OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : [[Administration]]

Duty Station: [[Apia, Samoa]]

Classification of duty station: [[Field Office]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[Up to 6 months]]

Job Family: [[Administration]]

Type of contract : [[Service Contract]]

Level : [[SC5]]

Duration of contract : [[3 months (with possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and availability of fund)]]

Recruitment open to : [[External Candidates]]

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : [[19 February, 2024 @ 5pm (Apia, GMT+13)]]

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The UNESCO Office for the Pacific States in Apia, Samoa is looking for talented and qualified candidates of Samoan National or candidates with the legal right to live and work in Samoa to fill the position of a Secretarial Assistant.

Two posts are available, one located in the executive office of the Director of the UNESCO Office and another in the Programme Unit. Under the overall delegated authority and the immediate supervision of the Director of Office and Programmme Specialist, the incumbents provide effective secretarial, administrative, and communications support to the Director and Programme Unit, in order to ensure the smooth running of the Office and its flow and management of information and programme support.

The incumbent of the post is responsible for providing high quality secretarial and administrative support to the Director of Office and Programme unit. The incumbent plays an instrumental role in the coordination and facilitation of the information (including documentation) flow to the Director and staff and in the organization and delivery of programme activities/projects carrying out a range of office support and administrative functions. The post requires that the incumbent acts independently, exercises good judgment, takes initiatives, establishes priorities, interprets and distinguishes between various subject matters, flagging sensitive/political and priority issues for the attention of the Director and/or other team members. The post requires dedication and accountability, an in-depth knowledge in all aspects of the subject matters within the mandate of the Office and of secretarial and administrative support work, with excellent communication skills to be able to relate/translate relevant information to the Director, staff members, senior managers as well as external partners and stakeholders.

Scheduling and Front Office Support

• Screen requests for appointments with supervisors; and receive visitors in accordance with the protocols and a sense of service;
• Maintain supervisor’s calendar, including official meetings during mission;
• Provide reminders and necessary documents and information for appointments;
• Respond to queries and correspondence, often of a sensitive, confidential, or technical nature.

Long Description

Organizing and Coordination

• Coordinate and perform secretarial including registration support services;
• Support the organization of regular internal meetings, workshops and staff events and effective internal communications;
• Facilitate implementation of the requests, directives and of commitments of the Director;
• Coordinate and support administrative work of programme specialists, organization of workshops and follow up.

Correspondence

• Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence daily,
• Prepare memos and minutes of internal and external meetings, monitor follow-up activities.
• Draft notes-to-the-file, and coordinate/contribute to other routine documentation; prepare draft responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communication.
• Draft notes and correspondence, follow up with reports as assigned by the Director and or Programme Specialists;

Long Description

Support for the Oversight and Approvals Process

• Ensure that requests for approvals and signatures have followed office procedures;
• Provides general assistance to other office support staff as required.

Information Management and Record-Keeping

• Research, compile, and organize background information and reference materials;
• Generate a variety of statistical and other reports from various databases;
• Create and maintain the office filing and reference system;
• Coordinate substantive preparations, including agenda, accompaniment and supporting materials for all engagements, including UN Country Team, Security Management and other tasks and meetings of the Director and/or Programme Unit.

Long Description

Administration

• Support the Director and Administration in the office move to new premises; review of library and archive documents, materials, etc.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties (e.g., leave and attendance recording, arrangements for meetings and other events, reservations, etc).;
• Prepare contractual documents based on inputs from Programme Specialists and coordinate with the HQs and Administration in the office to ensure timely contracts establishment including vender registration;
• Process accurate and timely payments for contracts and follow through.

Mission Travel Management

• Plan and organize travel missions of the Director ensuring reminder and coordination for mission follow-up actions are taken;
• Follow up with travel agents as needed to receive quotations and to ensure issuance of tickets in a timely manner for Director and Programme Specialists;.

Any additional activities that may be required to ensure success of the work team.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Completion of Secondary and /or Vocational Education

Work Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in Secretarial, Administrative or Protocol Assistance

Language

• Excellent knowledge of Engllish (Oral and Written)

Skills and Competencies

• Good interpersonal skills and communication skills, including very good writing skills
• Good organizational, planning, monitoring and reporting skills
• Ability to work as part of a team, take initiative and provide quality and timely support and services.
• Discretion and capacity to deal efficiently and tactfully with people of different cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to prioritize and manage own work and perform under minimum supervision. Capacity to work under pressure.
• Good ICT skills with proficiency in use of MS Office (Outlook, Work, Excel, Powerpoint etc.)

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Specialized training/certification in Secretary, Office Management or related field.

Work Experience: Relevant experience within the United Nations system or in an international organization. Experience in extracting information from various sources, compiling and reporting.

Language: Good knowledge of Samoan Language.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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