Project Assistant - Science, Systems and Sustainment Division

Institute for Defense Analyses; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Retirement plan with 10% contribution

Flexible work environment

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) in Alexandria, VA, is seeking an administrative and project support professional to assist the Science, Systems, and Sustainment Division (S3D). You will coordinate projects, manage reporting, data collection, travel, purchasing, and meeting logistics with government, academia, and industry partners.

You will also support division business and administrative managers, SharePoint administration, and general operations using Microsoft Office tools to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 2 years of progressively responsible professional experience in admin, project coordination, or operational support.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with internal/external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency with numeric data and general accounting principles.
• Advanced experience using Microsoft Suite: Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.
• Experience supporting and maintaining SharePoint sites, including document management and collaboration tools.
• Advanced experience using Adobe Acrobat and other document management tools.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate communications, prepare agendas and reports, track actions, and serve as point of contact for staff, sponsors, consultants, and external participants.
• Assist with administrative operations, purchasing, processing of consultants and subcontractors, onboarding, travel coordination, and other division support functions.
• Support data collection, reporting, and quality control for projects and division databases, including maintaining records and basic analysis.
• Maintain and support division and project SharePoint sites, content updates, document management and collaboration.
• Coordinate meetings, workshops, conferences, and training by managing logistics, registrations, travel, agendas, and related activities.
• Prepare, format, and coordinate technical, statistical, and administrative documents and briefing materials using MS Office/SharePoint tools.
• Provide general administrative and operational support to division staff and leadership, including scheduling, correspondence, and records management.

Skills

Excellent communication

Organizational skills

Multi-tasking

Numerical data & accounting

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SharePoint

Adobe Acrobat

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Overview

This position provides administrative and project support within the Science, Systems, and Sustainment Division (S3D). Under general supervision, the role supports project coordination, reporting, data collection, travel arrangements, purchasing activities, and the coordination of meetings, workshops, and activities involving government, academic, and industry partners. The position also provides support to Division Business and Administrative Managers, SharePoint site administration, and general administrative operations. Tasks require extensive use of software applications, including word processing, graphics, spreadsheet, and SharePoint tools, to develop and maintain complex technical, statistical, and administrative documents and reports.

Responsibilities

• Support division projects and activities by coordinating communications, preparing agendas and reports, tracking project-related actions, and serving as a point of contact for staff, sponsors, consultants, and external participants.
• Assist Division Business and Administrative Managers with administrative operations, purchasing activities, consultant and subcontractor processing, onboarding activities, travel coordination, and other division support functions.
• Support data collection, reporting, and quality control activities for projects and division databases, including compiling information, maintaining records, and assisting with basic analysis and reporting needs.
• Maintain and support division and project SharePoint sites, including content updates, document management, collaboration support, and internal and external information sharing.
• Coordinate meetings, workshops, conferences, and training sessions by managing logistics, communications, registrations, travel arrangements, agendas, and related administrative activities involving government, academic, industry, and internal stakeholders.
• Prepare, format, and coordinate technical, statistical, and administrative documents, reports, presentations, and briefing materials using word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, and SharePoint tools.
• Provide general administrative and operational support to division staff and leadership, including scheduling, correspondence, records management, meeting support, and other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 2 years of progressively responsible professional experience in administrative, project coordination, or operational support roles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively coordinate and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and concurrent tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency with numeric data and general accounting principles.
• Advanced experience using Microsoft Suite: Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word.
• Experience supporting and maintaining SharePoint sites, including document management and collaboration tools.
• Advanced experience using Adobe Acrobat and other document management tools.
• Successful completion of a background check is required
• The Ideal candidate will be able to exercise sound judgement, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive or proprietary information.

Benefits

At IDA, we pride ourselves on offering a comprehensive benefits package that ensures the well-being and security of our staff and their families. We provide a range of medical plans as well as stand‑alone dental and vision coverage. Our retirement plans are designed to secure the financial future of our staff, featuring a generous contribution of 10% of base salary to our Qualified Retirement Plan after six months of service. We are committed to promoting a healthy work‑life balance with a flexible work environment, an Employee Assistance Plan, paid parental leave, 10 paid holidays, and generous paid time off. IDA encourages professional development and offers tuition reimbursement and other learning opportunities.

We support transparency, equity, and fairness in our compensation program and provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range based on data‑driven market analysis for each position. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range, a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role is $53,678-$85,880. Individual salary within this range will be commensurate with the incumbent's experience, unique skills and qualifications, and other relevant factors.

U.S. Citizenship is required

Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance is required

IDA is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a fair recruiting process and working environment free from discrimination. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

IDA is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please send an email to [e-mail] and let us know the nature of your request and contact information.