Secretary - Country Office at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/18/125
Locations: Benin, Guinea and Niger
Grade: GS6
Position N°: 50097488; 50097483; 50097485

The Complex

• The Bank has reorganized and is developing the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex whose major objective is to build regional capabilities and bring responsibility for client activities closer to the regions.
• Five Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Hubs have been created, each run by a Director General: Southern Africa, North Africa, West Africa; East Africa, and Central Africa.

The Hiring Department

• The various Country Office falls within one of the five (5) Regions of the Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Hubs.
• The Hub oversees a combination of country and liaison offices, as well as non-presence countries. The Director General is accountable of the specific African region. Each Hub will house relevant operations, business development and project implementation functions and administrative capabilities in a shared service for rapid deployment into the individual countries, to help drive the overall business of the Bank effectively on the ground.
• Country Offices of the African Development Bank have been established to strengthen policy dialogue between the Bank , Governments and other stakeholders; improve performance of the project portfolio and aid coordination with other development partners

The Position

• The Secretary will work closely with the Country Manager and the Team to provide administrative support. The incumbent of the position will help the Country Manager and the team to make the best use of his time by dealing with secretarial and administrative tasks.

Duties and responsibilities
Under the Supervision of the Country Manager, the Secretary will perform the following:

• Make appointments for experts and other staff of the Country Office and keep their schedules up to date;
• Receive visitors and attend to them with tact and discretion;
• Prepare briefing material used by experts for official missions and special meetings;
• Handle protocol-related issues concerning  reception of the visitors of experts and of the  Office;
• Organize experts’ meetings ; assist the Country Manager’s secretary in coordinating official receptions given by the Resident Representative;
• Participate in staff meetings, take notes and produce reports in the absence of the Country Manager’s secretary ;
• Draft correspondence on non-substantive issues and ensure its follow-up;
• Manage the experts’ incoming and outgoing mail and the office’s  telephone communication;
• Maintain an appropriate filing system; process experts’ back-to-office reports, ascertain the quality of documents requiring the approval and / or signature of experts and other staff members;
• Prepare and finalize draft correspondence (letters, faxes, etc. ...) concerning  various aspects, on behalf of experts, prepare minutes of experts ‘meetings;

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Hold a minimum of a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent in Business Administration, Commerce, Administration or a related field, supplemented by training in secretarial functions/administration/office management
• Have a minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in progressive positions, attached to an executive’s office,  preferably in an international organization;
• Be able to work under pressure and to prioritize in the dynamic setting of an international and multicultural setting. Ability to work and cooperate with others from diverse background
• Handling speedily and efficiently internal and external requests.
• Ability to manage simultaneous and shifting demands, priorities and tight deadlines
• Proficiency in the use of standard equipment (computer, fax, scanner, photocopies etc.)
• Demonstrable commitment to delivering excellent customer service focused reception and administration services
• Be able to multi task, excellent problem solving skill and attention to detail
• Effective communication; highly client oriented, good team working and relations
• Ability to operate effectively in a multicultural organization.
• Good  innovative and creative approaches to activities in order to enhance performance and create added benefits for the clients and the organization
• Integrity  and confidentiality
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other;
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint). Knowledge of SAP or other ERP systems would be an asset;