Project Administrator (Executive Office Research) at The Urban Institute in Washington, Washington DC

Job Description:

Who we are:

At the nonprofit Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. Public policies work best when they are rooted in facts, and our research sparks solutions in programs and practice. Our analyses and recommendations help expand opportunities for all people, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the fiscal health and effectiveness of government.

Urban’s greatest asset is our people. We strive to attract and cultivate a vibrant, creative, and diverse community. Our employees drive Urban’s mission through entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, effective communication, results-orientation, and relationship cultivation. Our success depends on engaging individuals who possess and value these attributes. 

Urban recently launched WorkRise, a major, multi-year initiative focused on jobs and upward mobility and is adding to the team that supports its operations.

How you’ll contribute:

The Urban Institute is seeking a detail-oriented, organized, and proactive project administrator to join the team for this new “research-to-action” effort to improve economic stability and mobility for low-income workers. The effort brings together a stakeholder collaborative of employer- and worker-focused practitioners, policy leaders, private sector leaders (including large- and small businesses), scholars, and philanthropists in order to fill foundational knowledge gaps, both in research and in practice, in how to best support the long-term stability and upward mobility of low-wage workers.

The successful candidate will work closely with the initiative’s Executive Director, project manager, and other core members of the team. This position plays a key support role on projects that includes administration, operations, event support, and stakeholder engagement. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual interested in learning about the ins and outs of building a new high-profile initiative and applying their experience in nonprofit and business operations.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain Executive Director’s calendar, schedule meetings, compile meeting materials and coordinate travel.




• Support Executive Director and core team with a variety of administrative tasks to include, general scheduling, note-taking, data entry, reimbursements, formatting and editing documents, and organizing documents and materials.




• Develop initial drafts of emails, memos, and presentations for Executive Director and other senior staff.




• Provide project assistance and operational support to a dedicated core team, such as tracking project timelines and schedules, and managing priorities and deadlines.




• Contribute to proposal development  and reporting by helping to manage deadlines, compile submission packages, and applying a strong attention to detail.




• Provide guidance and serve as point of contact to the WorkRise team regarding Urban’s business processes such as consultant agreements and subcontracts.




• Assist with meeting planning and logistics for internal and public events.




• Work independently to track, complete, and follow up on assigned tasks.




• Communicate effectively with all levels of staff and external stakeholders.




• Manage special projects and other duties as assigned by senior staff.

• What you’ll bring:

The successful candidate will ideally:

• Possess 3-5 years of experience working at a nonprofit, providing administrative assistance and/or supporting business operations in a fast-paced environment.




• Demonstrate interest in business operations or project management through prior work experience, involvement in volunteer programs, leadership positions in academic and/or extra-curricular settings or an administrative or office support-related internship.




• Be well-organized, highly motivated, and able to work effectively on multiple tasks and priorities at once.




• Have excellent oral and written communication skills.




• Demonstrate the initiative to suggest improvements or innovations on assigned tasks.




• Express a willingness to adapt to changes in work assignments, deadlines and project management.




• Have familiarity with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and social media tools.

What you’ll experience:

The Urban Institute strives to be a vibrant, creative community of skilled and committed people who bring to their work a whole range of different experiences. Accordingly, the Urban Institute is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity without regard for race, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected status under applicable law.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes: medical, dental, disability, and life insurance coverage.  Competitive paid time off allowance, and eligibility to participate in a generous retirement savings plan plus elect a pretax benefit for commuting expenses.

The Urban Institute is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity without regard for race, ethnicity, gender, protected veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected status under applicable law.

The Urban Institute is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer -Minorities/Women/Disabilities/Veterans.

For more information about the Urban Institute, please visit our website at www.urban.org