Clarification from the agency

Open to all qualified candidates eligible to work in the United States.

• Provides clerical and administrative assistance for conferences, seminars, and meetings coordinated by the Middle East Program. 
• Responsible for coordinating a range of administrative details for the management of the program.
• Drafts and prepares a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, and other materials related to program projects as required by the program.
• Organizes, maintains, and regularly updates all files on all meetings, ongoing projects, and funding sources.
• Compiles, maintains, and updates computer database of scholars, government officials, representatives of international organizations, the private sector, foundations, and non-governmental organizations interested in and/or working on program issues.
• Maintains the Middle East Program’s social media channels, coordinating with External Relations to promote social media posts via the Wilson Center’s various channels.
• Assists the Program Director in overseeing the program’s financial management processes and preparation of budget projections.
• Gathers narrative and statistical data to prepare various financial reports to funding organizations.
• Prepares purchase orders and contracts, and arranges travel and accommodations for staff members and visitors.
• Prepares travel vouchers to reimburse speakers and staff members for travel expenses.
• Assists with the production of program specific meeting reports, briefing notes, program newsletters, grant applications and publications.
• Contributes to the planning and execution of both public and private events, including identifying and contacting appropriate speakers.

Conditions of employment

• May be required to serve a one-year probationary period
• Pre- appointment background investigation
• Must participate in Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds for salary payment
• Must meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: To be considered minimally qualified for this position, you must demonstrate that you meet the required specialized experience, or education as described, for the respective grade level in which you are applying:

Selective Placement Factor: Applicant must possess a foreign policy-focused B.A. or higher in areas such as Middle Eastern studies, Middle Eastern history, languages, political science, international relations, international economics, global studies; organizational and research skills to identify, analyze, and recommend solutions to programmatic research initiatives. 

IS-7: Applicants must have at least one full-time year (12-months) of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the IS-6 grade level performing most of the following duties and responsibilities: 

• Make travel arrangements, managing event logistics, processing reimbursement payments, and editing publications;
• Track financial spending and ensure proper documentation of expenses;
• Prepare graphs, charts, and narratives for presentation to stakeholders;
• Proficiency in using office software programs (such as MS Office) to accomplish mission of the program;
• Skill in social media/web design in order to update webpages and profiles.

IS-8: Applicants must have at least one full-time year (12-months) of specialized experience at, or equivalent to, the IS-7 grade level performing most of the following duties and responsibilities: 

• Managing the logistical aspects of event management and logistics coordination (planning, implementing, and closing-out events);
• Using a variety of software packages, especially Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, and financial tracking software to perform/automate office work;
• Drafting a variety of documents, reports, and summaries for a professional audience;
• Supporting projects via office management skills such as calendar management, basic accounting, grant management, and budget requests;
• Cultivating partnerships with internal and external partners.
• Create reports, summaries, white papers, or published articles on the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy, Middle East-U.S relations, or international affairs.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

For more information on the qualifications for this position, link to OPM Qualification Standards

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must include months, years and hours per week worked to receive credit for your work and/or volunteer experience. One year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies".

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your résumé and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Your application will be evaluated in accordance with Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Delegated Examining Procedures using category rating. 

Your application will then be placed in one of three categories:

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

• Research and Analysis
• Oral Communication
• Administrative
• Written Communication

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.