Project Coordinator, IS-0301-09

Application Deadline: 5 September 2026

Department: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Washington, DC

Reporting To: Director of Strategic Initiatives & External Affairs

Compensation: $70,623 - $91,815 / year

Description

• Pass Pre-employment Background Check and Subsequent Background Investigation for position designated.
• Complete a Probationary Period.
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer.
• The position is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States.  Proof of eligibility to work in U.S. is not required to apply.
• Applicants must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 

OVERVIEW

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Budget development and monitoring:  Develops budgets and spending plans which includes building and maintaining budget templates. Occasionally and with supervision, creates and updates monthly budget monitors; calculates budget projections and burn rates; analyzes project activities and estimates staff level of effort. On a regular and recurring basis, communicates with contractors to determine appropriate pricing; reviewing contractor proposals to evaluate pricing against proposed activities; and calculating travel costs based on foreign per diem rates. Provides support with budget planning, data entry of financial information into budget management tools developed for digital storytelling projects, and oversight of project spending. This includes managing records of financial commitments and transactions and monitoring spending in ERP. Serves as fiscal manager for a range of project requests including training, local miscellaneous reimbursements, and/or general office supplies.
• Project management assistance:  Works closely with project managers and other CFCH staff engaged in projects, assists with developing, coordinating and updating project-related briefing materials, including, but not limited to concept notes, status reports, and briefing books. Maintains the CFCH filing system for set project documents.
• Meeting and travel coordination:  Participates in team meetings for assigned projects. Records key discussion points and decisions for distribution to team members and key staff. Conducts desk research and maintains project files and information regarding potential digital storytelling project opportunities. Supports the project teams, both in Washington, DC and in the field, in the day-today logistical coordination of project activities by organizing meetings and preparing travel authorizations and vouchers for local, national and international travel. Travels nationally and internationally to support administrative and technical aspects of assigned projects and critical activities, as necessary.
• Internal relationships for project coordination:  Establishes and builds relationships with project partners and support units within SI dealing with issues related to grants, contracting, office management, and finance. This involves coordinating with multiple project partners and units simultaneously, ensuring that all parties have the information necessary to solve complex problems. The incumbent serves as a project liaison with the Office of Sponsored Projects to assure compliance with grant guidelines and that CFCH respects the various clauses and conditions of our external grants. S/he also coordinates with Office of Contracting to prepare Statements of Work for contracts and with our internal admin team as well as with SI’s finance office.
• Project evaluation:  Works with project managers to support the development of program evaluation plans and impact evaluation tools, including identifying indicators and measures of impact. Gathers and manages evaluation data, including assistance in analysis and interpretation of data, and reporting on findings and learnings. Assists in development and upkeep of evaluation data management system. Develops and manages partners and participants Excel database. 

• Research: Conducts research in support of digital storytelling using library and/or online resources. Assists in the identification of relevant research materials; reports and white papers published by government agencies and NGOs; and other academic works in the field of communications, digital media, anthropology, and folklore.
• Supporting and leading trainings: Provides technical support in research-based fieldwork and inleading trainings related to assigned projects in the United States as well as in foreign countries, which may involve developing training workshops for non-English speakers. This includes managing contracts in the country where local expectations relating to schedules, performance, and payments may be quite different than in the United States.
• Supporting capacity building: Works with SI project team and partners to support general capacity building for communications and digital storytelling efforts of national and international cultural heritage organizations.
• Digital media content preparation: assists with collecting and updating project-related, public facing materials for publication on project web pages, including, but not limited to announcements, teaching materials, participant bios and news items. Develops communication plans and social media content to share on CFCH platforms. 

• Provides input on product specifications and Statements of Work for contract services by contacting vendors to obtain necessary bids. Verifies the availability of funds, initiates contracts and purchase orders, and ensures that all vendors are enrolled in the System for Acquisition Management (SAM) and PeopleSoft database. Responds to vendor inquiries regarding the status of payments. Accesses PeopleSoft computer database to review payment history information, track payments through the processing cycle, and verify that all payment information is available, etc. 

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS