Program Assistant, Office of the Chief Economist, USAID PSEMC

Dexis Consulting Group
United States, D.C., Washington
Dec 03, 2024
Dexis is a professional services firm that solves the most pressing social challenges in complex environments, paving the way for a more secure and prosperous world. Dexis embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and strives to build and maintain a safe environment where we celebrate diverse backgrounds, treat everyone with respect, and value the unique lived experiences each person brings based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, military or veteran status, national origin, age, marital status or family status and related conditions. At Dexis, you will experience a corporate culture of inclusiveness, fairness, and trust. You will be given the means and mentorship needed to succeed, and your creativity will be rewarded. About the Project Through the Private Sector Engagement Modernization Contract (PSEMC), Dexis supports the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID's) PSE Hub to expand and deepen collaboration with the private sector to achieve greater development outcomes. The PSE Hub's mission is to create the institutional conditions, operating infrastructure, and capacity necessary to expand engagement with the private sector in the United States and partner countries. The PSE Hub works to transform and modernize how USAID does development by institutionalizing USAID's PSE policy and delivering capacity- and systems-building support for PSE across all sectors, operating units, and countries where USAID operates. About the Position Dexis is seeking one Program Assistant(s) to support the Evidence Use and Evidence Generation teams within the independent Office of the Chief Economist (OCE). The Program Assistant position is fully integrated into these two OCE teams, and works closely with their Team Leads, staff, and other key stakeholders within USAID. The ideal candidate is focused on operational excellence, interested in the use of evidence and data in development, and thrives on establishing and maintaining effective processes for a small, growing, and ambitious 'start-up' team. OCE supports USAID in improving the effectiveness of its programming and broader global engagement by bringing strong economic theory and evidence to bear on USAID's work. Toward this end, two of OCE's three teams are: Evidence Use (EU): This team promotes the use of high-quality evidence of "cost-effectiveness" (i.e., how much impact does an intervention deliver per dollar spent) in Agency decision-making, through synthesis of existing cost-effectiveness evidence and tailored support to Agency teams; Evidence Generation (EG): This team promotes the generation of more cost-effectiveness evidence that the Agency is uniquely placed to catalyze, providing support and resources for teams interested in conducting rigorous randomized evaluations. This is a full-time position with a hybrid telework option. The selected candidate will be based out of the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., at least three (3) days per week. Responsibilities Serve as a champion across the EU and EG teams for effective knowledge, document, and operational data management, including maintaining files, documents, and administrative tracking systems, assisting in the design and maintenance of databases to support EU and EG Teams. Support OCE internal and external communications, which may include tasks, such as facilitating processes for developing regular newsletters, preparing presentation materials, developing briefing documents for OCE leadership, organizing logistics of virtual or in-person events, etc. Manage end-to-end "clearance" process for OCE, including requests for OCE inputs to and clearance on documents from offices outside of OCE as well as inputs from and clearance by offices outside of OCE on documents produced by OCE Provide support to technical teams on larger intra-agency meetings (such as communities of practice and networks OCE facilitates), including, for example, preparing agendas, codifying key takeaways and action items, tracking meeting follow-ups, etc. Maintain OCE listservs and manage and route messages received by OCE's inbox Help to proactively identify the need for and then codify and implement standard operating procedures to ensure the nimble, effective, and efficient functioning of OCE Develop and maintain working knowledge of USAID policies and guidelines Support processes related to EU and EG OCE staffing, including, for example, tracking preparation of paperwork related to personnel onboarding, annual performance review cycles, required staff training, etc. Perform other related duties as assigned QUALIFICATIONS Required Bachelor's degree and two (2) years of relevant professional experience, including at least one (1) year in a highly operational role Demonstrated enthusiasm for operational excellence Exceptional proven organizational skills and attention to detail, particularly in multi-stakeholder processes across and beyond USAID Excellent proven skills establishing and maintaining information in spreadsheets or more complex database systems, and using the data to inform ongoing decision-making, including creating pivot tables and dashboards Experience with business analytics, tracking key performance indicators and collating data for leadership decision-making Some skills using Google Suite or other software to automate data extraction (i.e. using Google Scripts to pull information from spreadsheets to other written formats) Highly solution-oriented, with demonstrated ability to be confronted with new, unfamiliar problems and proactively identify and assess possible solutions to them High degree of comfort with and skill in task-shifting and multitasking Quick learner of new systems, processes, etc. Strong interpersonal and communication skills working with diverse teams Ability to attain and maintain at least a Facilities Access Clearance (FAC) Preferred Interest and/or experience in global development, evidence-based policymaking, or economics, with an interest to build that skill set in an operational role Interest in prompt engineering and building internal tools/bots for ChatGPT, Gemini or other generative Artificial Intelligence software Active FAC or Secret-level Clearance Dexis is on a mission to help solve today's most pressing global political, social, and economic challenges and create a world where all people are safe and prosperous. As a Dexis employee, you will be challenged, empowered, and mentored. Our motto is "find a way or make a way" - that's how Dexis goes "all in." How will you? If you are passionate about this opportunity, apply now! Only those applicants who meet the above criteria will be contacted for interview. Dexis is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, pregnancy, disability, age, genetic information, military service, veteran status, ethnicity, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, childbirth and related medical conditions, including lactation, or any other protected class under applicable law. As part of a competitive benefits package for eligible employees, Dexis provides healthcare insurance in addition to other staff welfare benefits and perks. If you are hired for a position that is paid from the Dexis home office, you will be required to submit proofthat you have received the COVID-19 vaccine unless you qualify for a legally recognized medical or religious exception to the vaccine requirement. This does not apply to AL, AZ, FL, KS, MT, NH, ND, or TX residents.