Program Assistant

RCUSA is currently seeking a Program Assistant to provide administrative support to RCUSA programs, focusing primarily on RCUSA’s participation in the National Refugee Leadership and Lived Experience Council (NRLLEC) Program.

About Refugee Council USA

Refugee Council USA (RCUSA) is a Washington, DC-based membership association of 41 national nonprofits that serve and advocate for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Our mission is to mobilize expertise, ideas, and influence to protect the rights of forcibly displaced people and build more welcoming societies. We envision a just world in which people forced to flee their homes have agency, access to safety, and opportunity to thrive. 

About the National Refugee Leadership and Lived Experience Council Program (NRLLEC) 

NRLLEC is a new program funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that designs, implements, evaluates, and promotes national-level councils consisting of refugees and other ORR-eligible populations.. The program’s primary goal is to positively impact the lives of council members and their refugee and larger communities by building council members’ capacity to serve as leaders. The program is operated by Refugee Congress, an RCUSA member organization, along with four partner organizations: RCUSA, Church World Service, Every Campus a Refugee, and USAHello. 

About the Program Assistant Position

The primary function of the Program Assistant will be to provide administrative support for RCUSA’s participation in the NRLLEC Program, by carrying out a range of tasks relating to council-member selection processes, training sessions, meetings, events, and outreach and marketing activities. This position reports to the RCUSA’s Director of Programs, and will work closely with the NRLLEC Program Director (Refugee Congress) and other project partners. The Program Assistant will support other RCUSA projects and programs as assigned.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Program Assistant will primarily assist the Director of Programs and other team members with all facets of RCUSA’s role in the NRLLEC program, including the work of several subcommittees, including those dedicated to program design and administration, committee selection, training, events, and program promotion. Specific responsibilities include:

  • Attending meetings of NRLLEC subcommittees as assigned and taking minutes of meetings.
  • Maintaining an online filing system and relevant databases. 
  • Providing administrative and logistical support for NRLLEC meetings and events, including an annual in-person gathering of NRLLEC Council members in Washington, DC.  
  • Assisting RCUSA’s Program Associate with outreach and marketing tasks assigned to RCUSA.
  • Scheduling meetings and arranging Zoom calls.
  • Other administrative and program support duties, as assigned by the Director of Programs. 

Preferred Qualifications include: 

  • Demonstrated capacity for working in cross-cultural settings
  • First-person knowledge of the lived experiences of refugee and immigrant communities;
  • Familiarity with refugee and/or immigrant policies and/or services
  • Experience working in a nonprofit organization;
  • Strong organizational skills
  • Experience with word processing, spreadsheets, scheduling, videoconferencing, and other related software;
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and work experience; and
  • Working knowledge of a language other than English.

Special Requirements 

  • Occasional travel may be required. 
  • Must be willing to occasionally adjust work hours to include evening and weekend responsibilities, as necessary.
  • Background check required.

This is a full-time salaried, exempt position, with competitive benefits. The position is hybrid, with the expectation of working two or three days per week in person at the RCUSA office in Washington, DC. Continuation of the position beyond September 2025 may be contingent on Federal Funding. 

Salary range: $50,000 to $55,000, commensurate with experience. 

People of color, ethnic minorities, immigrants and refugees, women, and LGBTQIA+ people are particularly encouraged to apply. 

To apply, please submit a resume, a cover letter explaining your interest in the position and your qualifications, along with the names and contact information for two professional references here.

(Note that references will not be contacted until the final stages of the hiring process, and we will notify you before contacting any references.) 

Application deadline is December 6, 2024. The successful candidate will ideally begin no later than January 2025.