Project Assistant

Job Description

Position Description

EnCompass LLC is seeks to hire 2 Project Assistants. The Project Assistant provides proactive, customer-focused administrative and operations support for one of EnCompass’ practice areas. The volume and type of work shifts from month-to-month and calls for managing various demands from staff, requiring flexibility and comfort with change and new activities. As a member of the team’s Project Operations and Management (POM) Function, the Project Assistant ensures that EnCompass delivers the highest quality of work in response to client needs and internal company needs.

The position is based at EnCompass’ Rockville, Maryland headquarters. For the foreseeable future, EnCompass is using a hybrid work model where most positions are remote and regular in-person attendance at the office is voluntary. The Project Assistant will be expected to support teams and events in-person in the Washington D.C. area on an as-needed basis. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US for any employer, without sponsorship.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

Essential functions include:

• Provides day-to-day administrative support to practice area leadership and other staff
• Schedules practice area meetings, confirming agendas and facilitators (with guidance from Vice Presidents and Directors), producing virtual meetings, taking and distributing notes, and performing other related tasks dependent on need
• Assists in logistics and preparations for other meetings, conferences, workshops, and events, including booking overhead travel, organizing refreshments, purchasing supplies, reproducing materials, managing shipments, and assisting with the set-up of event spaces
• Supports the purchase of materials, supplies, or equipment for the practice area and, upon request, project teams, including requesting quotes, preparing supporting documentation, and processing Purchase Payment Requests (PPRs) in accordance with Encompass procurement policy
• As the practice area credit card reconciler, is responsible for reviewing all purchases made on a monthly basis; following up with staff to collect PPRs; identifying unknown charges; submitting complete forms along with the relevant supporting documentation to the finance department on a timely basis; and upholding EnCompass policy and reporting any issues to the relevant credit card manager
• Serves as a Site Owner for the practice areas’ SharePoint sites and Teams, including granting site access, maintaining file organization, and updating communication pages
• As needed, serves as the primary point of contact for travelers in accordance with Encompass travel policy and client requirements, including drafting travel requests, tracking approvals, and supporting travel arrangements such as hotel and airplane bookings, visas, and other necessary paperwork for staff travelers
• Assists with the development, formatting and editing of proposal products (including resumes, and annex materials)
• Engages fully as a member of the EnCompass staff team, including participating in staff meetings and other EnCompass activities
• Other duties as assigned

Illustrative duties for the Technical Assistance and Evaluation (TA&Eval) Practice Area include:

• Collaborates with the relevant team members to maintain practice areas lists (e.g. project lists, staff lists), trackers (e.g. LOE tracker, business development LOE tracker, and consultant tracker), staff org charts, external event calendars and reoccurring meeting invites (e.g. monthly practice area meeting)
• Supports Knowledge Management (KM) champion and other team members to pull best practices and lessons learned from client project reports on a quarterly basis into a searchable database on TA/Eval SharePoint site
• For select projects, schedules and tracks interviews or other types of data collection activities (e.g., online surveys, virtual focus group discussions)
• Coordinates weekly 1-on-1 staff knowledge sharing
• Manages practice area software accounts including serving as the main point of contact with the vendor, adding/removing users, and processing invoices with expenses allocated to the correct charge codes
• Updates practice areas tracking of overhead expenses as requested

Illustrative duties for the Learning and Leadership Development (L&LD) Practice Area include:

• Supports the production of Virtual Instructor-Led Trainings (vILT) on Adobe Connect, Zoom, and other virtual learning software, as needed
• Assists in creating and maintaining course schedules and calendars for multiple contracts and course offerings, and for staff and consultants across contracts/projects
• Works closely with clients and participants in organizing workshops (e.g., drafting communications, sending welcome letters, responding to questions, etc.)
• Provides effective and timely logistical support to staff and consultants for courses, including domestic and international travel arrangements, production and reproduction of training materials, shipping, etc.

Other duties may include:

• May support formatting of deliverables (fonts, document format, etc.)
• May support development of presentations based on content provided by practice area and/or project teams
• May support translations and transcriptions as appropriate and dependent on individual skills
• May provide surge support for simple research on a variety of project-related topics

Position Requirements

Qualifications

• Minimum of a High School diploma and two years of additional experience; Associate’s degree and one year of additional experience; Bachelor’s degree
• One year of experience working in an office environment

Experience and Skills

• Interest in international development
• Strong verbal and written English language skills; highly skilled at writing and editing documents
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint; familiarity with SharePoint and Teams preferred
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Ability to work within defined standard operating procedures and adhere to quality guidelines
• Attention to detail, accuracy, and strong time management skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as needed
• Experience in the administration and coordination of projects highly desirable
• Experience with graphic design is an asset
• Fluency in language(s) other than English highly desirable
• International experience (professional, study abroad, etc.) highly desirable

How to Apply

Please submit CV and cover letter

EnCompass LLC is a progressive Equal Opportunity Employer. We promote, celebrate, and support a diverse and inclusive organizational culture and workforce. We are committed to providing all of our employees with an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where all are treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate, and explicitly prohibit, discrimination or harassment of any kind, at any time, in all aspects of employment. This includes recruitment, hiring, promotions, disciplinary measures, terminations, compensation, benefits, social and recreational programs, and training. EnCompass also does not tolerate retaliation against individuals who report discrimination or harassment. Our continuing commitment to the principle of Equal Opportunity Employment for all means all employment decisions are based only on the job requirements, the candidate’s qualifications, and the needs of EnCompass as a business—not on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, belief, sex (including pregnancy and related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability status, veteran status, genetic information, HIV status, family/marital/parental status, or any other status protected by the laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we work.

For US based positions: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required of personnel so classified.

The incumbent must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle and prioritize multiple, competing tasks and demands and to seek supervisory assistance as appropriate.

If you require accommodations in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act to complete your application, please call 301-287-8700, provide your contact information and a description of your accessibility issue. We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case-basis, and we will call you back within approximately 3 business days.

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About the Organization

EnCompass LLC is a women-owned, small business consulting firm working in International Development, and offering innovative and customized solutions for leadership, capacity strengthening, technical assistance, and monitoring and evaluation. We have experience in more than 70 countries and a team of more than 100 staff and 1,200 experts around the globe. We partner with government and multilateral agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporations around the world, offering thought leadership, rich diversity, and technical expertise in global health, inclusive development, education, human rights, and food security.

Founded in 1999, EnCompass began as a virtual organization supporting clients and implementing work through a network of staff and expert consultants. Today, we have more than 110 full-time staff and a Global Consulting Network, our vetted database of specialists, through which we engage, on average, 200 consultants each year. In early 2017, EnCompass opened its first international office in Addis Ababa for Transform: a Primary Health Care project. In 2019, we set up our second field office in Lima, Peru. We maintain a full-time staff presence in Benin, Ethiopia, Germany, Great Britain, Peru, and Uganda.