Program Assistant - Counterpart International - Arlington, VA

Counterpart International is seeking a Program Assistant (PA) to support the Afghan Civic Education Program (ACEP), a 5-year USAID funded project focused on promoting civil society and media engagement that enables Afghan citizens to influence policy, monitor

government accountability, and serve as advocates for political reform.

The position will provide support to the HQ and field team help meet program goals and objectives. The candidate will also provide support to the development of new business in Afghanistan. This is a full time position based in Arlington, VA. The PA will work

under direct supervision of the Program Manager and guidance of Program Officer.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Maintain productive working relationship with field staff, headquarters staff, implementing partners and consultants;

• Provide logistical and administrative support to headquarters and field office teams;

• Provide logistical and administrative support to staff traveling abroad in accordance with USAID and Counterpart travel policies and procedures;

• Prepare and process all financial, contractual and travel requests and reports from field office and HQ;

• Assists with event organization, including logistics planning and identifying venues/trainers;

• Uploading and organizing data, filling, and providing written report(s) on findings;

• Represent Counterpart at external conferences focused on Afghanistan and other relevant issues are report back on findings;

• Providing research support to headquarters and field office teams, including but not limited to identifying growth opportunities for Counterpart in the region and assisting with proposals as necessary;

• Maintain knowledge of issues facing country office including the operational environment and potential risks associated with the implementation of the award;

• Arrange and coordinate conference calls and meetings between HQ, Consultants, field and donor;

• Other tasks as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree with two (2) years of practical experience in implementing international development programs;

• Experience backstopping USAID funded programs; knowledge of USAID rules and regulations;

• Existing knowledge of Afghanistan current events, civil society networks and donors;

• Demonstrated understanding of political processes, governance and civic participation in the region;

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; Fluency in English;

• Strong computer skills, including MS Office Suite program, and web-based research tools;

• Superb organizational skills and an ability to focus on details;

• Ability to work independently as well as proactively seek out information from diverse groups and collaborate to create new processes and resolve issues;

• Ability to think quickly and effectively to solve problems, handle multiple projects, determine priorities in dynamic professional setting;

• Excellent interpersonal skills; commitment to collaboration and strong team player;

• Prior experience working in Afghanistan a plus;

• Knowledge of Dari, Pashtu in preferred but not required.

BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES:

• Collaboration: Develops and maintains strong and cooperative relationships with others in the organization and across all functional areas to ensure that we achieve the best results for our programs.

• Communication: Communicates effectively individually and in groups.

• Client Focus: Considers donor and beneficiaries needs first while balancing the organizations needs and processes.

• Leadership & Influence: Takes responsibility for creating a positive work environment.

• Results Oriented: Able to develop effective solutions despite ambiguity.

• Attention to Detail: Understand how details impact the larger outcome and acts tactically to connect the two.