Program Associate, Leadership Practice

Who We Are

IREX is a global development and education organization. We strive for a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world—where individuals reach their full potential, governments serve their people, and communities thrive. With a projected annual portfolio of more than $100 million and more than 600 staff worldwide, we work with partners in more than 100 countries in four areas essential to progress: cultivating leaders, empowering youth, strengthening institutions, and increasing access to quality education and information.

The Program Associate will provide programmatic and administrative support to fellowship and leadership exchange programs, including recruiting and selecting fellows, supporting implementation of program components, administrative, operational, logistical tasks, and other program activities.

Are you the next member of our team?

Your Background & Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 1+ years of work experience; work experience may include internships or part-time job or combination of both.
• Experience in leadership development, international exchanges, or professional development programming preferred.
• Proven ability to assist with training sessions, events, and workshops, including managing timelines, engaging speakers, and coordinating on-site logistics.
• Demonstrated experience in navigating a fast-paced environment with competing priorities, showcasing effective time management skills.
• Experience in working with diverse groups and promoting teamwork towards a common goal. An understanding of multicultural environments and outstanding interpersonal communication skills are highly valued.
• Skilled in leveraging social media tools for professional impact. Familiarity with virtual learning platforms and the ability to contribute to webinars and online exchanges is advantageous.
• Experience in roles focused on coaching, advising, or leadership development, particularly with young professionals, is beneficial.
• Knowledge of procurement procedures, sub-award management is preferred.
• International work or study experience enriches your profile and is highly regarded.
• Intertest or Experience working in a multicultural and diverse environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, cross-cultural communication skills, and networking ability.
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities, including attention to detail and the capacity to prioritize tasks in a dynamic environment.
• Ability and willingness to work both independently and as an active member of a team, demonstrating initiative and adaptability.
• Excellent computer skills; Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), with a preference for familiarity with Office 365 (SharePoint, Teams, OneNote), and an interest in learning Salesforce, Canva, and Adobe Photoshop. Exposure to virtual content delivery platforms and Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas is advantageous.
• Ability to deliver reliable support to diverse stakeholders, reflecting an understanding of various cultural contexts.
• Ability to manage administrative tasks efficiently, with a focus on accuracy and detail. Experience in creating promotional materials or assisting in event planning is a plus.
• An understanding of or interest in global political developments and international affairs.
• A degree in international development, education, marketing, communications, business, or related fields would be beneficial. International experience through work, study, or volunteering is highly regarded but not required.
• Speaking, reading and writing proficiency in English required. 

• Must demonstrate valid proof of unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

Your Daily Tasks

• Provide administrative and logistical support across all phases of program implementation, ensuring timely, accurate, and effective completion of deliverables.
• Assist in the organization, management, and facilitation of on-site events, workshops, and trainings, offering both general and planning support.
• Take an active role in facilitating or co-facilitating sessions to ensure engaging and impactful learning experiences.
• Provide administrative, logistical, and management support for fellow tracking and maintenance, aimed at enhancing participant engagement and success.
• Support and lead components of the fellow support process, to include DS-2019 preparation and mailing, arranging travel for participants, distributing participant stipends, guiding and supporting the fellow support team and ensuring effective tracking and data management throughout pre-arrival process.
• Offer guidance, support, and coaching to program participants as an IREX Advisor, fostering their development and addressing their needs.
• Contribute ideas to the planning and innovation of Fellow Support and other program components.
• Assist in the development of the application and review processes and support the implementation of program and alumni activities.
• Develop program promotional and instructional materials, incorporating feedback from both internal and external stakeholders to optimize content relevance and impact.
• Support the communications efforts for outreach purposes, crafting messages that convey the program's goals and achievements.
• Assist in development of the application, review process, and implementation of program and alumni activities.
• Assist in creation, management, and facilitation of program trainings/workshops as needed.
• Represent IREX and Leadership Practice interests both within and outside of IREX.
• Contribute to managing relationships, outreach, and follow-up with program partners and program participants.
• Communicate with participants and external stakeholders about the program in a clear, professional, and friendly manner. Accurately answer questions about program requirements, expectations, and timeline.  
• Write email templates, creates promotional materials, contributes to other external-facing communication, and provides guidance to team to support smooth relational communications as needed.
• Collect success stories from participants and partners and liaises with communications team to support public outreach.
• Support program social media, communications, publicity, and outreach.
• Write summaries of project activities and results including donor and other program reports.
• Manage relationships, outreach, and follow-up activities with program partners and participants, strengthening collaborative ties and program participation.
• Liaise with vendors and support services, ensuring the smooth operation of program activities.
• Conduct outreach to prospective host organization partners and maintain robust relationships with current partners.
• Liaise with IREX’s travel agent to manage international and domestic flights for participants and Outbound.
• Exchange awardees.
• Liaise with housing vendor to support their work and to troubleshoot as needed.
• Support outreach to prospective host organization partners and maintain relationships with current partners.
• Manage the participant stipend process and other fellow payments with Finance team.
• Provide backstopping to financial transactions, processing, and budget tracking, contributing to the program's financial integrity and accountability.
• Assist with procurement, subaward management, and the financial processes involved in making payments, ensuring compliance and efficiency.
• Provide input and contribute perspective to team decision-making. 
• Offer mentorship, guidance, and training to Project Interns, enhancing their professional development and contribution to the program.
• Provide input and share perspectives in team decision-making processes, promoting a collaborative and inclusive team environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

We conduct background checks on all successful candidates.

This position is eligible for Telework. The eligible employee is regular, full-time DC-based staff who works from a worksite outside the DC office for one or more days a week.

This position is not eligible for Immigration Sponsorship.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

EOE – Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets.