Administrative Assistant (PIDP)

eastwestcenter; Honolulu (HI); On-site; USD 51,508 - 62,954; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

The East-West Center in Honolulu, HI is seeking an Administrative Assistant to provide high-quality administrative support to senior leadership. The role involves managing multiple clerical duties, travel arrangements, and event coordination while ensuring confidentiality in sensitive communications.

Typical tasks include organizing correspondence, maintaining inventory, and assisting with reports and proposals. The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor’s degree and has at least 3 years of relevant experience, with strong communication and organizational skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three (3) years of professional work experience related to administrative support.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion.
• Experience supervising interns or student assistants.

Responsibilities

• Manage time-sensitive clerical, fiscal, and travel-related work.
• Compose, edit, and organize administrative materials.
• Coordinate travel arrangements for staff and guests.
• Develop and maintain office procedures for efficient operation.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft Teams

Zoom

Job description

About the East-West Center

The East-West Center is a premier institution in the Indo-Pacific that convenes, develops, and equips a network of leaders to solve challenges of common concern. Founded in 1960, the Center has promoted understanding and cooperation between the United States and the Indo-Pacific region through innovative programs and research initiatives.

Position Overview

The Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) is seeking an Administrative Assistant (AA) to provide high-quality, complex and routine administrative support to the senior leadership team. The AA manages multiple streams of time-sensitive clerical, fiscal, and travel-related work, using communication, judgment, and multitasking to prioritize tasks and keep PIDP operations running smoothly. The role requires excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, correspondence with scholars, government offices, and international partners, management of domestic and international travel and events, and maintaining rigorous records of contractual and budgetary arrangements. The AA supervises student assistants and interns and works closely with the Deputy Director and senior leadership. Independent and cooperative work with other staff is essential, using good judgment to achieve expected outcomes.

The Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) serves as Secretariat for the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (PICL) and a Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP). The incumbent will have direct access to and some involvement with highly sensitive international communications and activities involving elected and traditional leaders, senior officials, governments, and organizations. Confidentiality and privacy are paramount; the incumbent must maintain a high standard of behavior with regard to confidentiality and privacy at all times.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain office procedures to ensure smooth functioning, including control records and filing systems for incoming correspondence, contracts, invoices, and action documents, and follow up on work in progress.
• Read all incoming program correspondence, determine proper action, and at times prepare answers before referring to leadership.
• Maintain inventory of PPE, laptops, printers, cell phones, and other equipment to support PIDP activities.
• Maintain online calendar of PIDP events, resolve schedule conflicts, assign space for events and staff offices, and keep staff informed of upcoming events.
• Receive visitors and telephone calls to PIDP and the Director, ascertain nature of business, determine appropriate action, and refer important business to appropriate staff.
• Maintain and protect privacy and confidentiality of high-ranking visitors, coordinating security details as needed.
• Inform staff of regular and special meetings, ensure an agenda is prepared and distributed prior to the meeting, and take minutes.
• Compose, edit, and organize administrative materials including email and print correspondence, travel arrangements, meeting agendas, event schedules, contracts, detailed financial and administrative forms, scholarly and technical materials. Check outgoing material for correct calculations, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style compliance.
• Independently support senior leadership to set priorities for multiple workstreams, responding to incoming correspondence and tasks using good judgment.
• Assist in preparation of reports and grant proposals, gathering materials, ensuring all forms are completed, and final product is professional.
• Arrange staff travel, prepare transportation or hotel reservations, gather background information, notify organizations to be visited, keep in touch during travel, and prepare itineraries and travel documents per policy. Help write thank‑you notes and follow up on items requiring action.
• Coordinate logistical, administrative, activity, and housing arrangements for domestic and international travel for PIDP participants, guest speakers, and consultants.
• Provide administrative support for high‑level EWC briefings with diplomats and policymakers, communicating with VIP staff regarding objectives and outcomes, ensuring relevant materials are prepared, parking is reserved, rooms are set up, and participating staff receive appropriate background information.
• Supervise student assistants and interns, coordinating assignments and prioritizing requests based on program goals and priorities.
• Assist with arrangements of in‑person and virtual conferences, workshops, and other meetings. Manage Zoom or other webinar platforms for PIDP, setting formats, monitoring chat/Q&A, and providing technical support for end‑users.
• Assist with preparation of workshop materials, payment requests, and other financial or programmatic documentation. Assist participants during their stay, arranging coffee service, receptions, and lunches as requested.
• Maintain skills with various software applications to complete word processing, PowerPoint, spreadsheet, and database assignments; prepare and format data for presentations and reports; create routine web documents; perform routine edits and updates on websites and utilize social media platforms as appropriate.

Additional Duties

The position may perform other related duties and tasks not listed as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience – Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training and experience from which comparable knowledge and ability can be acquired and a minimum of three (3) years of professional work experience which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this position.

Demonstrated Ability – Plan, prioritize, organize, and coordinate wide variety of tasks and materials; apply sound judgment; maintain confidentiality; establish and maintain accurate files and records; take initiative, work independently and cooperatively; maintain a high level of accuracy with details; assume responsibility for entire work areas; integrate information from relevant sources; work effectively with diverse cultural backgrounds; handle correspondence with senior or C‑suite people; operate under deadline pressure and balance multiple tasks simultaneously; acquire and maintain relevant policy knowledge; handle confidential material; compose correspondence; gather background materials; function as part of a team; analyze operational situations and make recommendations.

Knowledge – Office practices and procedures; correct English grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage; office machines and equipment; the Pacific Islands Region; cultural protocols or considerations. Proficient with Google Suite, Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Acrobat Pro, Zoom or other web‑based conferencing systems, Oracle, or equivalent applications. Knowledge of video and camera equipment and video and photo production software. Experience processing fiscal and administrative forms.

Benefits

Competitive Salary and Benefits – Annual salary starts at $57,231.55 per year with an attractive benefits package that includes health insurance, retirement savings with a generous company match, and paid time off.

Career Growth Opportunities – The organization invests in employees and provides opportunities for career growth and development.

Supportive Work Environment – Fosters a supportive work environment where employees feel valued and appreciated. Encourages open communication and collaboration and provides the tools and resources needed to succeed.

Location

This is a full‑time position that requires the incumbent to work in‑person in Honolulu, HI.

EEO Statement

As required under Title IX, the East‑West Center does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the educational programs or activities it operates, including admissions and employment.