Divisional Administrative Assistant At Pacific Community

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Land Resources Division (LRD) provides effective expert scientific advice, capacity building and services on conservation, development and utilization of plant genetic resources, forest and landscape management, resilient agricultural systems, diversification of livelihood strategies and access to markets to maintain ecosystem services and improve land productivity and the food, nutrition security and resilience of Pacific communities. LRD has expertise in genetic resource conservation, resilient agriculture, biosecurity, pest and disease management, agricultural extension, plant pathology, entomology, and animal health. It collaborates with governments, regional organisations, civil society and other SPC divisions to pinpoint the needs and priorities of Pacific countries and communities and provide technical expertise to address them. This mission is realized through four main thematic work areas, or pillars, and a progressively integrated approach to programming that works towards achieving SPC’s development goals.

The role – Divisional Administrative Assistant will be responsible for supporting the administrative, financial and logistical arrangements for the Director’s office across actions related to travel, meeting management, training initiatives, the Director’s office work programme delivery, executive and high-level engagements, information and knowledge management, communications both internally and externally and other assistance as needed.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Provide financial and procurement support

• Support the delivery of financial and procurement services to the Director’s office using SPC financial, procurement and administrative systems, processes and policies.
• Process purchase orders, supporting documents and account codes for validity, accuracy and completeness and preparing timely and accurate purchase orders and ensuring commitment lists remain accurate for the Director’s office.
• Ensure commitment lists are run regularly and all Purchase Orders are cleared in a timely manner.
• Support and build capacity with the Land Resources Division and with country counterparts (including project coordinators and support staff) to deliver on SPC procurement and financial requirements where needed.

Provide administrative and operations support

• Manage day-to-day administration and operations work for the Director’s office.
• Organise the Director’s calendar, including liaison with internal and external stakeholders to arrange meetings.
• Actively participate in key meetings for which the Director requires administrative support.
• Develop procedures to streamline the approvals process within the Director’s office.
• Prioritise the Director’s emails, highlighting urgent and important correspondence for immediate action.

Provide travel logistics and protocol management support

• Facilitate vetting and clearance of all meeting announcements/circulars and travel protocol letters for the Division and work closely with the Deputy Director General Suva office to obtain approvals where required.
• Arrange and manage the Director and Director’s office staff travel through liaison with travel providers, visa processing, protocol arrangements and facilitate travel reporting and acquittal as needed.
• Support the alignment of travel with budgets in line with the work plan with the Director’s office.
• Support the development of budgets and planning for regional workshops and training including high level meetings as and when needed.

Information and knowledge management

• Assist the Director in preparing documents for external stakeholders on an ad hoc basis, such as Memorandum of Understanding and Job Descriptions.
• Assist the Director in facilitating strategic input to planning and reporting documentation.
• Draft the Director’s support letters for various Division activities and external requests.
• Facilitate meetings and appointments with the Director’s office for all staff as needed.
• Act as a key point of contact for the Director’s office for internal stakeholders.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• Diploma in a relevant field such as accounting, financial management or business administration.

Technical expertise

• 5 years of relevant work experience performing administrative and coordination functions in a well- established progressive organisation.
• Demonstrated experience in the development sector particularly in finance, administration and travel support.
• Sound experience in logistics management inclusive of travel for workshops and training programs.
• Demonstrated experience in protocol arrangements.
• Very good experience with records management and filing systems.

Language skills

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written).

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment.

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – 3 years – subject to renewal depending on funding and performance.

Remuneration – The Divisional Administrative Assistant is a band 7 position in SPC’s 2024 salary scale, with a commencing taxable salary range of FJD 2,287-2,859 per month, plus local staff benefits. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

Recruitment principles –SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander.

Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.