Travel Services Assistant - CGSP.3 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reporting to the Principal Travel Officer, within CGSP3, the Travel Services Assistant provides air travel services to the Bank; receives and handles requests and authorizations for official Bank travel and prepares air travel arrangements accordingly; makes reservations and issues airline tickets as per Bank Travel Policy with a goal of obtaining the best value for the Bank; liaises with internal customers for itinerary needs and problem resolution.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Principal Travel Officer, the incumbent’s role includes but not limited to:

• Receive, sort, and check all Bank authorised travels.
• Communicate with Bank authorised travellers to confirm itinerary details, e.g., routing destinations, travel dates, financial considerations, and other air travel related issues.
• Request booking arrangements from various travel agents or airlines with respective offers from each.
• Liaise with external parties such as airlines regarding bookings and schedules.
• Plan, describe, arrange, explain and confirm itineraries to all Bank authorised travellers.
• Provide authorised travellers with a soft copy or a printed copy of the final air travel ticket.
• Notify and keep authorised travellers informed about all changes related to their itinerary and their air travel arrangements.
• Receive invoices and compare them to the quoted prices.
• Take necessary steps to correct mistakes if any exist. Forward invoices to the Travel Officer for necessary review and action.
• Work with authorised travellers, complexes, departments, and units to resolve issues that may arise particularly related to itinerary changes and flight cancellations.
• Perform other related duties when necessary.

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration and Tourism.
• Professional training in travel management (IATA, etc.) will be an added advantage.
• At least 4 years of relevant and progressive experience in travel and tourism industry.
• Strong negotiating skills; knowledge of logistics and supply chain techniques and practices; knowledge of purchasing systems, advanced calculation and planning knowledge, inventory or asset and facilities management.
• Dynamic, efficient communicator, effective team-work player, result-driven, customer service oriented, analytical skills, and ability to work cross-functionally and under pressure.
• Competence in the use of standard software used in the Bank (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP and Amadeus is desirable.
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good command of the other language.