Program Assistant, Middle East Programs

The Atlantic Council seeks a creative, hard-working, and motivated program assistant to work on a range of administrative and programmatic activities in a fast-paced environment supporting the work of the Transatlantic Project within the Middle East Programs. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest and background in the politics and economics of the Middle East and Europe through academic and/or work experience. The program assistant will work closely with the Transatlantic Project and Middle East Programs’ senior management on all aspects of day-to-day program management. The ideal candidate will be remarkably well-organized and detail-oriented and will have demonstrable administrative and research experience.

The program assistant will be primarily focused on managing scheduling, travel arrangements, programmatic reporting, and other administrative duties for the leadership of the Transatlantic Project and supporting the Iraq Initiative and Syria Project. The program assistant will also be involved in programmatic work for the Transatlantic Project, including event coordination, publication management, and social media management.

The successful candidate will have an entrepreneurial spirit, communicate effectively, and proactively seek out opportunities for growth. Proficiency in Arabic or a European language is a plus.

This position is based in our Washington, DC, headquarters, requiring a minimum of 4 days per week in office. The Atlantic Council offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, education, and organizational equity, with offers from $56,000 to $58,000. Applications submitted by January 30, 2026, will be prioritized for consideration.

Job responsibilities

• Provide administrative and logistical support for the Distinguished Fellow of the Transatlantic Project and as necessary, the Director of the Iraq Initiative, including scheduling, managing external contacts, arranging travel, and completing expense reports.
• Manage meetings through virtual and in-person settings as appropriate.
• Draft weekly and monthly activity reports.
• Serve as a liaison for internal and external offices including high-level US and foreign government officials, diplomats, business executives, board members and internal Council employees and management.
• Organize and oversee the proper maintenance of files, documents (e.g. proposals, presentations, notes, speeches, etc.), contacts, and confidential records to the Distinguished Fellow in tracking and prioritizing various tasks and projects.
• Provide operational, logistical, and administrative support for events and activities of the Transatlantic Project (e.g. high-level luncheons/dinners, policy workshops, conferences, strategy sessions, and task forces).
• Assist in fact checking and background research for op-eds, speaking engagements, funding proposals, and other written products.
• Submit and approve Transatlantic Project related invoices, payments and expense reports.
• Support the programming of the Iraq Initiative and Syria Project and other Middle East Program activities as necessary.
• Complete other supporting tasks as assigned.
• Support the onboarding of new staff and provide training as needed.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as Middle East Affairs, International Affairs, or Economics.
• Demonstrable interest in the MENA region.
• Approximately 1-2 years’ relevant work experience.
• Strong writing, communication and analytic skills.
• Technical skills in data management and analysis strongly preferred, HTML and web skills are a plus.
• Experience living, studying or working in the MENA region and/or fluency in Arabic  is a plus.

To produce quality work and to successfully achieve our mission, we recognize the need for our staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a work/life balance. Our comprehensive benefits package helps to keep costs low for our staff and their families. Benefits include, but are not limited to comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, 403(b) plan, FSA options, pet insurance, Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and wellness benefits.

Salary : $56,000 - $58,000