VPD Government Solutions is a rapidly growing, employee-centric professional services company providing Program Management, Agile IT Project Management, Business Analysis, Federal Acquisition Support Services and Facilities Investment Planning & Management Services to our Federal Clients. Our employees proudly serve as trusted advisors and innovative problem solvers for our clients. We are seeking an Junior Research Communication Assistant to join our diverse and talented team.

The Junior Research Communications Assistant supports routine internal communications and external research dissemination activities of the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). OPRE oversees contracts and grants to study ACF’s social services programs and the low-income and at-risk children and families they serve. Areas of focus include Head Start, childcare, welfare, employment and self-sufficiency, child abuse and neglect, responsible fatherhood and healthy marriage, home visiting, and youth services. OPRE includes approximately one hundred federal and contracted staff, primarily research and evaluation specialists. The Office oversees a portfolio of approximately $200 million in grants and contracts.

• Information on ACF is available at https://acf.hhs.gov
• Information on OPRE is available at: https://acf.hhs.gov/opre

Position Overview:

The Junior Research Communications Assistant will assist the OPRE Office of the Director (OD) with operations associated with our internal communication and external research dissemination activities.

Responsibilities:

• Assist federal staff with communications management activities (e.g., tracking website and social media content for approval/release and providing updates to leadership, taking notes during meetings, scheduling meetings, records management, etc.)
• Prepare weekly office newsletters, reports, and staff engagement materials
• Draft and/or prepare memos for office leadership, communication-focused memos, and other written products
• Assist with document review processes and coordination
• Manage shared knowledge management platforms for the office, including SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and local drives
• Contribute to and maintain collaborative documents, guidance documents, and internal staff resources for the office, making updates as needed and ensuring version control
• Schedule pre-approved website and social media content to post to the website or on our social media channels
• Coordinate routine website maintenance and updates, including but not limited to the website staff, event, and grant pages
• Provide responsive support to office staff in the use of Microsoft Teams, OneNote, Outlook, and other communications and digital collaboration platforms through consultation, the development of training resources, and staff presentations
• Provide responsive support to office staff with questions about review processes, website updates, and other communications tasks
• Provide internal communications support (e.g., internal email communications and mailbox inquiries, internal event planning and support, etc.)
• Format documents, briefs, PowerPoint presentations, and other documents with a clean and consistent design that adheres to organization brand standards
• Provide ad-hoc communications support on special projects
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree is required
• At a minimum, 1 year of relevant professional experience, including internships
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and highly responsive; strong proficiency with professional business communication norms and interpersonal and customer service skills
• Self-motivated individual who takes initiative and has a problem-solving skillset and mindset
• High quality standards for work and strong attention to detail
• Comfortable speaking at and preparing comments for staff meetings and internal trainings
• Ability to be self-motivated, to prioritize and to balance a diverse workload
• Excellent organizational and time management skills, including handling multiple projects simultaneously and on tight timeframes
• Ability to work independently, collaboratively, flexibly, and as part of a remote team
• Willingness and ability to quickly learn new digital platforms
• Ability to format PowerPoint presentations, reports, and other documents with a clean and consistent design that adheres to organization brand standards
• Demonstrated expertise with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and Zoom
• Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust clearance
• U.S. Citizenship required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with digital collaboration and project management platforms (e.g., Asana, Microsoft Planner)
• Familiarity with Drupal content management system
• Familiarity with Buffer or similar social media scheduling platforms
• Ability to create graphics for social media and newsletters using Canva, Adobe Express, InDesign, or Photoshop
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud
• Demonstrated interest in social science and human services; social science research communication; and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Familiarity with plain language and 508 compliancy standards and remediation

Why work for VPD?

• VPD is proud to be a certified Great Place to Work in 2022-2023! See more about what our employees think! Working at VPD Government Solutions | Great Place to Work®
• Robust employee benefits package beginning on 1st of the month following hire date including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• 401(k) with 5% employer matching- immediate vesting!
• Flexible time off program including 3 weeks of paid time off
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Opportunities for professional development
• Employee-centric work culture including company sponsored events, happy hours, and team-building opportunities, frequent communications/information sharing from Leadership, supportive and positive teamwork environment, “open door” policy, etc.

Work Location: Remote – Washington, DC – HHS ACF

VPD is Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

• VPD Uses E-Verify - Right to Work Poster
• VPD Uses E-Verify - Participation Notice

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws:

• EEOC Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal
• EEO is the Law - Federal Contractors/Subcontractors
• Employee Polygraph Protection Act
• Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision