Staff Assistant

Nakupuna Companies seeks a Staff Assistant to support the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD). GHSD’s mission is to protect the United States and save lives around the world by strengthening global health security, improving and sustaining health outcomes, and bolstering country-led health systems through U.S. leadership and partnerships. GHSD advances the America First Global Health Strategy (AFGHS), keeping Americans safe by stopping the spread of infectious diseases globally, saving lives around the world, and supporting countries to move away from dependency on U.S. foreign assistance and towards resilient and durable local health systems that prevent disease, maintain health, and enable economies to thrive. The Bureau is the Department of State’s lead for health diplomacy and health foreign assistance. Through this work, GHSD elevates and integrates global health security as a core component of U.S. national security and foreign policy.

The Staff Assistant will be assigned to the GHSD Front Office and report to the Chief of Operations. The position will provide high-tempo workflow, tasking, correspondence, briefing, and coordination support for GHSD principals and senior staff, helping ensure leadership requirements are accurately coordinated, appropriately staffed, tracked, and completed in accordance with Department of State guidance and timelines.

The Staff Assistant will serve as a key coordination point between the GHSD Front Office, the Department’s Executive Secretariat, GHSD offices, other Department bureaus, and external stakeholders. The position requires strong judgment, responsiveness, attention to detail, excellent writing and editing skills, and the ability to manage multiple time-sensitive priorities while maintaining effective communication and follow-through across the Bureau.

The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign additional duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

Job Duties Include:

• Workflow Management: Maintain a streamlined and efficient work and paper flow system that ensures minimal delays and supports immediate action where necessary.
• Liaison and Point of Contact for Executive Secretariat: Serve as the primary liaison between the GHSD Front Office and the Executive Secretariat, ensuring that all tasked items are addressed in accordance with Department of State guidance and policy.
• Coordination of Material Submission and Status Tracking: Coordinate the review and submission of requested materials across various offices and bureaus, including tracking status, anticipated delivery dates, and identifying reasons for delays.
• Support in Report and Briefing Book Preparation: Assist in the preparation, quality control, and coordination of reports, briefing books, and correspondence for GHSD principals, ensuring the material is accurate and relevant.
• Correspondence Tracking and Task Management: Track daily taskings, incoming and outgoing correspondence, and ensure timely follow-up and response to GHSD principals’ needs.
• Meeting Support and Follow-up Actions: Attend meetings with GHSD principals and senior staff, record decisions, and ensure follow-up actions are implemented as agreed upon. This includes coordinating with all relevant parties to ensure timely execution of decisions.
• Task Issuance and Tracking for Front Office: Issue taskings to staff, track progress, and ensure that all drafts and final products meet the needs of GHSD principals.
• Performance of Special Projects and Backup Support: Undertake special projects as assigned and provide backup support for other Front Office staff as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Deliverables:

• Accurate and current Front Office workflow, tasking, and correspondence trackers.
• Timely coordination and submission of Executive Secretariat and other Department taskings.
• Status reports identifying outstanding actions, responsible offices, anticipated delivery dates, and reasons for delays when applicable.
• Reports, briefing books, correspondence, and other materials coordinated and prepared for GHSD principals.
• Meeting notes, decision records, action items, and follow-up tracking for engagements involving GHSD principals and senior staff.
• Properly routed and tracked incoming and outgoing correspondence and Front Office taskings.
• Special project products and other Front Office support materials as assigned.

Skills/Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be a highly organized, responsive, and service-oriented professional with the judgment, interpersonal skills, analytical ability, and communication skills necessary to support senior leadership in a fast-paced Front Office environment.

• Customer Service and Interpersonal Skills: Ability to interact effectively with internal Department bureaus and offices and external stakeholders, including international partners and non-governmental organizations.
• Analytical and Communication Skills: Ability to conduct research, analyze data, and communicate findings effectively both in writing and orally.
• Multitasking and Organizational Skills: Ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, tasks, and competing priorities efficiently, ensuring priorities remain aligned with GHSD objectives.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Ability to think critically, make decisions under pressure, and provide clear information to senior officers.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-volume, time-sensitive workflows and track actions from assignment through completion.
• Ability to coordinate, review, format, and prepare reports, briefing materials, correspondence, and other products for senior leadership.
• Strong stakeholder coordination skills, including the ability to work across offices and bureaus to obtain inputs, address delays, and support timely completion of Front Office requirements.
• Ability to handle sensitive information appropriately and exercise sound professional judgment and discretion.
• Office Automation Skills: Ability to successfully utilize office software applications, including Microsoft Office Suite, email systems, task-management tools, and related office technology.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Front Office staff and contributing to a professional, responsive, and positive working environment.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) from an accredited college or university required.
• Minimum 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in administrative support, staff support, workflow management, executive coordination, program support, or a related field.
• Experience supporting senior leadership in a government, international affairs, federal contracting, or similarly complex professional environment preferred.
• Experience managing time-sensitive taskings, correspondence, executive-level materials, or cross-organizational coordination preferred.

Work Schedule: Position is full-time, 40 hours per week (Monday-Friday) in Washington, DC.

Travel: Potential for domestic and international travel in support of Bureau requirements (10%)

Clearance Requirements: Active Secret security clearance required. Must be a US citizen.

Physical Requirements: The ideal candidate must at a minimum be able to meet the following physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation:

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers.
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and work on a computer.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market ranges commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation for this position is $98,500.00 to $116,000.00 (annualized USD). The salary range displayed represents the typical range for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies total compensation package for employees.