Junior Technical Specialist (USAID/BHA)

ZemiTek, LLC is a Woman-Owned, SBA-certified 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) based in the Washington, DC metro area. We have a strong record delivering innovative and high-quality solutions. Since 2007, ZemiTek has provided technical assistance, project management, information technology (IT), knowledge management, monitoring and evaluation, training and learning development, and institutional support services.

USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) is the lead federal coordinator for international disaster assistance. USAID/BHA provides and coordinates U.S. Government (USG) international humanitarian assistance to save lives, alleviate human suffering, and reduce the physical, social, and economic impact of rapid and slow-onset disasters by helping people in need become more resilient to future crises. Team Credence, through the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Support Contract (BHASC), provides operational and administrative support to provide and coordinate humanitarian assistance and maintain 24/7 response capability. The Office of Field and Response Operations (FARO) is a diverse, mission-driven team of experts leading the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) operational readiness and excelling in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the world’s most vulnerable populations. Together, we create a safe environment where we inspire and enable our staff to achieve their full potential.

The Junior Technical Specialist will join the PETER team in FARO’s Response Resources Division (R2D) to strengthen its capability to provide prompt, effective services in the areas of response readiness, planning, systems management and reporting in support of the delivery of humanitarian assistance around the world. R2D supports the office’s readiness, resources, and operational capacity to deliver lifesaving assistance during a response, managing response staffing readiness mechanisms, and providing systems expertise to BHA’s steady state, contingency, and response related planning.

Specifically, R2D manages BHA’s deployment and activation system PETER (Personnel, Equipment, Training, Experience, and Readiness). In close consultation with senior leadership, PETER develops new and improved systems to ensure response readiness, facilitates readiness drills and exercises, as well as process to fill immediate staffing shortfalls for ongoing responses. The system is developed out on a monthly basis and the PETER team is responsible for providing direction to this development and training BHA staff at all levels to use the system.

The Junior Technical Specialist will assist in carrying out the functions of R2D’s PETER Team in support of BHA’s worldwide humanitarian assistance mandate, focusing on emerging trends in response staffing and respond to dynamic needs for reporting and analysis of current processes and data. The specialist will work closely with the Development and Education and Enablement workstreams to track business needs and requirements, relay them to the PETER developer, track their completion, educate staff on how to use the new functionality and analyze performance metrics.

Day-to-day work assignments and oversight are provided by the PETER Team Lead or their designee with formal supervisory and evaluation functions performed by their contract supervisor.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Location Washington, DC

Position Type Full-time, Remote

Salary Full salary range for this position is $77,000 - $94,000 a year with the starting salary determined based on candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, and education, in addition to budget availability.

Clearance Ability to obtain and maintain a secret-level clearance.

• Employ organizational readiness systems, practices, and methodologies to support disaster response activation and deployment activities.
• Support the innovation, design, testing, and development of new tools and technologies to improve response readiness and readiness monitoring.
• Support with tasks related to response readiness including improving tools, technologies, processes, or programs; monitoring staffing readiness across various teams; assisting with maintaining trackers and conducting readiness assessments and generating reports.
• Provide training as needed to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Manage alert systems, strategies, and processes to support appropriate staffing levels across the organization.
• Become knowledgeable on readiness programs and principles and serve has the primarily point of contact for the team on BHA’s deployment database and application.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on readiness programs and principles.
• Serve as subject matter expert on BHA’s deployment database and application
• Assist senior staff as needed on operational systems and processes, including developing and maintaining standard operating procedures for the Team.
• Support with data calls and data management of the system.
• Attend team, office, and other meetings as assigned by the Team Leader and, when necessary, prepare summaries of these meetings.
• Manipulate and query BHA corporate systems including PETER to produce standard reports and ad-hoc reports to indicate disaster response readiness.
• Research and collect data, using online tools and services, on humanitarian response needs, trends, etc. for team members and team leadership.
• Support senior team members to develop templates and timelines, and assist in developing operational guidance for BHA staff, as needed.
• Participate in interagency and stakeholder-wide meetings as assigned by the Team Leader.
• Represent R2D interests to external stakeholders such as IT support contractors who are designing and maintaining BHA corporate platforms.
• As needed, serve as a member of the Washington-based Response Management Teams (RMT) which provide services and support to Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) deployed in response to disasters. The duties on RMTs will be varied. RMT service is not a core requirement or expectation for this position, but occasional RMT activations are possible.
  
  
  

Our application process is quick and easy.

• Bachelors degree and zero (0+) Years or High school diploma and four (4+) Years
• Experience working with data and databases.
• Experience supporting with the development of training materials, tools, templates and the operationalization of systems.
• Have strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a US Government issued Secret clearance for the duration of your employment.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications and Requirements

• Two additional years of professional experience by degree as noted above culminating in a set of responsibilities similar to those of this position.
• Experience in a similar role in a humanitarian assistance or international development setting preferred.
• Possess excellent judgment and reliability.
• Have strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Be able to multi-task and work under deadlines in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.
• Be capable of prioritizing tasks and follow up on actions without prompting.
• Be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances; and
• Participate as an active team member who assists other team members as necessary.
  
  
  

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Compensation and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That’s why at ZemiTek we design our benefits packages to reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Our employment benefits include, competitive compensation, health and wellness programs, income protection, paid personal, parental, and medical leave, retirement plans with employer match and immediate vesting, among many other perks.

ZemiTek is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant’s qualifications are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by law.

ZemiTek is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, ZemiTek will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to accommodations@zemitek.com.

ZemiTek embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and strives to build and maintain a safe environment where we celebrate diverse backgrounds, treat everyone with respect, and value the unique lived experiences each person brings based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, military or veteran status, national origin, age, marital status or family status and related conditions.