support program management functions in the Foundation Markets. The Program Assistant (PA) will have wide ranging responsibilities and work with PSI staff at all levels both in Washington and overseas. The position requires flexibility and willingness to assume varied duties and projects with an emphasis on administrative and financial tasks. This position is based in Washington, D.C. and reports to the Senior Program Manager for Foundation Markets.
The position will form part of a global backstopping team based in DC and will be expected to interact regularly with the field offices in the region, as well as other departments in Washington including Contracts, Finance and Procurement. The ideal candidate is someone who will pro-actively meet administrative needs, can juggle multiple, competing priorities, and will enthusiastically ensure smooth and timely flow of work.
The Program Assistant is responsible for providing administrative and financial support to the Foundation Markets team in DC and overseas, ensuring smooth and timely flow of work and will be assigned to support specific projects. Duties include, but are not limited to the following:
- Provide dynamic and proactive administrative support to the Foundation Markets team.
- Serve as the point of contact for all unit-wide requests and manage Foundation Markets email groups and SharePoint pages.
- Support the design of tools and systems for knowledge management and information tracking including the development and roll-out of standard operating procedures (SOP) for archiving, filing, and classifying documentation.
- Monitor internal report management systems and tools.
- Manage requisitions for procurements and consultant contracts.
- Review and process vendor and consultant invoices generated through DC.
- Manage and organize Foundation Market events such as: meetings, retreats, team building activities, etc.
- Assist with travel arrangements for Foundation Markets staff including: helping to secure visas for urgent travel, making hotel reservations, and scheduling appointments.
- Other duties as assigned.
The candidate we hire will embody PSI’s corporate values:
- Measurement: You use hard evidence to make decisions and guide your work. You set clear goalposts in advance and explain clearly if you need to move them.
- Pragmatism: You’ll strive to deliver the best possible result with the resources available. You won’t be paralyzed by a need to make things perfect.
- Honesty: You own your mistakes and are open about your shortcomings – it’s the only way you’ll learn and improve.
- Collaboration: You’ll quickly establish a mental map of whom you can rely on for what, on your team, at headquarters, and in our country offices – if you try to do it all yourself, you won’t succeed.
- Trust: You accept limits to your sphere of control and give colleagues the benefit of the doubt
- Commitment: You are in it for the long-haul and want to grow with the organization, just like PSI serves its consumers and partners with host-country governments through thick and thin
Our ideal candidate will possess:
- At least one year experience working in a fast paced office environment
- Experience living outside the United States and in multicultural environments preferred
- Advanced computer skills with strong Excel and SharePoint skills (and including MS Office applications)
- Excellent organizational and administrative skills with strong attention to detail and timeliness
- Proven ability to develop routines to manage large workloads and organize work efficiently
- Readiness to interact with a variety of people and assume diverse duties and tasks
- Proficiency in French
Successful candidates will be customer service oriented, exhibit excellent communication and interpersonal skills; have proven problem solving ability; be able to work efficiently and quickly under pressure; be able to prioritize and perform multiple tasks; and have the ability to work with minimal supervision and follow through on assignments. Preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated interest in international health and development issues.
Icing on the cake
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills; you feel comfortable speaking up when you have something important to say and have the ability to effectively interact with senior management.
- Mind for Process Improvement. You bring awareness and commitment to doing work effectively and efficiently. We want people who will see a way to streamline or improve a process and who won’t hesitate to share their ideas in making it happen.
- Champion of Fun. You support the idea that the team that works hard should play hard. We like people with a team attitude who smile and encourage others through both easy and tough tasks.