Program Assistant, Realign for Palestine, Middle East Programs

The Atlantic Council seeks a talented, dynamic and entrepreneurial individual for a full-time Program Assistant position to serve the Realign for Palestine project.

Reporting to the Realign for Palestine Director, and working closely with the Deputy Director, the Program Assistant will also work in coordination with the relevant Middle East Programs staff.

The Program Assistant’s main responsibility will be to coordinate and contribute to the execution of Realign for Palestine’s media and social media efforts, including support in the research, and online engagement agenda. This includes content, administration, and logistical support for website, newsletters, social media and other related publications. This person will lead the execution of internal and external day-to-day web initiatives, ensuring that all content is updated, accurate, and aligned with the Council’s/Project’s brand standards, and responsible for managing online community engagements related to the website and social media accounts.

A key component of this role will be providing staff support to the Director of Realign for Palestine to ensure the smooth operations of the program, such as administrative support, including some scheduling and the program’s expense tracking. The Program Assistant will play a crucial role in helping to develop impactful and relevant programming, while supporting Realign for Palestine and Middle East Programs Center leadership on engagement through researching, writing, execution of events and support in editing publications.

This individual will work with internal and external marketing strategists, web developers, and internal communication teams to support the measurement of content effectiveness (usage, adoption, and reach), brand awareness, lead generation, customer loyalty, and user engagement. The position requires poise and professionalism in managing multiple projects in a fluid, deadline-driven environment. The Program Assistant will report directly to the Project Director of Realign for Palestine.

The successful candidate will have an entrepreneurial spirit, superb communication skills, and enjoy the complexity of helping to build a rapidly growing program. The candidate should have a background in political science, international relations, and familiarity with the history and context of the Israel and Palestine conflict. Special consideration will be given to candidates with demonstrable interest and/or experience with Arabic language and media.

Candidates should have excellent administrative and communication skills, superior writing ability, attention to detail, intellectual agility, and the ability to engage diplomatically with colleagues in the organization as well as with external stakeholders. The candidate should have a proven aptitude to assume responsibility and work independently in a dynamic environment with tight deadlines and competing priorities.

This position is based in our Washington, DC, headquarters, requiring a minimum of 4 days per week in office. The Atlantic Council offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, education, and organizational equity, with offers from $53,000 to $59,000.

Job responsibilities

Program Support

• Support for the Director of Realign For Palestine, including but not limited to assisting the Deputy Director with management of the short-term and long-term schedule of the Director, coordinating externally with a range of key stakeholders and internally across the organization so that meetings reflect the priorities, are the subject of ample preparation, include the right participants, and are timely.
• Support the program with planning and organizing domestic and international travel.
• Expense and invoicing, managing relationships with external vendors, support submission of credit card and expense reports accurately and on time. Arrange vendor agreements for consultants or offsite engagements, as needed, and track invoices to ensure all are processed and paid on time.
• Conduct research as needed to support projects and activities, including briefings on relevant developments, key stakeholders, and emerging issues, and contributing to concept notes and research projects.
• Support to the execution of events and programming, liaising as needed with the office of engagement and other relevant programs such as Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council.
• Draft, proofread, edit, and as needed, publish internal and external materials and correspondence including speaker invitations, event materials, briefing memos, gift agreements, proposals, and other documents necessary for the implementation of assigned projects and program activities.

Communications and Media

• Owning the daily workflow associated with the Project’s website, including third-party tools and multiple input channels. Serve as the primary point of contact for identifying, troubleshooting, and resolving site performance issues.
• Create, edit, publish, update, and retire website content, including text, images, videos, and other web assets. Track requests for web changes, updates, new pages, additions, and edits.
• Use SEO tactics and CMS to maximize search rankings, optimize content, and analyze user engagement. Use content management systems to analyze website traffic and user engagement metrics.
• Manage content distribution to online channels and social media platforms to increase web traffic, provide guidance and support on effective methods for presenting content on the web.
• Work closely with the Atlantic Council’s editorial team to ensure synergy between the project and the council’s broader brand and communications strategy.
• Gain a deep understanding of the council’s brand and intellectual independence.
• Collaborate with marketing and creative teams to develop and bolster branding, style, layout, web copywriting, and user experience.
• Stay up-to-date with Israel and Palestine developments and generate new ideas to draw the audience’s attention.
• Manage publishing request intake process and timelines and ensure expedient follow-up.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher, in political science, international relations, economics, history, area studies, or other relevant fields. 1 or more years of relevant work experience in a relevant area of work.
• Demonstrated ability in project management and event coordination with exceptional attention to detail and ability to multi-task in a time-sensitive environment.
• Outstanding attention to detail, organizational and time management skills, and demonstrable experience in managing online communities, spaces, and content.
• Competence in administrative duties and providing scheduling assistance across various time zones.
• Professional presence, including the ability to effectively represent the Atlantic Council with external constituencies, such as board members, donors, senior government officials, and business leaders.
• A sincere commitment to the project’s ethos, which is the belief that both Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in safety, dignity, freedom, and independence, with a dedication to empathy, shared humanity, pragmatism, and practicality as the pillars of a different path forward.  
• Willingness to respond to an evolving set of priorities, with the ability to work irregular hours at times, and occasional international travel.
• Ability to handle sensitive information, meet deadlines, and maintain calm under pressure. The right candidate will maintain a calm, positive, and level-headed demeanor when dealing with negativity, incendiary rhetoric, online vitriol, and tense circumstances that can be associated with the Israel and Palestine discourse.
• Be flexible, creative, solution-driven, and positive in approaching challenges and problems. Superior English language writing skills and analytical ability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel; photo-editing, web-editing, and social media skills are highly desired.

To produce quality work and to successfully achieve our mission, we recognize the need for our staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a work/life balance. Our comprehensive benefits package helps to keep costs low for our staff and their families. Benefits include, but are not limited to comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, 403(b) plan, FSA options, pet insurance, Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and wellness benefits.