Administrative Specialist

Who We Are

Peace is our commitment. The United States Institute of Peace represents the American people’s shared values and commitment to peace worldwide. We know that Peace is Security – it advances both U.S. and international security by preventing, managing, and mitigating violent conflict.

We are an independent, non-partisan institution and are actively engaged with peacebuilding efforts worldwide. Together we tackle the most challenging problems and hold fast to the possibility of a more peaceful world. To learn more about USIP programs and job openings, go to https://www.usip.org/about/careers.

If you have a passion for making the world a better place and want to have a front-row seat on the world stage, USIP is the place for you.

JOB BRIEF

The Administrative Specialist for the Africa Center (Center) provides support to Center staff in the areas of administrative operations, budgeting, human resources, training and contract/project management, center-wide convenings, cross-center and special initiatives, and advisory programs to include event planning, coordination and scheduling. This role seeks to improve and streamline financial, procurement and field operations processes at the Center level, in line with United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and United States Government (USG) processes, procedures, laws, and regulations and facilitates the rollout of USIP system improvements and initiatives within the Center. The Administrative Specialist also ensures effective coordination with other USIP Offices (Information Technology (IT), Office of Human Resources (OHR), the Office of Finance (OOF), including the Grants and Contracts Administration (GCA) and Accounting; and Global Security & Travel and assist in maintaining Center relationships and partnerships with various contacts across USIP, within the USG, and with embassy, government, and civil society staff in Washington and on the continent, and support the work of the Africa Center Senior Advisors and staffers, as needed. This position is full-time, based in Washington, DC, reports to the Senior Resource and Program Manager (SRPM), and works in close coordination with the Vice President (VP) and the Africa Team.  

TARGET SALARY 

Grade 10: 75,000 - 77,000

Responsibilities

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Finance & Budgeting:

• Generate financial and budget reports, in accordance with the SRPM, including inter-agency agreement (IAA) and base quarterly and monthly spend-down reports, open obligations certification (OOC) reports, quarterly- and weekly- in process document coordination, and IAA closeout process related to an open obligation.
• Support the SRPM, as needed, in entering budget move requests on the financial management system (FMS), to be sent to and in coordination with the Director of the Budget Office for final approval.
• Manage the pipeline from Contract Request Form (CRF) to FMS, the procurement lifecycle for Africa’s contract portfolio, specifically the personal services contractor (PSC) portfolio, and ensure staff are verse in and adhere to related policies and procedures.
• Coordinate the annual fiscal year-end close-out process, in conjunction with the SRPM.
• Provide Center staff with FMS and Quickbase updates and ad hoc financial reports.
• Liaise between Africa staff and the Office of Finance to troubleshoot problems on QuickBase, FMS, Concur, funding, procurement, ratifications, and hospitality forms.

Procurement:

• Work with the Grants and Contracts Administration as they develop program-level acquisitions data and coordinate the review and processing of this data within Africa for needed improvements and efficiencies.
• Coordinate with SRPM to ensure procurement operations and functions within Center are efficient and effective. Implement and suggest recommendations for enhancements that improve efficiency, productivity, and operational capacity in alignment with GCA guidelines and financial requirements.
• Support Center staff in contract close-out processes, to ensure proper accounting of USIP funds.
• Support the SRPM and VP with COTR delegate functions.
• Administrative coordination of Research Assistant and Research Analyst contracts including contract creation and modification, invoices, and filing receipts for deliverables. 
• Act as initial approver on requisitions and maintain visibility and oversight on all transactions.

Human Resources, Training and Staff Development:

• In collaboration with the Africa Team, further enhance and improve the on-boarding process at Headquarters (HQ) and in