Administrative Assistant – Human Rights Programme (Geneva, Switzerland) – Grade G4 At Inter-Parliamentary Union

Organizational Setting and Reporting: Reporting to the Programme Manager, the Administrative Assistant provides secretarial and administrative support services for the Human Rights Programme.

Responsibilities: Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following:

Provide secretarial and administrative support to the Human Rights Programme

• Finalize and dispatch all correspondence and official documents in English, French, and, if necessary, Spanish;
• Proof-read and cross-check the English versions of documents prepared by the Programme, in particular the reports and the decisions of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CHRP) to ensure that the written materials are clear, effective, professional and error-free;
• Manage incoming editing, translation and interpretation requests; process invoices and verify them; coordinate with budget holder and the Division of Support Services (DSS) for payment;
• Take minutes of weekly Programme’s meetings; draft correspondence for the Programme Manager’s signature;
• Produce PowerPoint presentations, statistical graphs and tables;
• Attend to travel arrangements for the Programme’s staff, members of the CHRP and experts;
• Propose and develop project management tools aimed at facilitating the coordination within the Programme, its organization and the implementation of its activities;
• Other such duties as assigned by the Programme Manager and consistent with the overall responsibilities of the position.

Provide administrative and logistical support to the sessions of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians and its official onsite missions and trial observations, seminars or other events organized by the Programme

• Assist in drafting the convocation, agenda and timeline;
• Prepare contracts for interpreters, moderators and vendors to be submitted to the Division of Support Services (DSS);
• Arrange for visas, hotel and travel reservations; co-ordinate with the DSS on any question relating to the reimbursement of travel expenses and per diem; respond to the participants’ organizational queries such as changes in airline, hotel reservations, etc.;
• In co-ordination with the DSS, organize reservations and venues for meetings, coffee-breaks and lunches, as well as local transport for participants;
• Liaise with participants and local counterparts;
• Set up and manage multilingual events on Zoom or any other similar platform in the case of virtual or hybrid events: assess specific needs; schedule, set-up and secure meetings; manage participants; troubleshoot basic technical issues; co-ordinate with the technical support team and interpreters;
• Ensure that all meeting related documents and correspondence are edited and translated on time and distributed to participants; prepare briefing files for staff and participants; manage list of participants; in coordination with the Communications Division ensure that outcome documents and relevant statistics are published on time;

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

• Staff of the Human Rights Programme
• Staff of the IPU Secretariat
• Members of the CHRP
• Parliamentarians, Secretaries General, Clerks of parliament, parliamentary staff
• Civil society representatives
• Victims of human rights violations

Competencies:

• Professionalism: demonstrated use of initiative and ability to make appropriate linkages in work requirements and to anticipate next steps; high attention to detail, ability to problem-solve, resourceful and proactive;
• Planning and organizing: demonstrated organizational skills; ability to handle a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner;
• Communication: ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to communicate orally;
• Technological awareness: proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (especially Word, Excel and PPT); good knowledge of Acrobat Pro and Zoom;
• Teamwork: good interpersonal skills; ability to work both independently and as part of a team; ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Commitment to continuous learning: Initiative and willingness to learn new skills.

Requirements:

• Education: High school or equivalent diploma;
• Experience: Minimum of five years’ experience in secretarial activities, particularly in the relation to the processing of correspondence and documents; some experience or knowledge in a legal setting is an asset;
• Language: Excellent knowledge of English (mother tongue or equivalent) and good knowledge of French in order to draft correspondence, correct spelling and grammar and answer enquiries. An understanding of Spanish is desirable.

Assessment: Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Compensation: The Inter-Parliamentary Union offers an attractive salary and benefits package comparable to that of other international organizations headquartered in Geneva. The net salary for this position starts at CHF 71’936 commensurate with education and experience.

Employment policy: The position will be filled through a local recruitment process that will be open to internal and external applicants.

The IPU is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Qualified women, individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups, and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

English and French are the two working languages of the IPU. From among equally qualified candidates, priority will be given to the applicants from the under-represented regions at the IPU.

This position will be based at the IPU Headquarters in Geneva with limited short-term travelling, in particular in connection with IPU Assemblies (normally one of them takes place abroad each year). It will be for an initial period of two years, renewable depending on satisfactory performance and availability of funding. There will be a probation period of 9 months.