Administrative Assistant/Receptionist - Grade G4

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:

Under the supervision of the Director in the Division of Support Services (DSS), the Administrative Assistant / Receptionist will provide a full range of services linked to the reception, the registration of incoming and outgoing communication and building facilities. The incumbent will perform these duties in an efficient, effective and client-oriented manner. He or she will be responsible for carrying out his/her duties in the following areas:

Duties and Responsibilities

Registration of incoming and outgoing communications

• Receive incoming and copies of outgoing correspondence, including letters and e-mails; and, exercising great discretion, sort, register, copy, forward, circulate and file correspondence, as appropriate;
• Establish, maintain and organize chronological files in accordance with instructions received;
• Upon request, search for correspondence and forward files to requesting services; keep a record of and monitor files in circulation;
• Send mass e-mails as per requests, maintain an up-to-date address list for this purpose in Zoho in coordination with the Documents Service.

 

Building facilities

• Organize office accommodation for staff members including workspace assignment and layout, furnishings and appliances;
• Ensure functioning telephone services;
• Schedule and organize facilities for meetings (including receptions, flowers, water, etc.). Ensure meeting rooms are well kept and prepare them for meetings. Liaise with cleaning services as deemed necessary;
• Coordinate the use of the building by outside agencies, including the preparation of rental contracts;
• Supervise building maintenance by outside contractors such as window cleaners, plumbers, electrician etc. Flag any deteriorations on building facilities to the Director in view to organize or plan repairs. Keep an up-to-date roster of building service suppliers and list of emergency numbers;
• Monitor the fire alarm system, set the delay and rerouting. Organise fire drill. Flag any safety and security issues to the Director;

Reception services

• As first point of entry of the organisation, welcome and register visitors, guests and dignitaries at the IPU Headquarters, attend to them, announce their arrival and conduct them to meetings;
• Keep the reception area welcoming and tidy.
• Receive inquiries by telephone or in person in French and English, answer them or refer to the appropriate staff for reply;
• Operate the switch board and transfer calls to the appropriate recipients. Record messages for the answering machine, as appropriate; 
• Keep internal telephone list up to date;
• In coordination with the Human Resources Assistant, keep track of presence and absence records on the Kelio software on a monthly basis, flag and correct any anomalies and liaise with individual staff members. At year-end prepare list of outstanding holidays for finance and audit records;
• Receive and sign for goods delivered to the Headquarters;
• Perform other duties consistent with the role and responsibilities of the position.

Work implies interaction with the following:

• IPU personnel
• Parliamentary staff of Member Parliaments
• External suppliers

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, especially with data bases; 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. Receive guests with the attention needed and respond to queries with tact and diplomacy.
• 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 training in hospitality or equivalent;
• A minimum of three years’ experience at a reception desk in an office or hotel facility;
• Experience in working in an international setting is desirable;
• Complete fluency and excellent reading and writing skills in English or French, and working ability in both languages. Knowledge of additional languages (particularly Spanish and Arabic) is highly 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 68’740 commensurate with education and experience.

Employment policy:

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 103.5 of Inter-Parliamentary Union Staff Rules. Staff in the General Service category shall be recruited in the country of the duty station (Switzerland) or within commuting distance of the Headquarters, irrespective of their nationality. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. This position will be open to internal and external applicants. From among equally qualified candidates, preference will be given to the under-represented gender.

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

Deadline for applications:

Applications should be received on or before 24 October 2021. In order to ensure prompt and efficient processing of your application, you are required to provide, along with your resume and IPU Job application form (available at https://www.ipu.org/ipu-job-application-form), a detailed covering letter explaining how you meet each of the requirements of the position with concrete examples.