Program Assistant - Training Management

LEVEL: Entry to Mid-level

LOCATION: Arlington, VA or St. Petersburg, FL

TYPE: Full Time Regular Employment, with Benefits and options for hybrid/remote work arrangements

DEADLINE: Immediate opening - position open until filled

McColm & Company (McColm) is a fast-growing, mission-driven, and customer-focused consulting firm that equips change makers with the knowledge, skills, and insights they need to succeed in an increasingly complex world. McColm specializes in supporting U.S. federal customers responsible for foreign affairs and national security focused portfolios by managing bespoke professional training programs, designing and delivering effective capacity building solutions, and providing highly specialized technical assistance and analysis expertise to decision makers.

OVERVIEW 

McColm has an immediate opening for a Program Specialist to join our team and provide program and contract management support across multiple projects. The successful candidate will support contracts with clients including the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the United States Trade and Development Agency by providing exceptional programmatic, administrative, and logistical support to the Program Manager. This position offers an opportunity to have direct impact on the training and preparation of government professionals across multiple sectors as they prepare for challenging assignments around the world, as well as the opportunity to engage with technical and thematic experts in the fields of international relations and national security.

The ideal candidate for this position will have exceptional copyediting, proofreading, and document formatting skills along with advanced knowledge of MS Word and MS PowerPoint to support the development and production of course materials for a variety of training programs. Basic graphic design and photoshop skills are also highly desirable. Applicants are encouraged to highlight such skills in their applications.

Requirements

Reporting to the Program Manager, the successful candidate will be expected to use a wide degree of professional experience, resourcefulness, creativity, and astute judgement to work with the program team to plan and accomplish organizational objectives related to program success.

Specific duties may include the following:

• Provide effective and efficient administrative and programmatic support to the Program Manager.
• Produce, copyedit and/or format polished, grammatically correct, and error free course materials including syllabi, power point presentation slides, course grids, and other classroom resource materials according to established templates.
• Maintain consistent and effective communication with McColm contractors, U.S. Government clients, stakeholders, and other team members on program developments and updates.
• Track and manage the timeliness of contract deliverables to ensure the meeting of all project deadlines.
• Conduct procurement research, create and submit approvals for products, and track procured contract materials, items, and equipment.
• Compose monthly reports on program progress to be presented to the project team and clients.
• Organize regular project meetings, as well as take meeting minutes and action items for the project team.
• Assist with calendar management and scheduling of meetings, both internally and externally.
• Assist with maintaining all project records.
• Perform other duties as assigned or needed by the Program Manager.

Required Qualifications & Previous Experience:

• Must hold a Bachelor’s degree in international relations, political science, public policy and administration, business, or related field.
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience with an emphasis project management, administrative project support and demonstrating the skills listed above, preferably on professional training projects.
• International experience and topical knowledge about foreign affairs, national security and international development is highly desirable.
• Experience with State Department, Defense Department, USAID and/or other government contracting work is highly desirable.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of tasks, as well as managing multiple simultaneous deadlines and prioritizing between competing tasks.
• Strong administrative skills and capability with MS Office software; including complex formatting in MS Word, PowerPoint, and advanced formulas, charts, and graphs with MS Excel.
• Proficiency in computer applications and data entry, especially MS Office programs.
• Demonstrate outstanding communication and interpersonal skills capable of maintaining strong relationships with customers and other project partners.
• Team player with a positive, flexible, can-do attitude that contributes to the collegiality and supportiveness at a small and growing company.
• Attention to detail with an emphasis on quality and accuracy.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with capacity to learn quickly and adapt quickly to change.
• Must possess outstanding written and verbal communication skills; fluency in English is required.
• Ability to pass a background check.
• Ability to work legally in the U.S. without employer sponsorship.

Benefits

• This position is eligible to participate in McColm's benefits program, which includes 11 paid holidays, generous PTO, health, dental, vision, and disability insurances, and 401k benefits;
• The unique opportunity to work on projects that support U.S. foreign policy and national security as part of a highly dynamic group of individuals who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to their work;
• On-the-job mentoring with a space to develop, grow, and challenge yourself; and flexible work schedule with hybrid office/remote work environment.
• Salary Range: 49,025 to $88,926 depending on experience, education and location.

McColm & Company is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, gender identity or expression, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Due to the high volume of applications McColm receives and to ensure we comply with our internal hiring policies, we regret we are not able to respond to individual phone calls or emails regarding application status.