Executive Assistant & Communications Specialist

The United States Peace Corps is a non-political, non-religious organization that will bring Americans to Viet Nam to serve as Peace Corps Volunteers. Volunteers will co-teach English language classes with Vietnamese teachers in secondary schools. The Peace Corps is serving in Viet Nam at the invitation of the Government of Viet Nam and working closely with Ministry of Education and Training with a goal to improve the English language skills of teachers and students. Peace Corps Volunteers commit to two years of service, will live with host families, and will support and co-lead additional school related activities in accordance with the school leadership. A new cohort of Volunteers will arrive each year. The Peace Corps was founded by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship. General information about the Peace Corps can be found on www.peacecorps.gov. Position Title: Executive Assistant and Communication Specialist Opening Date: February 26, 2021 Submission Date for first review: March 22, 2021, Open until filled Area of Consideration/Who may apply: All applicants must be a naturalized citizen or permanent resident of Viet Nam who are legally able to work within the country. Point of Contact: Peace Corps Human Resources - PCVietNamJobs@peacecorps.gov Market Value/Salary (per annum): US$ 16,364– US$ 24,536 + benefits Period of Performance/ Length of Contract/ Work Schedule: Definite term – five years/ Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). Peace Corps expects this contract to be continuing in nature for the contractor to perform under a series of sequential contracts, subject to the availability of funds. Place of Performance: Peace Corps Viet Nam, Peace Corps office Ha Noi. Security Level required: Local Security Certificate

Background information of the position

The Executive Assistant and Communications Specialist is responsible for: secretarial and administrative support; partnership and representational assistance acting as a liaison with the ministries and embassy leadership; manages the Post’s external communication to include an Annual Report and other print and electronic external documents as well as serving as the administrator for the post’s website and social media platforms; directly contributes to the smooth and efficient operation of Peace Corps (PC) Viet Nam by providing executive level assistance to the Country Director (CD) and other post leadership; is the primary point of contact for the CD with various stakeholders to include managing the CD’s calendar and appointments. The Executive Assistant and Communication Specialist for Peace Corps Viet Nam is directly supervised by the Country Director. Executive Assistant Serves as the primary point of contact for the CD with various stakeholders, including representatives of the Government of Viet Nam to include Ministerial and local government, representatives of the US Embassy to include the US Ambassador, Deputy Chief of Mission and their representatives, the Peace Corps Advisory Committee, the Peace Corps leadership team in Washington, DC, other staff, and Peace Corps Volunteers. Manage the calendar for the Country Director and support organizational efficiency in a number of areas to include high level visits, Volunteer events, and helping to lead correspondence for the Country Director. Contributes to the smooth and efficient operation of Peace Corps (PC) Viet Nam by providing executive level advice, support and assistance, particularly in matters related to proper protocol and other communications with the Government of Viet Nam and other key constituencies; assists by drafting and maintaining correspondence, reports, newsletters, and other correspondence in Vietnamese and/or English; ensures that an efficient central filing system is established and maintained; organizes and maintains the CD's calendar, makes appointments and travel itineraries including making reservations; translates materials from Vietnamese to English and vice versa; reviews and summarizes key media stories for the post leadership; prepares materials such as briefing books for official visitors and responses for information from PC Headquarters, the Embassy and others about PC Viet Nam; answers routine inquiries and shares in telephone and visitor reception duties of the office; understands the safety and security directives and procedures, assists with safety and security functions; plays a key role in the implementation of receptions, staff retreats, and social activities for staff; and contributes to the overall efficiency and quality of operations by being a supportive and cooperative member of the PC Viet Nam team as we fulfill our vision and goals. Communications Responsibilities Working with the CD, the Executive Assistant and Communications Specialist helps set the direction and guide the strategy for all internal and external communications to consistently articulate, enable and fulfill PC Viet Nam’s mission. This individual will be a creative, innovative, strategic, results-driven team member. Strong communications strategy, design and execution experience, combined with strong passion for the vision, mission and goals of the PC Viet Nam are critical to success in this role. Key responsibilities include working with executives on the internal/external communication strategy; assisting with developing and implementing communications campaigns that align with overall PC Viet Nam goals and objectives. The Executive Assistant and Communications Specialist will also oversee all of PC Viet Nam’s publication, from design, to soliciting content, editing, and production as well as distribution—to include an Annual Report. She/he will manage the post’s web and social media ensuring strategic storytelling to engage our stakeholders and ensure the visibility of our work. The Executive Assistant and Communications Specialist will also partner cross-functionally with other PC Viet Nam staff, as well as U.S. Embassy staff where appropriate, and provide leadership in developing and implementing all messaging and communication content across traditional and new media to support those areas.

