Administrative Assistant, Humanitarian

Sesame Workshop is looking for an Administrative Assistant, Humanitarian. The Administrative Assistant will provide daily administrative support to the Managing Director, Refugee Programs and will manage, support functions for program management, and occasionally other program areas (Education, Marketing/Communication, Production) the program. As a part of a dynamic and changing organization, the Administrative Assistant will need to be an innovative, hands-on team player. The right candidate will continually exercise frequent independent judgment while performing administrative duties and develop, implement, assess, and maintain strong knowledge of systems and procedures. Ahlan Simsim is the name for the Middle Eastern humanitarian project and the name of the local version of Sesame Street.

Please note: This is a full-time permanent role with full benefits that ends when the grant ends in the beginning of 2023 with possible extension.

Responsibilities:
Administrative Support to Managing Director, Ahlan Simsim

Administrative duties such as digital and physical filing, copying, calendar management, obtaining signatures, scanning, tracking documents, note-taking, expense report preparation, contract tracking and approval

Update and distribute the Ahlan team calendar on a weekly basis by coordinating with program partners for travel, events and leave updates

Development and implementation of organizational systems and program management tools for Ahlan Simsim

Supporting the preparation of internal and external written communications and multi-media presentations

Trip preparation includes arranging travel, obtaining visas, creating itineraries, creating travel briefing documents and travel security plans

Meeting and event preparation, including digital logistical support as needed

Other admin support as requested

Administrative Support to International Social Impact Department

Support the proofreading and fact-checking of Ahlan Simsim presentations and documents before circulation

Tracking documents through approval processes to ensure timely delivery, expense report preparation, maintenance of the department’s activity and birthday calendar, travel coordination, PTO and travel tracking, timesheet and contract approval, server organization and maintenance, asset cataloging

Office maintenance including supply ordering and unpacking, supply drawer organization, serving as point of contact for facilities issues, office space, retrieving department mail, storage management

Department communication management including obtaining and consolidating information from the Ahlan team to share periodic updates with the larger SIP group

Support department intern coordination including hiring, onboarding, and management

External visitor coordination including scheduling meetings, greeting at reception, meeting prep, ordering food as requested, preparing gift bags, printing materials, queuing presentations/clips

Internal events coordination including department events and birthdays

Department strategic support including designing and implementing department-relevant management and organization tools.

Qualifications:
BA/BS or equivalent experience

1 year of experience. as an assistant

Experience with MS Office Suite is required

Work experience in a comparable position is preferred

Ability to work independently and collaboratively, handle a heavy, diverse workload, and work closely with coworkers

Thoughtful and concise, respectful and discrete, ability to take direction and criticism professionally

Ability to adapt to change and respond to challenge

Strong organizational and communication skills: the ideal candidate is a stickler for details and is highly organized

Strong time management skills and ability to proactively manage others’ time when necessary

Proactive team player with an ability to spot inefficiencies, and propose effective solutions (creative problem-solving skills)

Results-oriented

A willingness to work across time zones

Arabic language skills a plus

Program:
The right candidate should be a passionate and collaborative individual who will provide administrative support for our new humanitarian initiative to bring early childhood education to Syrian refugees in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, in partnership with the International Rescue Committee. Awarded the first-ever MacArthur Foundation 100&Change $100 million grant, the program will be the largest early childhood intervention in the history of humanitarian response. More information on the program is available athttps://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/shows/ahlan-simsim. The position is based in New York City.

Department Overview:
International Social Impact Programs is a division of the Social Impact and Philanthropy department that is responsible for growing Sesame Workshop’s global presence and initiating, implementing and strategically sustaining local brand adaptations to drive reach and impact. The team collaborates with a variety of international partners, stakeholders, and service providers to deliver educationally targeted, high-quality content through coalitions of local and global media, education, government, corporate, donor and civil society partners. International Impact must strategically connect and synchronize Sesame’s global networks at the regional and country-level and align content development with global development goals and global themes.