Project Specialist - Administrative, USC Schaeffer Institute (located in Washington, D.C.)

In order for your application to be considered, you must attach a cover letter and resume to your employment application.

This position is located at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.

The USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service is seeking a Project Specialist, Administrative to work with the External Affairs and Policy team and the Director’s Office providing general administrative and operations support, special project support, and event support at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC. This position serves as a liaison between Schaeffer Institute leadership and its constituents, and a bridge with Schaeffer Institute faculty and staff in Los Angeles. The Project Specialist will report to the Director of Public Policy and work in close collaboration with the communications and events functions of the Institute, along with the Institute’s Chief of Staff. The Schaeffer Institute serves a varied and diverse group of internal and external constituents—including students, academics, industry executives, philanthropists, and leading policymakers and staffers—across the political spectrum. The best candidate will work effectively with these different communities. Experience with hosting and providing hospitality for VIP guests, including trustees, board members, and government officials, is a plus.

The External Affairs and Policy team oversees events, communications, stakeholders and policy engagement. It ensures that research produced at the Institute informs public policy. This position offers a unique window into policy research center operations. The right candidate will have administrative expertise and an interest in developing skills in policy research support, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement. We value candidates who combine strong administrative capabilities with intellectual curiosity and an interest in public policy.

This position will be based at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C. and is currently a full-time, 1-year fixed term position (renewable) with an on-site work arrangement.

Key duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Manage administrative operations for the DC Institute location.

• Coordinate Institute meetings, events, conferences, and seminars in DC; arrange for vendors, facilities, catering as needed.

• Host and interact with guests of the Schaeffer Institute, including USC Trustees, Advisory Board members, and distinguished policy leaders.

• Collect and track key metrics to help shape the Institute’s policy impact reporting.

• Develop policy engagement reports for Institute leadership.

• Support the Institute’s policy initiatives and external affairs activities.

• Collaborate with Institute leadership on policy communications, including document preparation and production, with opportunities to contribute to content development.

• Foster relationships with USC Capital Campus leadership and staff.

• Manage any student workers and volunteers.

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s Degree

Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education

Minimum Experience:

2 years

Minimum Fields of Expertise:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Strong organizational skills; project management experience is a plus

• Demonstrated interest and experience in developing and documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs) and administrative workflows

• Collaborative, team-player attitude; ability to work collaboratively and independently

• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects of varying complexity simultaneously with attention to detail and a high level of excellence and professionalism

• Flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity; willingness to handle both complex and mundane matters

• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree

Preferred Experience:

3 years

Compensation

The hourly rate range for this position is $34.04 - $36.93. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Commensurate with experience and qualifications

Position is 100% FTE.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Hours

On-site work arrangement

8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Subject to change based on event needs, which may include early mornings and evenings, and the occasional weekend.

Required Documents

Cover letter Resume/CV

About the USC Schaeffer Institute

The USC Schaeffer Institute develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers.

Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, it houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, and the Center for Civic Society.

Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on policy issues.

The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree

Addtional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: 2 years

Minimum Skills: Directly related project or administrative experience.
Preferred Education: Master's degree

Preferred Experience: 3 years

                                                  

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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