Qualifications

Required:

Education/Certification: BA or BS degree or proximate education via experience
Years of Experience: Three years administrative or project/program management experience
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Vietnamese
Demonstrated knowledge of Government of Viet Nam protocols
Computer skills including demonstrated proficiency in Outlook, Excel, Microsoft Word, Databases and PowerPoint

Preferred:

Working in an international or intercultural organization
Experience with website design, blogs, Facebook and similar social media platforms, Twitter, Instagram
Skills in drafting and editing press releases, articles and official documents
Experience developing print materials such as flyers, brochures and Annual Reports

Candidates who will excel in this position will possess the following qualities:

Good judgment and respect for confidentiality
Ability to multi-task
Can-Do and Will-Do
Strong organizational skills
Flexibility
Excellent attention to detail
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to navigate complicated situations in an ethical and diplomatic manger to achieve optimal outcomes
Commitment to the goals and values of the Peace Corps

Duties and Responsibilities / Tasks and Deliverables

Executive Assistant Responsibilities

Ensures clear and appropriate communications and protocol with the GVN, ministries, and local government, USG, Peace Corps Washington, and others by drafting and maintaining correspondence, reports, presentations, briefing materials, and other materials in the appropriate diplomatic format and language in English and/or Vietnamese as needed for review and approval by the CD; coordinating activities on behalf of the CD related to special events; providing advice to the CD regarding relations and protocol with all GVN national and local offices; working with appropriate GVN offices to develop and maintain protocols and handle communications with various GVN offices; staying current on projects, events, and issues related to PC Viet Nam in order to communicate accurate and timely information; and advising the CD of times when it is important to either host or attend official functions and assist in the arrangements according to protocol.
Provide leadership in strengthening internal communications with staff at all levels throughout the organization; create and promote a positive and supportive work environment.
Assists the Country Director in achieving annual goals and objectives by tracking priorities and deadlines for achieving goals and objectives; maintaining schedules to ensure timely planning and evaluation; and participating in discussions related to the annual planning in staff meetings and retreats.
Ensures the timely dissemination of information to staff by assisting the CD in scheduling periodic staff meetings and retreats; taking official minutes at all staff meetings, retreats, etc. and distributing to appropriate staff members; issuing staff notices on behalf of the CD.
Ensures that all travel arrangements are efficiently handled for the CD by planning and coordinating travel schedules; making reservations for travel and lodging; making sure that country clearances are obtained when necessary; and following up with thank you letters following visits as appropriate.
Helps maximize PC Volunteer support by assisting the CD to respond in an appropriate and timely manner to requests and issues presented by Volunteers and assisting with arrangements for Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC) meetings; compiling information and statistics for updates and reports in-country and for Peace Corps Headquarters, and others as required.

Communication Responsibilities

Provides positive public relations by advising and assisting the CD in complying with the appropriate GVN and other diplomatic protocols; serving as the CD’s liaison with various constituencies such as Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (those who have previously served as a Peace Corps Volunteer anywhere in the world); welcoming guests and answering inquiries; assisting in the preparation of briefing materials, brochures, annual reports and other materials about PC Viet Nam; and recording and maintaining knowledge of PC Viet Nam’s history, current programs and events. Serves as primary point of contact for press inquiries, creates press releases, provides ongoing content to Peace Corps Viet Nam website.
Create design and layout, write, execute and manage the development and distribution of all print and electronic content including, but not limited to, social media, newsletters, brochures, online reports, e-newsletters, audio/video products, the PC Viet Nam website, media and public relations and other related online and print communications in order to help PC Viet Nam to achieve visibility for the work and service of our Peace Corps Volunteers, their counterparts, and our partner agencies.
Manage and maintain the PC Viet Nam website and social media to ensure that content is regularly and consistently updated and posted with new information (articles, links, stories, events, pictures, audio, video, etc.)
Assume lead responsibility for drafting and coordinating inputs to the Annual Report and provide any other support required to finalize the Annual Report of PC Viet Nam.
Implementing communications plans to increase recognition for PC Viet Nam.
Ensures the timely distribution of PC Viet Nam-wide correspondence by developing and monitoring procedures for effective and timely distribution of communications from PC Washington, newsletters, journals, correspondence, and other such communication.

