Administrative Assistant at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Full Time

Job Title: Administrative Assistant, SNFI0

Position Number: 50052600
Location: Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
Position Grade: GS7

The Complex

• The Senior Vice-Presidency complex (SNVP) is responsible for supporting the President in the day-to-day management of the Bank Group to achieve it strategic objective, and drive performance culture that will align all processes and systems to deliver high impact results. The SNVP will provide effective leadership and exceptional coordination to ensure implementation and monitoring of key corporate decisions as well as the identification of necessary corrective measures and actions.
• The Senior Vice-President (SVP) is responsible for strengthening of the Bank’s internal procedures, ensuring the efficient and effective coordination of business processes, monitoring and maintaining vigilant and dynamic fiduciary, quality assurance, operational safeguards and providing clear guidance on measurable internal service standards across the Bank Group.

The Hiring Department

• The Senior Vice-President (SVP) supervises the Fiduciary Services and Inspection (SNFI) Department, which acts as the custodian of the procurement (including procurement for private and public partnership) and financial management profession, and has the following responsibilities for its functions:
  • Developing and interpreting fiduciary policy, strategy and related implementing documents (Manuals and Tools), including serving as the secretariat of the Procurement Review Committee (PRC);
  • Providing fiduciary support to operations complexes (Sector Departments, Directorate General) during the whole project cycle, including country strategy papers, to ensure that fiduciary arrangements comply with Bank Fiduciary (Procurement and FM) policies and procedures;
  • Developing and implementing fiduciary capacity building strategy for Bank  Staff and Regional Member Countries (RMCs);
  • Inspecting and reporting on the performance of fiduciary activities undertaken by sector departments and the regions, including preparing annual post review reports on these activities for Board presentation that will contribute to building credibility and trust of the Bank in the countries and with other stakeholders; and
  • Dialoguing with external and global partners with a view to building partnerships and fostering harmonization.

The Position

• The job of Administrative Assistant which falls under General Support Services that provides administrative support for the smooth running of the Department and ensures also that the Director is freed from all tasks which could otherwise impede the efficient discharge of high duties and responsibilities.
• Each Department has its unique functions, but the Administrative Assistant works more or less uniformly irrespective of the Departments to assure hitch-free operations within the office of the respective Directorate. In this context, the Administrative Assistant will also provide support to the Planning and Administrative Officer (PAO) of SNFI.
• Accordingly, the Administrative Assistant’s job facilitates and contributes to the success of the Director in performing his/her role for the achievement of the High 5s.

Key Functions
Under the General guidance and overall supervision of the Director, the Administrative Assistant will perform the following:

Work Flow Management:

• Receive and register all incoming and outgoing documents of the Department;
• Ensure that documents presented for Director’s signature are complete, with necessary attachments and background documents;
• Draft general or administrative correspondence on own initiative or on the basis of instructions and finalize for the Director’s signature;
• Verify that outgoing correspondence is presented in accordance with the Bank’s accepted formats and check on probable typographical errors, presentation, completeness and procedural accuracy of all documents submitted to the Director for clearance, approval or signature;
• Review and classify priority and important correspondences and submit accordingly;
• Follow-up and ensure that target dates and deadlines are met using appropriate tracking tools, and that correspondence and queries are responded to in a timely manner;
• Channel correspondence for action by the Director or send directly to the concerned Division, if necessary.

Communication and Liaison:

• Receive visitors and telephone calls with tact and discretion, and act according to the nature and urgency of each, including redirecting to the concerned divisions, as appropriate;
• Screen Director’s calls/visitors, make appointments for visitors to meet the Director or the Division Manager concerned;
• Provide background information to the Director for appointments with official visitors and/or staff members;
• Relay information between Director, Division Managers and other staff members of the department;
• Follow up on work deadlines with Division Managers;
• Schedule weekly team and ad hoc meetings for the Director, according to schedules and Director’s Agenda for the week;
• Arrange time and venue for meetings, collect necessary background materials of meetings needed from the relevant Departments/Divisions; Remind Division Managers and other staff members about scheduled meetings.

Record Keeping And Documentation

• Maintain a filing system in both hard and soft copies to meet the needs of the Department;
• Keep a weekly calendar of activities that shows all meetings to be attended by the Director as well as by other staff members. It also includes all external visits to the Department ;
• Obtain briefing and background materials for meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. to be attended by the team’s staff, checking their availability and ensuring they have the appropriate briefing files and documents;
• Maintain Contact address / Mailing directory of partners working with the Department.

Office Administration, Budget And Finance

• Make travel arrangements for the Director including tickets, hotel reservation, etc.;
• Assist in preparation of presentations using PowerPoint and other software packages on own initiative or on the basis of instructions;
• Perform other office administration tasks (photocopies, emails) when the need arises; Administration, Budget and Finance
• Assists in and advises the Director and Managers on a variety of administrative and personnel matters;
• Establishes, under the PAO’s supervision, stock control system for the management of office supplies and other bank properties (Personal computers, printers, faxes …); centralizes requests for office supplies submitted by staff within the department and makes provisions in order to ensure distribution of the required items.
• Under the PAO’s supervision, negotiate with CHGS allocation of appropriate office space for the Unit by providing justifications; responsible for organizing and coordinating office moving operations.
• Assist the PAO of the department in the preparation of budget of department as well as Mid-year budget retrospective by:
  • Collecting facts and presenting them for decision making; recording data, monitoring and reporting on the department budget implementation level;
  • Initiating actions on expenses to be incurred, processing requests for recruitment of short-term   staff and consultants, missions, with particular attention to the procedures, follow-up of the required travel authorizations, contracts and payments.
• Arrange travel, visa and accommodation for staff going on missions.
• Initiate and prepare, under the PAO’s supervision, various administrative documents and forms, such as staff list, Staff missions, training programs, staff absence (annual leave, home leave, excused absence and maternity leave) as well as statistical data when required on staff.
• Under the PAO’s supervision, manage create process reports in SAP.
• Organize under the PAO’s supervision, store inventory control, reception, management and distribution of promotional items.

Competencies (Skills, Experience, and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, Commerce, Human resources, Administration or related discipline;
• Training in secretarial Science and/or Administration and Office Management is advantageous;
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of relevant and practical experience in administrative and secretarial roles, in similar offices of international Organizations, Development Banks or similar institutions;
• Having private sector experience will be an added advantage.
• Good knowledge of administration and office support services, including systems and procedures;
• Good coordination skills – methodical and self-organized;
• Demonstrable commitment to delivering excellent customer service focused reception and administration service;
• Good interpersonal, planning and organizational skills;
• Ability to think quickly to respond to immediate requests;
• Flexibility to adapt, positive attitude towards change, and a constructive and creative approach to problem solving;
• Proficiency in the use of standard equipment (computer, fax, scanner, photocopies, etc.);
• Communication;
• Problem Solving;
• Client Orientation;
• Team working;
• Operational Effectiveness;
• Innovation and Creativity;
• Attention to detail;
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, SAP and/or other integrated document management system).

Application Closing Date
10th November, 2021.

Note: This position is classified as international status and attracts international terms and conditions of employment.