Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Junior Policy Specialist (JPS)
R0085205
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Full_time
Supporting the Most Exciting and Meaningful Missions in the World
Junior Policy Specialist (JPS)
Macfadden, an Amentum company, is seeking a Junior Policy Specialist (JPS) to support USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) in Washington, DC as a part of the Office of Global Policy, Partnerships, Programs, and Communications (G3PC). BHA leads and coordinates the U.S. Government’s humanitarian assistance efforts overseas in response to natural disasters and protracted crises. The bureau also supports early recovery efforts that restore and protect basic systems and services and invests in risk reduction programs that prevent or reduce risks associated with chronic and recurrent hazards. G3PC serves as the principal focal point for humanitarian policy development, engagement, and institutional relationships with international organizations and other donor governments, among other areas of focus.
Location: Washington, DC based, hybrid (2 days in office out of every 2 weeks).
Specific duties for a JPS will vary based on office, division, and team assignments. In addition to performing standard Program Assistant (PA) or Program Management Coordinator (PMC) duties providing administrative, programmatic, and/or operational support, a JPS is expected to provide more sophisticated, specialized, or technical support to their assigned BHA team, division, or office. Day-to-day work assignments and oversight will be provided by a BHA point-of-contact (POC), e.g., division chiefs, team leads, or deputy team leads, with formal supervisory and evaluation functions performed by a Macfadden contract supervisor.
The Junior Policy Specialist will:
Provide considered advice, opinions, recommendations, or ideas to BHA staff to address questions or issues or inform deliverables in their areas of work using independent judgment and based on analysis of available qualitative and quantitative data.
Suggest improvements to systems or processes that make BHA’s work more efficient, including by participating in bureau- or office-level working groups.
Offer comments and suggestions on new BHA policies and procedures or proposed changes to BHA policies and procedures.
Contribute institutional knowledge and help maintain continuity of operations during BHA staff shortages, e.g., when colleagues are serving on a BHA response.
Prepare memos, talking points, reports, spreadsheets, or presentations as required in support of their assigned team in response to ad hoc information requests from BHA Senior Management, USAID Senior Management, or other USG entities.
Serve as office, division, or team focal points for special projects or workflows as requested by their BHA POC.
Serve on BHA responses as needed and as requested by BHA. and
Provide guidance and mentorship to new or more junior Macfadden staff assigned to their respective office, division, or team.
REQUIREMENTS
Must be able to obtain and maintain a minimum of a Facility Access Clearance (FAC) or Secret Security Clearance issued by the US Government for the duration of your employment on this contract.
Education/Experience:
Must have at least three years of professional experience and a Bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree is preferred.
Professional experience may include internships.
Must understand the international humanitarian system and the operational context for BHA’s work, e.g., be familiar with the political, social, and economic circumstances in which BHA partners operate, the BHA or USG policies that affect BHA’s activities, etc.
Must understand the preferred operating procedures and processes of their individual team while being familiar with different programming or technical contexts.
Candidates preferably have a minimum of one year of experience as a BHA PA Program Assistant or Program Management Coordinator.
Skills:
Must possess excellent judgment and reliability.
Requires strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
Must have strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
Must be able to multitask and work under deadlines in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.
Requires the ability to prioritize tasks and follow up on actions without prompting.
Must be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances.
Must be willing to go the extra mile and participate as an active team member who assists other team members as necessary.
Physical Requirements:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds.
Additional duties and expectations for JPSs assigned to G3PC may include:
Tracking key developments related to USG appropriations and funding cycles, Congressional hearings or inquiries, or multilateral engagement with other donor governments, UN agencies, NGO partners, etc.
Drafting talking points or memos in response to Congressional or other inquiries.
Drafting documents that clearly convey BHA’s policy and programmatic priorities for both internal and external audiences.
Coordinating with staff throughout BHA on policy, programmatic, or budget issues and supporting BHA’s participation in high-level engagements within the agency, USG, and international humanitarian systems.
Facilitating BHA inputs into USAID or USG policy, programmatic, or budget discussions to ensure BHA equities are represented.
Facilitating, attending, taking notes at, and providing readouts of meetings with representatives from USG offices, other donor governments, UN agencies, NGO partners, etc.
Tracking changes to BHA award-making and management processes, policy, and requirements and ensuring G3PC staff are kept up to date on these changes. and
Supporting the coordination, processing, and management of G3PC awards and analyzing programmatic reports and audits, as well as BHA responses to partner inquiries.
This position description reflects Macfadden’s assignment of essential functions; nothing in this job description restricts the Company’s latitude to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
#LI-PRIORITY
Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender, national origin, age, United States military veteran’s status, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, medical condition including genetic characteristics or information, veteran status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law.
Security Clearance Required: Yes
Amentum / Equal Opportunity Employer
JBAMN R0085205 2023.02.10
FVR01 SKUUU, Washington, District of Columbia, United States Washington, District of Columbia, United States ZC ZCCX
