Program Assistant - Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program

Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program Assistant

FTE: 100%

Salary: $46,000 to $60,000

Location: Washington, DC (hybrid)

About Stimson

The Henry L. Stimson Center (Stimson), a nonpartisan global security think tank located in Washington, DC, seeks a Program Assistant for our Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program.

Reporting to Courtney Weatherby, Deputy Director of the Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program, this role ensures that our practices support our mission-driven work, align with Stimson's vision, values, strategic goals, standards of conduct, and operational objectives, and demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee well-being.

We seek a highly motivated, organized, entrepreneurial, and collaborative individual committed to Stimson's mission and core values. This person understands that any organization is only as good as the people working there and the relationships they build and sustain. This job will require building authentic relationships with staff and affiliates that facilitate the successful candidate's ability to challenge, develop, and support them.

About the Program and Position Summary

The Henry L. Stimson Center, a nonpartisan policy research center, seeks a highly-motivated individual to join the team as a full-time Program Assistant for the Energy, Water, & Sustainability Program. The successful candidate will have some prior educational and/or professional experience in project management, administrative support, event coordination, and/or energy/water/climate related research.

The Energy, Water, & Sustainability program works to address important and timely policy issues concerning water security, sustainable infrastructure development, and clean energy development from a multidisciplinary perspective, with particular focus on the Mekong region and the Himalayan region. Currently, the program is active on four main issue areas: (1) policy dialogues which engage key actors and stakeholders to produce policy recommendations to address pressing water, energy, & sustainability issues and challenges; (2) water monitoring and disaster risk reduction; (3) buildout of earth observation informed and GIS-based decision support tools to benefit governments and local communities; and (4) system-scale energy, water, and environment studies targeted at supporting the clean energy transition in specific countries and regions.

The Program Assistant will help advance program objectives by providing administrative, logistical, budgetary, and research support to the team. They will work closely with staff across the Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program to support key program functions including events, travel, communication, and operations.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as coordinator for conferences, workshops, and events, handling all logistical arrangements including reserving and preparing event spaces; developing invitations and monitoring RSVPs; coordinating with venues; and serving as the main point-of-contact for attendees and participants;
• Manage communication processes for projects such as social media and email campaigns, press releases, publication templates, etc.;
• Assist program leadership with evaluation analysis, learning, and project improvement efforts and manage evaluation processes for specific project activities including conferences, workshops, and other events;
• Support program leadership with scheduling, communications, and expense reconciliation tasks;
• Provide travel facilitation support to program staff, visiting fellows, and external guests, including transportation, logistics, and expense reconciliation;
• Provide research support to the program as needed, including attending and preparing summaries of relevant events and discussions on relevant issues, copy-editing programmatic reports and analysis, and contributing original analysis as appropriate;
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated interest in international relations and/or security including a BA in Environmental Studies, Political Science, International Relations, or Economic Development, etc.;
• Ability to work independently and to collaborate with peers in a team environment;
• Strong organizational and communication skills, flexibility, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities;
• Experience with event planning and administrative support functions;
• Diplomatic skills and cultural sensitivity;
• A record of academic excellence;
• Candidates must be located in the DC/MD/VA area and must be able to commute into Washington, D.C.

Qualifications - preferred:

• 1-5 years of work experience in think tanks, non-profit organizations, or policy oriented institutions
• Demonstrated analytical, research, and writing skills;
• Copy editorial skills
• Experience preparing and monitoring logistical arrangements and budgets for large events and program activities;
• Work experience in Asia;
• Asian language skills

We welcome applications from candidates who may not meet all preferred qualifications.

Application requirements:

• Qualified candidates should submit cover letter with salary requirements and resume
• Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States
• Stimson is unable to provide work visa sponsorship for this role

Stimson is an equal-opportunity employer that celebrates, supports, and promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable laws.