Background

N Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women has been operational in Sierra Leone since its inception. Our operations started in Sierra Leone since 2002 under UNIFEM. In line with its universal triple mandate (Normative, Coordination, and Operational), UN Women Office in Sierra Leone works with the Government of Sierra Leone, Civil Society (especially women’s movements), local communities, the international community, the private sector, traditional leaders, the media, etc. to advance equality in gender and the empowerment of women (GEWE) agenda. The portfolio of UN Women in Sierra Leone includes the following signature programmes:

• Women’s Leadership and participation in governance and politics.
• Ending Violence Against Women.
• Women in Peace, Security & Humanitarian Action.
• Women’s Economic empowerment.
• Making Every Women and Country Count (WomenCount _ Gender Statistics).

With the above, UN Women is seeking to recruit an Executive Assistant who will be responsible for providing a variety of executive administrative support to the Country Representative with full confidentiality in all aspects of assignment, managing of country representative agendas, maintenance of protocol procedures, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the Executive Assistant works in close collaboration with UN Women staff, UN Agencies and national authorities to ensure efficient flow of information, actions on instructions, agendas.

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women has been operational in Sierra Leone since its inception. Our operations started in Sierra Leone since 2002 under UNIFEM. In line with its universal triple mandate (Normative, Coordination, and Operational), UN Women Office in Sierra Leone works with the Government of Sierra Leone, Civil Society (especially women’s movements), local communities, the international community, the private sector, traditional leaders, the media, etc. to advance equality in gender and the empowerment of women (GEWE) agenda. The portfolio of UN Women in Sierra Leone includes the following signature programmes:

• Women’s Leadership and participation in governance and politics.
• Ending Violence Against Women.
• Women in Peace, Security & Humanitarian Action.
• Women’s Economic empowerment.
• Making Every Women and Country Count (WomenCount _ Gender Statistics).

With the above, UN Women is seeking to recruit an Executive Assistant who will be responsible for providing a variety of executive administrative support to the Country Representative with full confidentiality in all aspects of assignment, managing of country representative agendas, maintenance of protocol procedures, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made.

Reporting to the Country Representative, the Executive Assistant works in close collaboration with UN Women staff, UN Agencies and national authorities to ensure efficient flow of information, actions on instructions, agendas.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Provide executive support to the UN Women Country Representative:

• Manage the UN Women Country Representative’s calendar and schedule of appointments and meetings;
• Arrange travel and hotel accommodations for the UN Women Country Representative;
• Answer and screen calls for the Country Representative with tact and discretion;
• Maintain roster of Country Office contacts.
• Provide administrative support to the UN Women Country Representative:
• Provide administrative support for meetings, events, and workshops;
• Organize and attend meetings, prepare minutes and summaries;
• Assemble briefing materials and prepare PowerPoint presentations for the Country Representative for meetings, missions, and other key events.
• Provide effective communication and information management support to the Country Representative’s Office:
• Facilitate flow of information and communication between the UN Women Country Representative’s Office and other units within or outside of UN Women;
• Review, prioritize, and route correspondence to and from the UN Women Country Representative Office; take proactive follow-up action and keep the Country Representative informed;
• Respond to and/or direct inquiries to appropriate units for timely action/response;
• Draft routine correspondence and interoffice circulars;
• Maintain and organize up to date files for easy access and retrieval. Ensure safekeeping of confidential materials.
• Provide support to the Country Representative Office’s external relations activities:
• Facilitate the Country Representative’s interaction with various external partners through written, verbal, and electronic communication, and through collaborative and proactive relationships with counterparts and colleagues in partner offices;
• Meet and greet officials/visitors;
• Ensure protocol matters, receive high ranking visitors/officials, coordinate logistical arrangements related to visits.
• Contribute to knowledge building and knowledge sharing:
• Provide administrative support for effective knowledge management and sharing within the office and other offices/HQs;
• Build and share knowledge and experience related to administrative and operations support.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

• Ability to manage data/schedule, documents, correspondence, reports, and maintain protocol and information flow;
• Knowledge of administrative rules and regulations;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature;
• Ability to create, edit, and present information in clear format, using appropriate IT functionality;

Ability to administer administrative processes

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification

• Completion of secondary education is required.

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or public administration is an asset

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience with administrative, secretarial, or program experience;
• Experience in the use of computer applications, software packages such as Microsoft Office, and web-based management systems; is required;

Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English and is required.

Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).