Administrative Assistant at International Fund for Agricultural Development

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. The conference was organized in response to the food crises of the early 1970s that primarily affected the Sahelian countries of Africa. It resolved that “an International Fund for Agricultural Development should be established immediately to finance agricultural development projects primarily for food production in the developing countries.” One of the most important insights emerging from the conference was that the causes of food insecurity and famine were not so much failures in food production but structural problems relating to poverty, and to the fact that the majority of the developing world’s poor populations were concentrated in rural areas. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Seventy-five per cent of the world’s poorest people – 1.4 billion women, children and men – live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods.

Job Summary

The Administrative Assistant is accountable for communications, operational and secretarial support services to enhance the smooth running of the team and its workflow and management of information.

Key Functions and Results

1. COMMUNICATIONS & WORKFLOW: Facilitates the communications and workflow of the organizational unit to enhance the efficiency and timeliness of operations and outputs. Accountabilities typically include managing incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails and telephone calls; researching background documentation; communicating routine and some non-routine information pertaining to the work of the team; maintaining the supervisor’s calendar; establishing/maintaining the office filing and reference systems, both traditional and digital; and ensuring the inter/intra-net websites are up to date and accurate.


2. OPERATIONAL SUPPORT: Facilitates the work of the team to ensure integrity in the use of resources and adherence to established rules and procedures. Accountabilities typically include ERP data entry and reporting activities as originator; applying internal procedures and tracking systems for correspondence and documents; verifying work is completed in accordance with IFAD standards and within established deadlines; monitoring work progress and priority cases; organizing meetings and workshops; organizing official travel; administering staff attendance and leave; and identifying and extracting information from various sources and preparing briefing notes..


3. OFFICE SUPPORT: Ensures the full range of office support to the supervisor. Accountabilities typically include preparing briefing materials for official trips or meetings; drafting responses to written inquiries on routine and non-routine questions; coordinating responses to sensitive or complex inquiries; following up on established deadlines and ensuring timely submissions by staff of reports, correspondence and other documents; reviewing all outgoing correspondence and official documents for style, factual and grammatical accuracy as well as conformance with established guidelines and procedures; preparing correspondence for the supervisor’s signature; and may make informal translations of correspondence.


4. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: Is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the personal use of assigned IFAD resources, including equipment, and supplies.

Key Performance Indicators

The Administrative Assistants at this level typically report to a senior professional staff member or to a team leader; therefore the scope of key results is limited to the organizational unit. The Administrative Assistant provides support in the application of established rules and procedures as well as in typical, non-specialized support work. The work is standard in nature; there are no specialized administrative activities that would require formal training performed on a regular and recurring basis. Key performance indicators include the timely and accurate performance of assigned activities.

Working Relationships

Administrative Assistants at this level typically are accountable for the exchange of routine, and less frequently non-routine, information with counterparts within IFAD. Routine exchange of information within the Fund includes arranging travel, procurement and information technology support. Typical contacts within the division, office or department as well as external contacts consist of responding to inquiries.

Job Profile Requirements

Organizational Competencies:

Level 1:

1. Building relationships and partnerships – Builds and maintains effective working relationships


2. Communicating and negotiating – Communicates effectively; creates understanding between self and others


3. Demonstrating leadership – Personal leadership and attitude to change


4. Focusing on clients – Focuses on clients


5. Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating – Continuously seeks to learn, shares knowledge & innovates


6. Managing performance and developing staff –


7. Managing time, resources and information – Manages own time, information and resources effectively


8. Problem-solving and decision-making – Demonstrates sound problem-solving and decision-making ability


9. Strategic thinking and organizational development – Personal influence


10. Team working – Contributes effectively to the team

Education:

1. High school diploma – Accounting, Business & Finance or related areas.

Experience:

1. At least three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in secretarial and administrative support.


2. Position-specific experience: Qualifying work experience in supporting office administration, communication and information management, resource planning and output monitoring.


3. Experience with International financial institutions, development cooperation agencies, etc., would be an asset.

Languages:

1. English (4 – Excellent)

Skills:

1. Conferences management: Know-how in conference management, including optimal utilization of human and physical resources


2. Procedure adherence: Ability to strictly adhere to established, formal guidelines, including in new situations


3. Record management: Know-how in record keeping (e.g. proper handling of records and systems to preserve institutional memory, including correspondence logs, office filing and reference systems, etc.)


4. Topical expertise – Administration: Expertise relevant to the specific role (e.g. For ethics office assistant, procedures outlined in the Code of Conduct, Discipline and Anti-harassment provisions of applicable rules and guidelines)


5. Time management: Adherence to deadlines under time constraints and pressure (e.g. to deliver governing body documents on time); ability to coordinate and manage complex workflows and in-house and external teams


6. Basic ICT & digital fluency: High level of digital literacy and ability to quickly get familiar with new digital tools (e.g. ability to carry out EPR data entry and extraction when budgeting; monitoring security systems, uploading content to inter/intra-net websites, etc.)


7. Initiative and good judgment: High sense of proactive initiative-taking and good judgement (including on security matters)


8. Interpersonal skills: Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with others (e.g. visitors, clients, callers, etc.), including senior individuals (e.g. high-level meeting participants).

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