Senior Secretary at African Development Bank - AfDB

This advertisement is posted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) on behalf of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), which is the employer for this position. Engagement as staff of ADEA does not offer any expectation for future employment as staff in the AfDB.

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a forum for policy dialogue on education. Its vision is to create “high-quality African education and training geared towards the promotion of critical skills for accelerated and sustainable development in Africa”.  It acts as a catalyst in promoting innovative policies and practices through pooling of ideas, experiences, learning and knowledge.  ADEA’s overall goal is to contribute to the development of equitable and high quality education through the concerted efforts of African governments and their partners. The position of Senior Secretary is located in ADEA’s Secretariat which implements the organization’s work programs and budget; organizes major events such as Triennales and Ministerial Conferences; manages communication and knowledge management; coordinates the work of the Working Groups; and implements the decisions and resolutions of ADEA’s governance entities.  

Under the general supervision and guidance of the Executive Secretary, the Senior Secretary will be required to perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Manage the appointments of the Executive Secretary by arranging and updating his/her daily commitments, prioritizing tasks and reminding him/her of up-coming tasks and events in a timely fashion;
• Receive all incoming correspondence, e-mails, reports, etc. addressed to the Executive Secretary and refer them, where necessary, to appropriate staff for their immediate action;
• Respond to e-mail and telephone inquiries and messages from representatives of government ministries, multilateral and bilateral institutions and development agencies with tact and politeness;
• Manage all out-going correspondence and documents originating from the Executive Secretary by ensuring that they are of appropriate quality and format, and addressed to the right persons;
• Proof-read all documents and correspondence for the signature of the Executive Secretary, have an eye for details and ensure error-free documents before they are signed and dispatched to stakeholders;
• Develop, operate and maintain an efficient filing and document retrieval system in order to ensure safety of documents and easy access to them when required;
• Make all travel arrangements for the Executive Secretary, including air-ticket, visa formalities, hotel reservations and transportation while on mission;
• Manage the program of visit by development partners, government officials or donors and inform all concerned in the organization of the scheduled activities and their respective roles;
• Assist the Executive Secretary to prepare appropriate files for meetings and conferences as well as briefing notes for consultations;
• Provide secretarial and administrative support at ADEA management and staff meetings. 

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in education, behavioral sciences, administration, management or related discipline;
• At least 4 years of solid professional experience in office management, relationship management in a development agency, international NGO,  multilateral development institution or private sector organization;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and French;
• High degree of personal organization, initiative and self-motivation;
• Attention to detail and ability to exercise discretion, diplomacy and sound judgment;
• Ability to work independently and as a confidant of the Executive Secretary;
• Ability to multi-task and work under pressure to meet deadlines;
• Strong interpersonal skills, resourcefulness, trustworthiness;
• Ability to work in a team and multi-cultural environment;
• Excellent skills in the use of the Bank’s standard Microsoft applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.