Project Assistant – PROJE002293-00001

DESCRIPTION/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Summary
The Project Assistant (PA) position provides overall support to the USIP’s Libya Local Engagement project (LLEP) to help accomplish the mission of the Institute. Provides day-to-day project and administrative support to the HQ and field-based team in Tunisia and Libya. The PA maintains project records, develops and updates informational material, provides contract management support, organizes meetings and events, and undertakes other tasks as assigned. The position is based in Tunis, Tunisia or Tripoli, Libya.

Major Duties and Responsibilities
Project Support
• Develops, edits, and updates program informational materials for internal USIP staff members and external audiences (e.g., country fact sheets, project pages, web content, internal presentations, talking points for briefings, etc.).
• Maintains project databases and files.
• Helps maintain clear communication between the country and HQ teams, through regular email contact, meetings via Zoom and other secure communication platforms.
• Helps review and edit IAA quarterly narrative reports.
• Supports project strategy development.
• Supports team members regarding USIP’s programmatic and compliance procedures and standards.
• Responds to project needs regarding general programmatic procedures and standards.
• Attends internal and external meetings with partners and relevant stakeholders.
• Takes notes and distributes to the field team and HQ as needed.
• Develops and maintains relationships with vendors and partners.
• Provides support on project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting to the LLEP IAA project team.
• Assists the country team in knowledge creation through preparation of policy briefs, research, literature review, etc.
• Maintains awareness on Libya political, security, and other contextual developments relevant to project planning and implementation.

Budget and Contract Management Support
• Assists project staff with budget and contract management tracking and support, including requisitions, invoice and expense processing, cash requests, and payment monitoring of contract services.
• Serves as primary liaison between field-based staff and DC-based grants and contracts staff on contracting issues.
• Helps coordinate payments and contract requests with the field-based finance and operations teams and DC-based grants and contracts staff.

Meetings, Events, and Logistics Planning
• Regularly updates contact lists as needed.
• Plans and coordinates stakeholder convenings, working groups, writing workshops, and project-related team meetings.
• Drafts logistics materials and liaises with project activity stakeholders as needed.
• Coordinates with vendors including travel agencies, hotels, caterers, interpreters, etc.

Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, public administration, peace studies, conflict resolution, or a related field.
• At least one (1) year of relevant professional work experience.
• Experience providing administrative and operational support to teams and organizations.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in Arabic and English, both written and oral required. Able to write effectively in a variety of formats and for a variety of audiences.
• Must have strong collaboration skills; must have the ability to coordinate the input and priorities of multiple players.
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills, including cross-cultural communication.