Program Assistant (Afghanistan), GNRE

Organization Description  

Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading international non-profit organization. We invest in women leaders who are tackling the world’s greatest challenges – from gender-based violence to the climate crisis, economic inequities, and more. We are “venture catalysts,” identifying leaders with a daring vision for change and partnering with them to make that vision a reality. What sets Vital Voices apart is that we make long-term, holistic investments in leaders with bold ideas for change — providing them connections, capacity, a network of their peers, financial support, and visibility for their work. We have provided early support for leaders who went on to become Nobel Peace Laureates, US Youth Poet Laureates, Prime Ministers, award winning innovators and breakthrough social entrepreneurs. Over the past 24 years, we have directly invested in more than 20,000 change-makers across 184 countries, who in turn have improved the lives of millions of people in their communities and countries.  

Today, Vital Voices has a staff of nearly 100 headquartered in Washington, DC. In the coming years we have a bold vision to dramatically scale our impact. In early 2022, we opened the first ever Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership, a 30,000+ sq. ft. historic building just blocks from the White House on 16th Street. It is a hub of activity, events, and collaborations — bringing together women leaders and their allies to tackle the world’s greatest challenges. 

Mission 

Vital Voices invests in women leaders taking on the world’s greatest challenges and accelerates collective action towards an equitable and sustainable world.  

Organizational Goals 2030 

1. Scale our proven investment model from 20,000 to 50,000 women leaders - who together will positively impact the lives of one billion people.
2. Make a measurable impact on 1-2 of the greatest challenges as defined by the Vital Voices Global Network - proving the power of collective action.  

Summary 
 
The Program Assistant will be responsible for overall tasks, deadlines, and urgent follow-ups related to the Voices Against Violence (VAV) program for the Global Network and Regional Engagement team, working closely with the Program Manager, Afghanistan. The Program Assistant will be a highly organized team member, managing team meetings, payment requests to partner organizations, communications and database management. The Program Assistant works in close collaboration with the GNRE team to address any emerging crisis or ongoing resettlement efforts. The Global Network & Regional Engagement Program Assistant reports directly to the Program Manager, Afghanistan.   

Responsibilities:  

• Administrative Assistance: Provide logistics, financial, and administrative support for the Global Network and Regional Engagement department including through virtual platforms. Duties can include, but are not limited to coordinating meetings, budget and finance, contract development, program logistics, and record maintenance.  

• Program Support: Support VAV program planning and execution, including logistical preparations and the development of the agenda, content, and materials. Support coordination with both internal and external stakeholders on various Voices Against Violence (VAV) projects and subawards.  

• Communications: Create one-pagers, concept notes, other communications documents for any and all GNRE programs.   

• Research & Data: Assist with conducting regional research to inform decision-making and program outreach, as well as support analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.  

• DE&I Commitment:  Embrace and model the Vital Voices guiding principles, values, investment, and leadership models with the goal of supporting Vital Voices’ organization culture and success; 

• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications:  

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations or a related field, plus 0-2 years of relevant work experience required;

• Strong demonstrated experience in global women’s issues and human rights, preferred,  experience in GBV or WPS strongly preferred; 

• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English; Dari and/or Pashto language skills a plus;  

• Experience with database management required;  

• Ability to prioritize tasks, swiftly shift priorities, and work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines, sometimes under difficult or challenging circumstances; 

• Ability to work independently and as part of a dynamic team; 

• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and self-awareness; 

• Strong computer skills including MS Office applications (esp. Excel, Word, and PowerPoint), social networking tools, and database software (i.e., Salesforce). 

This position is a full-time, non-exempt hybrid position based in Washington, DC with two days of required in person attendance at the Vital Voices Headquarters. If and when it is safe to travel, domestic and international travel up to 10% may be required for the position.  

The starting salary range for this position is $43,905.09 - $53,661.77 based on experience and ability to have broad impact early. 

Benefits:  

At Vital Voices, we value our employees and their well-being. That's why we offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k match, short and long-term disability, life insurance, HSA, EAP, and more. But that's not all. We believe in giving our employees the flexibility and support they need to thrive in their work and life. That's why we provide generous PTO including wellness flex Fridays, parental leave, earned sabbatical time, and volunteer leave as well as a professional development stipend to support continuous improvement. Join us and be part of a global team that empowers women leaders to transform the world.   

--- 

Vital Voices provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Vital Voices complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.   

Vital Voices expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Vital Voices’ employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.   

Staff may experience secondary trauma due to exposure to descriptive and/or graphic gender-based violence content in their work on Afghanistan Program. Vital Voices does not provide work visa sponsorship or relocation assistance for this position.   
  
Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.