Program Assistant Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

By | October 9, 2023
Program Assistant Job Description
Program assistants ensure that each team member has an assignment and is kept accountable for it.

This post provides detailed information on the program assistant job description, including key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they typically perform.

It also highlights the major requirements that you may be expected to meet to be hired by most recruiters/employers for the program assistant role.

What Does a Program Assistant Do?

A program assistant is responsible for the organization of a project from start to finish. He/she is required to ensure that each team member has an assignment and is kept accountable for it.

The program assistant job description involves making sure that each task has been completed in a timely manner and by the right person.

It also entails monitoring the progress of each team member, ensuring that they are able to handle their responsibilities while still being productive at the same time.

In addition, the program assistant knows who needs support and guidance in order to become more productive and efficient at their job.

The program assistant also takes care of administrative tasks required by every job thus simplifying the workload for other members of their team, as well as office staff members.

To ensure that the committee does a good job, the program assistant is assigned to support them or guide them as needed for their daily work.

They monitor the progress of each member of the committee in managing their tasks and duties on a day-to-day basis.

It is also their responsibility to educate team members and other members in charge of managing meetings and on how to conduct meetings successfully.

The program assistant work description entails regulating meeting minutes by ensuring that everything in them is correct, complete, and accurate enough to be certified as such by everyone who signs his/her name.

Managing the organization’s resources and funds is one of the program assistant’s key duties.

The program assistant work description also involves making sure that the staff members have the necessary supplies needed to perform their jobs, both old and new items are ordered, if necessary.

It also entails taking care of inquiries that may arise regarding registration, other activities, and work procedures, which they are responsible for directly or indirectly through a delegation of authority.

Program assistants maintain a database of employees in order to have them ready at hand when procedures need to be followed, such as payroll and benefit management.

They also maintain a database of vendors, contractors, consultants, and service providers needed by the organization.

It is also the duty of the program assistant to manage incoming and outgoing paper work, therefore ensuring that they are correctly processed in their respective departments and that they will be properly processed in time.

Program Assistant Job Description Sample/Example/Template

The program assistant job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

  • Organizes, plans, and provides administrative support to the department
  • Maintains current knowledge of community resources and services
  • Answers telephone calls, routing calls to appropriate individuals, taking messages and/or transferring calls as needed
  • Files materials, such as policies and procedures in the proper filing systems or document management systems (i.e., SharePoint). Updating files with the latest version of policies and procedures when changes are made by management staff or department personnel
  • Prepares for new departments that are being formed within the company (i.e. a new department may be formed and a new role will be needed by the program assistant to process the paperwork)
  • Processes applications for grants, sponsorships, and fundraising
  • Performs routine office tasks, such as filing, copying, faxing, shipping packages or other general office duties as needed
  • Processes program application forms and files that are received in triplicate
  • Actively participates in a variety of committees or task forces as requested by management staff or the department manager or director when essential to the ongoing success of current tasks, duties, and obligations within their role, job responsibilities and/or objectives verticals in an assigned level of management within the company
  • Prepares travel arrangements, including reservations and payment of travel-related expenses by credit card
  • Organizes materials, such as brochures, cards, newsletters or other promotional materials that have been ordered by clients or stakeholders
  • Prepares invoices, bills, and/or other financial documents in their role as the purchasing agent for the company
  • Aids the Public Relations Department by updating Internet site, placing ads and writing news releases.

Program Assistant Job Description for Resume

If you have worked before or are currently working as a program assistant and are making a new resume or CV, then you can create a compelling Professional Experience for your resume by applying the sample program assistant job description provided above.

You can express the duties and responsibilities you have performed or are presently carrying out as a program assistant in the Professional Experience section of your resume by utilizing the ones in the above sample program assistant job description.

This will show that you have been successful performing the program assistant duties and responsibilities, which can greatly enhance your chances of being hired, especially if the new job that you are seeking requires someone with some program assistant work experience.

Program Assistant Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the program assistant position by most recruiters/employers:

  • High school diploma or GED and working knowledge of Word, Excel, and Power Point
  • Ability to handle a variety of administrative duties that include filing, copying, faxing and mailing in an office setting
  • Must be able to be computer literate (Microsoft Office Excel or Google Docs)
  • Basic understanding of Microsoft Windows operating systems (Windows Vista/7/8/10)
  • Ability to use a computer to process information and communicate with co-workers
  • Customer service oriented and ability to respond to a variety of requests
  • Ability to manage your time effectively, identifying what is most important at a given point in time, while keeping the bigger picture in mind
  • Good writing, communication, and oral skills in order to provide customer service or information
  • Quickly build rapport with new people and understand their needs
  • Ability to work well under pressure and tight deadlines
  • Strong ability to learn quickly and control emotions when facing stressful situations.

Program Assistant Salary

According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for a program assistant in the United States is $36,246.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the program assistant career. They will be able to learn all they need to know about the work program assistants do and to decide if that’s the job they want to do.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers in making a detailed job description for the program assistant position in their organizations, for use in hiring competent individuals for the role.