Special Assistant to Assistant Administrator/Deputy Assistant Administrator

The Global Health Training, Advisory and Support Contract (GHTASC) delivers effective global health programming to advance the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Bureau for Global Health (GH) through institutional support and workforce development services from junior, mid-level, senior and expert advisory and administrative professionals.

Credence and its partner, the Public Health Institute (PHI), are both employers for GHTASC, and are seeking a Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator/Deputy Assistant Administrator in USAID's Global Health Bureau under GHTASC.

Summary Statement:

The position of Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator (AA)/Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) is in the Office of the Assistant Administrator (AA/GH), or “GH Front Office,” which serves as the principal advisor to the Agency and the Administrator on broad technical and operational matters relating to the mandate of the Bureau. The AA/GH directs and supervises the Bureau, approving projects and programs and allocating resources among the Offices. The Front Office has ultimate responsibility for the quality of the Bureau’s programs and the capacity of its workforce. It includes the Assistant Administrator, three Deputy Assistant Administrators, Special Advisors, and Program Assistants.

Position Summary:

The Special Assistant to Assistant Administrator/Deputy Assistant Administrator (AA/DAA) will primarily support the Office of the Assistant Administrator (AA/GH), or “GH Front Office” as a PHI Institutional Support Contractor (ISC). In this role, the selected candidate will provide efficient day to day support to the Assistant Administrator (AA) or Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA), performing a variety of both complex and routine administrative and programmatic duties, as described below. In addition, as directed, the Special Assistant AA/DAA will provide broader support to Front Office leadership. 

The Special Assistant AA/DAA will perform a broad array of program and administrative support, meeting and travel management as well as preparation (and supporting preparation) of quality written documents, briefing notes, research summaries and presentations.

The Special Assistant AA/DAA is a key member of the team that works to keep the Front Office streamlined and efficient, working closely with other Front Office and as directed, other Bureau staff to ensure its broader goals and objectives are completed in an efficient and effective manner. The Special Assistant AA/DAA ranks tasks in order of importance and impending deadlines and handles several tasks simultaneously. The individual is expected to be familiar with technical issues and policies pertaining to the public health focus area(s) of the AA/DAA’s portfolio and must develop a working knowledge of applicable USAID policies and guidelines, as well as corporate practices and procedures. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Special Assistant assists the Deputy Assistant Administrator on many high-profile topics which requires moderate onsite management oversight and guidance.

• Complete a broad variety of administrative tasks for the AA/DAA and as directed, Front Office leadership, managing and maintaining an active calendar of appointments, updating schedules and contacts, and maintaining team files.
• Prepare for a wide range of events, trips, reports, briefings, talking points, presentations, memos, publications, and other means of communication for the AA/DAA, working as needed with the Bureau’s communications team, ensuring that all documentation is complete and in compliance with USAID rules, regulations, and standards.
• Facilitate correspondence between the Front Office and other offices within the Bureau, between the Bureau for Global Health and other bureaus and offices in the Agency, as well as external stakeholders, ensuring that all documentation and correspondence meet deadlines, are complete, and are in compliance with USAID rules, regulations, and standards.
• Compile and review information on potential problems and issues; prepare oral and written reports that address the problems; and make recommendations for their resolution.
• Work with the AA/DAA to develop strategic travel schedules, schedule trip calls, and define briefing needs and trip deliverables.
• Coordinate GH processes and facilitates the interagency coordination (scheduling, document completion, and other essential duties) of GH activities.
• Participate in GH meetings and attend on-site and off-site meetings to gather information and report back to the AA/DAA and other Front Office Leadership as directed.
• Create comprehensive information packets and briefing books as well as develop PowerPoint presentations.
• Provide oversight of documents and requests intended for the Deputy Assistant Administrator.
• Establish appointment priorities and rescheduling if needed.
• Assess the urgency and importance of situations and take appropriate action.
• Support and contribute toward larger Global Health Bureau success by performing program support and diverse administrative functions in a fast-paced global environment.
• Analyze data to help generate recommendations for further non-structural or structural changes to help increase the Global Health Bureau's productivity and efficiency.
• Support the work of the AA/DAAs and Technical Teams who attend Leadership Councils or related structures that promote cross-Agency integration.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 4 years, Associate’s and 6 years, or High School and 8 years of professional experience.

Other Qualifications:

• A demonstrated ability to deliver high quality, accurate work within targeted deadlines.
• Successful experience maintaining complex calendars and coordinating meetings/events.
• Strong ability to multitask, maintain an efficient and effective orientation through task completion and meeting deadlines.
• Outstanding organizational, prioritization, communication, writing skills as well as project management experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work well with all levels of internal management and staff, as well as outside stakeholders and partners.
• Ability to sense when to take initiative in the absence of specific instruction, and to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision.
• Excellent research, analytical, writing and organizational skills required and strong ability to prioritize tasks.
• Team player, collaborative, creative and innovative work style.
• Strong oral, written and interpersonal communication skills are essential as the position requires the ability to work with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and demonstrate poise, patience, tact, and diplomacy in high-pressure situations.
• Proven adaptive mindset with the ability to work under pressure, deal well with uncertainty, and pivot quickly when new priorities arise.
• Experience working with a lean yet highly skilled and talented professional team is required.
• A demonstrated general interest in international development and global health, and in particular demonstrated interest to the health focus area(s) of the host Office, Division, and/or Branch, is required.
• Knowledge of USAID rules, regulations and capacity building concepts is a significant asset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite of programs (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) as well as Google platforms (e.g., Gmail, google docs, etc.).
• Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain secret clearance required.