Program Assistant

eastwestcenter; Honolulu (HI); On-site; USD 46,351 - 56,652; Full time

Job summary

East-West Center is seeking an on-site Program Assistant for a one-year appointment in Honolulu. The role provides comprehensive administrative and operational support to designated teams to ensure program coordination, planning, reporting, communications and budgeting.

The position interfaces with internal departments, external partners, funders and stakeholders to ensure compliant program delivery, efficient processes and timely actions.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or equivalent training and experience.
• Four (4) years full‑time experience or a combination of post‑high‑school education and related experience totaling four years.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, coordinate and independently manage tasks while meeting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare program materials and summarize information for requests; track progress and alert staff as needed.
• Process and obtain approvals for purchase orders, payments, travel, housing and other forms through appropriate channels.
• Arrange workshops, meetings and webinars, including materials, registrations, payments, room setup, and virtual platforms like Zoom.
• Draft correspondence and ensure proper spelling, grammar and formatting; edit as needed.
• Maintain program files and calendars; coordinate access and retrieval of documents and records.

Skills

Organizational skills

Prioritization

Communication

Attention to detail

Independent work

Education

High School Diploma

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Google Suite

Zoom

Job description

Our Research team is seeking an on‑site Program Assistant for a limited, one‑year appointment (with possibility of extension). This position provides wide administrative and operational support to designated teams, ensuring programs and activities have proper coordination, planning, reporting, communications, and budgeting. The incumbent liaises with internal departments, external partners, funders, and stakeholders to ensure effective program delivery and compliance with applicable requirements.

Responsibilities

• Prepares program material for staff. Gathers information from program files and other sources and summarizes information in response to requests. Follows up on work progress to ensure timely response and action. Brings important matters to the attention of appropriate staff. In absence of individual staff, assumes responsibility for ensuring that requests for action or information are made known to responsible personnel who can satisfy the requests.
• Initiates and prepares a variety of administrative, participant award and fiscal forms, following standard office procedures and checking with appropriate program staff to resolve problems. Prepares and processes for Fiscal Officer approval purchase orders, authorization for payment, housing requests, travel requests and completion forms, general work requests, Imin requests, IT requests, petty cash, and other payment documents.
• Provides assistance with arrangements for workshops/conferences/meetings including, but not limited to preparing workshop materials, registration, processing requests for payment and other financial or programmatic documentation, arranging coffee/tea service, meeting room set‑up (including PowerPoint presentations, recording, and video conferencing), receptions and meals, running errands, handling travel reservations and assisting participants during their stay at the Center. Assists in facilitating virtual programs such as webinars, workshop breakout training rooms, and online briefings through Zoom or other designated platforms.
• Drafts correspondence, documents, reports, proposals, manuscripts, letters, faxes, and memos, from notes and oral instructions. Reviews for proper spelling, grammar, mathematical calculations, format, and arrangement of the final copy. Performs minor editing as necessary.
• Establishes and maintains program files, modifying as needed for efficient access and retrieval of correspondence, records, documents, and forms.
• Receives and reviews Fellowship email accounts and refers them accordingly. Ascertains which items can be acted upon personally and takes necessary action. Compiles and records all applications and appropriate documentation for committee’s review.
• Assists with arrangements, including financial or programmatic documentation, and orientation for Visiting Fellows, Visiting Scholars, Research Interns, Professional Associates, Official Visitors and Consultants as necessary.
• Receives visitors and telephone calls. Ascertains nature of business and based on in‑depth knowledge of the program or operation handles appropriately. Refers visitors to appropriate program staff.
• Arranges staff travel, prepares transportation and/or hotel reservations, notifies organizations and office to be visited, keeps in touch with those traveling and prepares travel documents in accordance with current policies.
• Receives requests for clerical/administrative services from other staff with the program, noting deadlines and special requirements, setting priorities to accomplish tasks by the time needed, checking with appropriate staff to confirm deadlines when there is a conflict; confers with the Supervisory Program Officer when unusual assignments are received or when excessive workload occurs.
• Oversees and maintains office room assignments and office keys.
• Maintains calendar of appointments and activities for program staff. As needed, briefs staff on matters to be considered before scheduled meetings. Facilitates virtual meetings through Zoom or other designated platforms. Reschedules appointments should staff not be able to attend.
• Arranges program reports/publications as necessary. Provides liaison between program staff and printers or publishers to ensure that reports are completed efficiently, in a timely manner, and in the required format.
• Selects from a wide variety of software applications the most appropriate type for a specific need, such as word processing, database, spreadsheet, and desktop publishing. Applies knowledge of the functional capabilities of different software types to complete routine and complex formatting and other tasks to include thank you cards, invitations, newsletters, brochures and other documentation as required for program events and activities. Retrieves and manipulates data (into charts, graphs, tables, PowerPoint or other formats) for presentation in program brochures, news releases, reports, applications and publications.
• Assists in the formatting, updating content provided by program coordinators and maintenance of the program website for activities using web content creation and management applications. Handles social media and blogs posts using content provided by program coordinators.

Qualifications and Skills

Education: High School Diploma or equivalent training and experience from which comparable knowledge and ability can be acquired.

Experience: Four (4) years full‑time experience which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this position, or a combination of post‑high‑school education and directly related experience which totals four (4) years.

Demonstrated Ability: To organize, prioritize and coordinate work involving a wide variety of tasks; to take initiative and work independently and cooperatively in following through on assignments; to assume responsibility for whole areas of work and integrate information from relevant sources; to gather and/or prepare background materials; to work effectively and deal pleasantly and helpfully with people of diverse cultural backgrounds; to work under the pressure of deadlines and competing demands; to acquire and maintain knowledge of and appropriately apply various policies and procedures; to establish and maintain accurate files and records; to adapt to changes and exercise good judgment in dealing with a variety of situations; to perform effectively in a non‑routine work environment; to appropriately handle confidential information; to make arithmetic computations and record figures accurately; to handle detail‑oriented assignments with accuracy; to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing and to function effectively as a work leader.

Knowledge: Of routine office practices and record‑keeping procedures; of correct English grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word usage; of office machines and equipment (including computers, LCD projectors, and emerging technologies); high proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel, Adobe Acrobat Pro or equivalent office computer applications; proficiency with Google suite, Microsoft 365, or other work sharing platforms; and of meeting software such as Zoom and Skype.

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary for this position starts at $51,501.88 and includes an attractive benefits package that includes health insurance, retirement savings with a generous company match, paid holidays, paid vacation and sick leave.

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. This is a full‑time, in‑person role that requires the desired candidate to physically reside in Oahu, Hawaii.