Office Manager / Receptionist at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Location: Accra, Ghana
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Status: Permanent
Grade: G4 / G5 / G6
Department: Office Of The President
Division: Office Of The Resident Representative – Ghana
Line Supervisor: Administrative Officer

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Administrative Officer, this position should play a vital role in the smooth running of the office. From welcoming visitors, to receiving of calls, fixing appointments, organizing the schedule of his / her superior, drafting of correspondence and filing documents, his or her duties will be critical to the daily activities of the office. In this regard, he / she should be quite accessible and responsive in the face of competing demands from both internal and external parties.

Role And Responsibilities

• Manage the Supervisor’s diary and schedule, organise and manage appointments; receive and welcome visitors; make telephone calls; verify in-coming calls to ensure their importance and possibility to respond or transfer to the supervisor.
• Organise meetings; receive, draft, type and make follow-up on administrative letters; book meeting rooms; request and provide supplies to the office.
• Create a recording system of in-coming and out-going mails; ensure e-archiving and e-filing of documents using ECM software for easy retrieval when the need arises; manage documents (in-coming and out-going, filing of letters); ensure follow-up on documents submitted for signature or approval.
• Knowledge of Ms Office, ECM and other Ecolink software when it is possible. Demonstrate ability in word processing in English, French and / or Portuguese.
• Check and confirm meetings for his / her Supervisor, upon the request of the Supervisor;;
• Responsible for receiving and placing calls;
• Receive all correspondence and record them properly in the book of entry, proceed to the distribution of mail, receive and ensure correspondences are delivered immediately to the appropriate person and prepare the output correspondence where applicable;
• Draft routine correspondence upon request from the Supervisor;
• Monitor and maintain stock of offices supplies in consultation with Administrative Officer;
• Prepare and coordinate logistics for meetings;
• Provide support with the protocol and events (booking, confirmation  and purchase of tickets, hotel reservations, acquisition and renewal of visas, etc.) in cooperation with the Administrative Officer;
• Perform any other duty assigned by the supervisor

Academic Qualifications And Experience

• Brevet deTechnicien Superieur (BTS) / Ordinary National Diploma (OND) or equivalent in Secretarial Studies or Administration or a related field from a  recognized higher institution;
• 5 years’ experience in administrative services in a public or private international organization;
• Demonstrate advanced proficiency by quickly adapting to new technology and easily acquiring new technical skills
• Knowledge of related computer software and ability to use relevant ECM modules for filing and archiving documents for proper storage, retrieval, and disposal of documents.
• Demonstrated analytical skills and an understanding of the business processes to effectively interpret and anticipate office needs.

Age Limit:

• Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS Key Competencies

• Ability to assume a credible presence when explaining rules, standards and expectations (e.g. deadlines) to ensure compliance and work expectations are met;
• Ability to motivate self and/or others to engage in discussions that will result in recommendations to improve processes, templates or other work tools;
• Ability to engage in positive approaches to team work, participate actively in discussions and the achievement of team goals;
• Ability to take responsibility for own career and performance with the occasional guidance from the supervisor/mentor;
• Ability to build capacity of self and others by sharing knowledge, tools, expertise and experience with others to remain proficient and well informed in the execution of assigned role.
• Interpersonal, listening and multitasking skills with a good understanding of client service responsibilities and role in representing ECOWAS values in all interactions;
• Ability to take initiative to resolve routine problems associated with assigned tasks using good judgment in involving colleagues or superiors as required;
• Ability to work as part of a team to resolve concerns, problems and improve services;
• Ability to manage own time effectively and organize own work area in a manner that will meet performance expectations related to assigned client services;
• Ability to direct people to the appropriate source for further information and ask for help when overwhelmed with client demands.
• Ability to apply culturally-relevant and appropriate approaches with people from diverse cultural backgrounds;
• Good diversity management skills to interact with individuals in a manner that is culturally appropriate and in accordance with ECOWAS rules/policies;
• Ability to recognize preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certain groups and individuals and to successfully adopt inclusive and culturally appropriate behaviors;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Knowledge of diversity management as it relates to daily work expectations and assigned tasks.
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate and operational goals of relevance to assigned responsibilities;
• Ability to keep up-to-date with Departmental activities, schedules and goals of pertinence to own work team, functional area;
• Knowledge of ECOWAS procedures relevant to assigned work and the ability to apply sound judgment in their application;
• Demonstrated strong interest and commitment to ECOWAS values and activities in daily assumption of duties.
• Excellent ability to maintain, process and provide accurate information as part of assigned tasks;
• Ability to organize files and information for easy retrieval and record keeping;
• Ability to spot mistakes, act promptly to correct them and learn from experiences;
• Knowledge and ability to challenge and question fundamental assumptions regarding accepted ways of doing things in the spirit of improvement
• Ability to use current technology to communicate effectively e.g. office software programs, including spreadsheets, word processing and graphic presentation software; ability to type and format presentations, reports, manuals, newsletters, website content and proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT);
• Well-developed information sharing skills using technology and in accordance in established processes and practices;
• Advanced verbal assertiveness and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to acknowledge and understand the validity of others’ viewpoints and to respond in a constructive manner;
• Proficiency in  information communication technologies (ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Working knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.
• Ability to allocate time for specific task in a manner that will meet deadlines and quality/quantity expectations
• Good organizational skills with an excellent ability to break down work into smaller parts and focusing on the most important steps first;
• With appropriate guidance, ability to contribute to maintaining organizational performance standards throughout implementation of new processes, practices and plans adopted by the Department and of relevance to assigned tasks;
• Ability to monitor progress and to consider new goals in the context of assigned responsibilities;
• Ability to follow through with commitments made to others.

Annual Salary
UA18,089.21 USD28,541.16 / UA22,874.75 USD36,901.78 / UA27,232.27 USD43,110.66