Project Assistant, International Practice Area
PROJECT ASSISTANT, INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE AREA
Location: Washington
Practice Area: International Conservation
Employment Type: Direct Hire
Start Date: 11/27/19
Environmental Incentives’ mission is to enhance the natural systems that sustain resilient and healthy communities. We design performance-driven approaches to conservation that empower public and private sector leaders to multiply their impact. We are environmental thought leaders pioneering a new wave of conservation, helping people get the most from their investments in the environment. Since our establishment in 2004, we have become a leading advisor on natural resource programs and policies across the country and internationally. Environmental Incentives is a certified B Corporation operating three offices across the U.S. and supporting field staff in multiple countries.
- Western Office (headquarters) – South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Eastern Office – Washington, DC
- Mountain Office – Denver, CO
OPPORTUNITY
Environmental Incentives is seeking a highly productive person to fill the position of Project Assistant. This position will support two USAID projects, the Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership, and the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean’s (LAC) Environment Support Mechanism. It will also provide support to management of EI’s International Practice.
The USAID Sustainable WASH Systems Learning Partnership (SWS) is a five-year effort that explores systems-based approaches to improving the sustainability of WASH services. The partnership is led by the University of Colorado, Boulder, and includes seven other partners working in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Environmental Incentives leads monitoring, evaluation, and learning efforts for this project.
The LAC Environment Support Mechanism is a five-year initiative to help USAID strengthen its programming in Latin America and the Caribbean by providing expert technical and logistical support services to strengthen the design, management, and evaluation of regional and bilateral environment, resilience, and energy programs in the LAC region.
EI’s International Practice is run from our Washington, DC office and supports the implementation of projects and client services in international conservation and development.
The Project Assistant will support teams through research and technical assistance, administrative support, and project coordination. The Project Assistant will report to EI’s Team Lead for the SWS and the Program Manager for the LAC Environmental Support Mechanism.
The ideal candidate will adeptly take on a variety of tasks, while helping to establish systems and procedures for this growing small business. The responsibilities for this position include:
COMMUNICATIONS (25%)
- Support the development of high quality, brand-compliant, multimedia communications products and visual assets.
- Work with subject matter experts to produce fact sheets, case studies, success stories, and other communications materials.
- Manage and contribute website content, including blog posts.
- Prepare newsletters and announcements using e-mail marketing software.
- Copyedit written materials including reports, briefs, and presentations.
- Document formatting to ensure consistency and branding compliance
DATA MANAGEMENT (25%)
- Assist with collating reporting and monitoring and evaluation data from project staff and partners.
- Manage electronic library of files and documents, ensuring company and project compliance with government regulations such as the FAR and AIDAR regulations.
- Perform basic data analysis and quality control to ensure integrity of data systems
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND COORDINATION (30%)
- Assist with the development and rollout of project deliverables such as work plans, monthly meetings, yearly retreats, annual reports, synthesis of findings, etc.
- Develop and/or manage trackers and tables for planning and monitoring upcoming tasks and responsibilities; milestones for project design, implementation, and evaluation
- Track project outputs and knowledge projects through their drafting, review, revision, and approval process; Ensure project outputs are filed properly
- Support external and internal meetings and conference calls, such as through organizing meeting logistics, preparing meeting materials, preparing minutes and actions, and/or coordinating follow-up
- Take minutes of meetings and track next steps on meeting outcomes and communications
- Support travel arrangements in compliance with contract requirements
MANAGEMENT SUPPORT (20%)
- Help the International Practice Area Director and Senior Management Team implement key aspects of EI’s annual strategy: support internal meetings, help plan annual company-wide meetings, support the exchange of information across staff teams
- Support internal operations and team events: plan team-building activities and marketing events, support office operations, and implementation of special projects.
QUALIFICATIONS
Environmental Incentives seeks talented, creative and inspired professionals who can provide technical leadership in a growing practice while being flexible enough to fit into a strong culture.
QUALIFICATIONS DESIRED
- Bachelor’s degree
- At least 2 years of full-time, post-bachelor’s work experience in project management, operations, or communications. Experience in international development or US government services strongly preferred
- Relevant academic training in a field relevant to international development, preferably related to international water, sanitation and hygiene activities or wildlife conservation
- Exceptional customer service skills, and a passion for helping people—an eagerness to assist others, and flexibility in taking on the work at hand.
- Strong copyediting and writing skills
- Highly organized with a problem-solving orientation
- Willingness to be available outside of regular office hours for international calls and other time-sensitive tasks (approximately 2-4 times per month)
- Advanced to expert knowledge of MS Office suite (particularly MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel)
- USAID or other donor experience is a plus
- Spanish language skills are an asset
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS AND BASE STATION
The position will be based in Washington D.C., with infrequent travel.
COMPENSATION
Environmental Incentives also offers a competitive benefits package that includes generous annual leave, holiday and sick time, retirement plan options, professional development opportunities and health coverage. Salaries depend on qualifications and location. The annual salary range for this position is $45,000 – $54,500.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume on enviroincentives.com/about-us/careers. Please include the cover-letter in the same PDF document as your resume, or else paste it into the web form as unformatted text. Candidates will be reviewed as applications are received and the position will be filled as soon as the appropriate candidate is identified.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
While resumes, cover letters and writing samples allow us to screen for certain characteristics, they don’t always let us know who you are and the qualities and skills you possess. Therefore, we will ask qualified candidates to complete a hiring exercise in order to better determine alignment with Environmental Incentives’ principles and position expectations. Candidates who perform well on the hiring exercise will be invited to interview with the Environmental Incentives team.
ENVIRONMENTAL INCENTIVES IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
We are committed to developing an inclusive work environment where diversity of thought, style, culture and skill and is valued in support of individual performance and potential, as well as our business goals and mission.