Other Duties

Ensures the overall efficiency and quality of operations by being a supportive and cooperative member of the PC Viet Nam and team as it works to fulfill its vision, goals and objectives.
Supports other teams as needed taking on back-up support responsibilities and carrying out duties and responsibilities of agreed upon positions when deemed necessary by the Country Director and/or Supervisor for the successful management of Peace Corps operations in Viet Nam.
Other tasks and duties as assigned

Standard Roles and Responsibilities A. Occasional Money Handler (OMH): may be requested to courier cash and /or purchase orders to various vendors who furnish supplies and/or services to PST/IST training site, or other locations as directed by the Contracting Officer. The PSC may also be requested to courier cash to PC trainees or volunteers. The PSC will not be functioning as a procurement or disbursing official but will only be acting as an intermediary between the Contracting or Disbursing Officer and the recipient. In the case of dealing with vendors, the PSC will not exercise any procurement discretion concerning the supplies or services to be purchased or the cost limits of these purchases; these will be determined by the Contracting Officer. B. Safety &Security: All members of the Peace Corps team must be familiar with the Emergency Action Plan, their responsibilities in the event of an emergency, and with the procedures for reporting and responding to safety and security incidents. The duties and responsibilities, particularly as they concern Volunteers and Trainees, include, but are not limited to, the following:

Immediately communicates Volunteer safety and security concerns and issues to the Safety and Security Manager (SSM) and CD.
Knowledgeable and supportive of Peace Corps safety and security policies and procedures, including the timely reporting of suspicious incidents, persons or articles.
Acts as Duty Officer as assigned: A Duty Officer is “on call” 24/7 for a one-week period, is restricted from travel during that period, and must be available through the Duty Officer cell phone at all times. The Duty Officer works closely with the Safety and Security Manager.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria:

Applications will be initially screened for eligibility in accordance with the required qualifications mentioned above. Those applicants who meet the required qualifications will be scored based on the preferred qualifications. Highest scoring candidates will be called in for an interviews, language and skills test (presentations, excel/word tests). Performance from all interviews and skills test will be considered as a whole package to ensure the best candidate is selected that meets the needs of the Peace Corps mission. Professional reference checks will be conducted for selected candidates.

How to apply:

Please submit the following in English by email (with your name and the position you are applying for in as the subject of the email) as one PDF file to PCVietNamJobs@peacecorps.gov: 1. Application Cover Letter 2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) Closing date: Applications should be received 6:00 pm Friday, March 22, 2021 for consideration in the first review. Position remains open until filled. Applications for one position maybe considered for any current open position. No phone calls or personal visits related to this vacancy will be accepted. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. All applicants must pass a background/security investigation and a medical certification. Any contract offer with the US Peace Corps is contingent upon a candidate’s ability to secure the necessary certifications. All applicants must be a naturalized citizen of the host country or must have the required work permit or documentation that permits the applicant to work legally in the country in order to be eligible for consideration. The application must contain all the information necessary to demonstrate that the candidate possesses the education, experience, skills and language abilities required for this position.

Benefits and Allowances:

BENEFITS:

One-month basic salary Tet Bonus
Contribution to mandatory insurances pursuant to GVN’s law/ regulations including social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance.
Coverage of additional health insurance 90% for incumbent and each eligible family member
Annual and sick leave according to local labor law

ALLOWANCES (as applicable):

Unique Condition Work allowance: 7% of Annual basic salary (upon annual review).
Miscellaneous Benefits Allowance: US$1,000 per annum or US$3,000 per annum

The Peace Corps is both a federal agency and a vehicle through which American citizens offer needed assistance to people around the world and, in doing so, promote greater cross-cultural understanding between Americans and the people of the host countries. The fulfillment of the Peace Corps’ mission to foster greater understanding among the world’s citizens requires that we adhere to the highest standards with respect to equal employment opportunity for all Volunteers, employees, and applicants. The U.S. Peace Corps Vietnam will provide equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color religion, ethnicity, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, pregnancy and maternity or sexual orientation. The Peace Corps will also strive to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs. Discrimination based on factors that have no bearing on a person’s ability to serve and perform his or her duties is not permitted and will not be tolerated.