Administrative Assistant to the Director of Programmes, G5

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships

Under the direct supervision of the Director of the Programmes’ Division, the Administrative Assistant will provide administrative and logistical support to the Director and the Programmes’ Division. He or she will be responsible for the following duties:

Administrative and logistical assistance to the Director

• Provide administrative and logistical support in the organization of the Director’s activities. This includes, managing the Director’s timetable; setting appointments; preparing monthly calendar of events; keeping the Director’s official engagements, missions and absences, resolving scheduling conflicts;
• Relay information between the Director and the staff of the Division (in both directions). Inform and remind responsible staff of follow-up dates and deadlines for response and specific actions;
• Manage correspondence for the Director; channel mail to and from the Director: Analyse and redirect mail and correspondence. Receive and refer inquiries to appropriate staff members. Respond, in the absence of division staff and as appropriate, to enquiries from outside partners;
• Draft correspondence for the Director’s signature in English and French; check that correspondence passed on for the Director’s signature is in order, edit when necessary;
• Attend to travel arrangements for the Director and other staff of the Division or Consultants as requested, including itineraries, accommodations and visas. Prepare the Director’s missions files;
• Maintain an electronic database of the Director’s contacts.

General administrative support to the Division

• Organise and document weekly coordination meetings within the Division; take minutes and keep records of meetings;
• Prepare calendars of events; missions and absences for the Division. Maintain a spreadsheet on missions and experts travelling for the IPU and provide statistics for the IPU Annual report;
• Propose and develop project management tools aimed at facilitating the coordination of the Division’s work, its organization and the implementation of its activities;
• Assist in the preparation of the division budget and work programme and maintain budget control records and results. Prepare payment authorizations for services purchased by the Division. Review the status of the relevant expenditures and compare with approved budgets;
• Assist in the preparation of conferences, meetings and events by making the necessary practical arrangements such as overseeing logistical preparation, liaising with participants, local counterparts and hotels and overseeing preparation of working documents;
• Provide general clerical and administrative support services for the Division. Provide secretarial support for the preparation of documents and facilitate contacts with various officials in connection with Committee sessions organized on the occasion of IPU Assemblies;
• Assist in the creation and management of online surveys to support research carried out within the Division;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work implies interaction with the following

• IPU staff
• Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff
• Research institutes, international and non-governmental organizations.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to apply good judgement in the context of assignments given. Shows pride in work and in achievements; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Incorporates gender perspectives and equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Knowledge of the Organization: Is able to demonstrate knowledge about the Organization and takes on board its objectives.
• Technological awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; actively seek to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
• Team work: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; is willing to learn from others’ ideas and expertise; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Client orientation: Establishes and maintains effective relations with Members of Parliament, external collaborators and colleagues.
• Commitment to continuous learning: Actively seeks to keep abreast of new developments in the relevant field and to develop own skills.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Completion of secondary education with secretarial training or equivalent. Higher education in international relations or languages is desirable;
• Five years’ experience in administrative support;
• Sound experience in working in an international setting. Familiarity with the work of parliament is desirable;
• Demonstrated experience in organizing meetings and events;
• Complete fluency and excellent reading and writing skills in English or French, and working ability in both languages, some knowledge of additional languages (particularly Spanish and Arabic) is desirable.

Duties applicable to all staff

Actively work towards the achievement of the IPU’s strategic objectives. Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the Secretary General.

Compensation

The Inter-Parliamentary Union offers an attractive salary and benefits package comparable to that of other international organizations headquartered in Geneva. The net salary for this position starts at CHF 74’343 commensurate with education and experience.

Employment Policy

This position will be filled through a local recruitment process that will be open to internal and external applicants. From among equally qualified candidates, preference will be given to the under-represented sex and persons from countries not represented in the Secretariat.

This position will be based in Geneva and will require frequent travelling. It will be for an initial period of two years, renewable depending on satisfactory performance and availability of funding.