Program Assistant

Title: Program Assistant

Reports to: Executive Director

Employment Status: Part-time (20 hours/week) with intention to grow towards full-time, contingent on funding

Start Date: To begin immediately

Summary of Role: Provides special assistance to the Executive Director across AGWA's programs while supporting grant-funded project operations and compliance.

Organizational Background

The Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA) is an international members-based non-governmental organization (NGO) working to develop, support, and mainstream climate-resilient water management through technical programs and policy processes. AGWA is made up of 3000 members, largely professionals from the climate change and water communities representing utilities, policy and law specialists, academia, development banks, many technical disciplines, NGOs, government agencies, financial institutions, and the private sector. A small secretariat runs the daily operations of AGWA, while many of its initiatives are crowd-sourced across the network. AGWA is headquartered in Oregon, USA, but activities take place globally.

Job Summary

AGWA is seeking a motivated, very organized, and content-oriented multi-tasker to serve as Program Assistant to support our Executive Director (ED). The Program Assistant will help carry out day-to-day programmatic activities with and on behalf of the ED and the AGWA Secretariat. Responsibilities will include meeting prep and follow-up, presentation support, event coordination, representing AGWA in partner meetings, and special projects as directed. Grant compliance and administrative tasks will also be required, such as travel prep and reporting, email support, and calendar management.

This role requires a proactive individual with excellent communication skills, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently. The Program Assistant position will work directly with and report to the ED. This position will interact remotely with other staffers in the AGWA Secretariat on a regular basis through email exchanges, video calls, and other means.

AGWA's work is international, highly innovative, and collaborative in nature. As such, candidates can expect to interact with people from a wide range of disciplines, types of institutions, geographies, and time zones. The Program Assistant will regularly interact with AGWA's members, donors, as well as colleagues from other organizations on behalf of the ED to support the day-to-day operations of AGWA, field queries, ensure timely follow-ups, and to ensure the successful delivery of our numerous programs.

AGWA's work culture is dynamic and fast moving and requires an independent, self-motivated and self-directed approach, with the flexibility to work across time zones, levels of formality, and cultures. We have more in common with a high-tech startup in our work culture than a more traditional NGO or think tank. The world is dynamic and we are nimble. We expect staff to communicate progress, problems, and solutions early and in a deeply collaborative, practical, and (if possible) humble and even humorous way. We find that investigation, creativity, ownership, patience, and learning are critical for successful outcomes for most of our projects. AGWA will stretch you! Given our small size, the ability to troubleshoot is essential. So is the ability to ask for and receive help.

Please note, the position is for part-time employment capped at 20 hours per week for the time being. AGWA prides itself on the growth of its employees, and the responsibilities and associated volume of work for the position may expand over time, contingent on funding.

Key Responsibilities

Meeting Support

• Ensure ED is prepared for meetings, whether through advanced research and briefings, support in drafting agendas, or preparation of slides.
• Generate notes from meetings, whether through attendance or working with AI notetaking software, with particular attention to action items for the ED.
• Coordinate follow-up communications and set up additional meetings, as needed.
• With time and support, moving towards representing AGWA and the ED on calls independently and reporting progress and negotiations with partner organizations.

Event Support

• In collaboration with the ED, AGWA's Communications Lead, and other staff and partners, help organize and schedule AGWA events such as webinars and in-person events.
• Support the preparation of event materials, such as concept notes, agendas, invite lists, descriptions, and workplans.
• Support the invitation of speakers on behalf of the ED, making use of appropriate diplomacy and sensitivity for high level partners.
• Help lead logistical arrangements for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events (e.g., venue coordination, Zoom webinar setup).

Research & Special Projects

• Comfort with written and spoken communication is critical.
• Conduct targeted research on special topics or events.
• Prepare briefing materials (e.g., write-ups, slides) or give oral summaries.
• Contact external organizations, members of the AGWA network, or others as needed.
• Support with publications: proofreading, layout, and design (in coordination with the Communications Lead) for blogs, newsletters, and reports.

Administrative Support

• Coordinate with the ED to help manage their complex calendar, including scheduling meetings, appointments, and events with counterparts in multiple time zones.
• Prioritize and resolve scheduling conflicts, ensuring optimal use of ED's time.
• Assist the ED with external correspondences and flagging priority items from emails in a timely manner.
• Support travel preparations for the ED, including research into itineraries, with an eye towards meeting strict grant compliance requirements and documentation.
• Work with the COO and accounting team to ensure proper documentation around receipts, including preparation of travel expense reports as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Graduate-level degree (or be currently enrolled) in a relevant field such as climate change science or policy, water resources management, engineering, or governance, environmental law, economics, or science, or similar.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to be a quick learner on a range of topics that cover the spectrum of AGWA's programming.
• Exceptional attention to detail, particularly around coordinating complex schedules across international time zones.
• Research skills and the ability to distill complex topics into key points.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Workspace (Calendar, Drive, Docs), and modern communication tools (Zoom, Slack).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• High level of discretion and professionalism in handling confidential information.
• Ability to tolerate dad jokes with faux enthusiasm.

Preferred

• Prior experience supporting grant-funded projects, nonprofits, or cost-reimbursable grant compliance.
• Familiarity with digital note-taking tools or AI workflow software.
• Willingness to take on flexible work hours as needed as part of an international program of work.

Location

Remote (Oregon or Washington state based). Candidates must currently reside in Oregon or Washington state. If located in the Portland area, the employee will have access to our office, but there is no requirement to work there on a regular basis.

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Range: $25.00 - $29.00 per hour (commensurate with experience)

Hours: Part-time, 20 hours per week with potential to grow towards full-time

Benefits: Paid sick leave in compliance with Oregon law, flexible remote work schedule, option to participate in an employee-funded 403(b) retirement plan (pre-tax employee contributions; no employer match for positions under 20 hours/week).

How to Apply

Please submit a brief cover letter, resume, and list of at least two references to amauroner@alliance4water.org.