Requisition ID 33177 Office Country United Kingdom Office City London Division Canada/Morocco/Jordan/Tunisia Contract Type Regular Contract Length Posting End Date 16/02/2023

Purpose of Job

The Executive Assistant to Board Director provides office management and administrative support to one of the 23 Board Offices representing 66 shareholders/countries, in addition to any ad-hoc and personal assistance that may be required. Each Board Office consists of a Director, Alternate Director and may have one or more Advisers. The role assists with the daily overview of the activities of the Board which encompasses the Board Committees [Audit Committee, Budget and Administrative Affairs Committee (BAAC), Financial and Operations Policies Committee (FOPC) and Board Steering Group (BSG)], Board Meetings, Workshops, Information Sessions, together with the logistics of the Annual Meeting and the management of the Delegation(s) of her/his respective country(ies) during the Annual Meeting.
In this role, the Executive Assistant to Board Director interacts closely with
1. Internal staff bank-wide, including Senior Management and the President’s Office, and
2. Shareholders - namely, the Governor’s office of her/his respective country(ies), Senior Government Officials, Embassies in the UK and overseas, as well as the business community.

Background

As in the case in the other IFIs, all the powers of the EBRD are vested in the Board of Governors (Minister of Finance/Economy/Foreign Affairs or Head of the National Bank of the 66 countries/Shareholders). Every 3 years during the Annual Meeting the Governors/Shareholders elect the Board Directors to represent them and they delegate most of their powers to them.
The Board Directors are responsible for the direction of the general operations of the Bank, in particular, they establish Policies and make decisions concerning loans, guarantees, investment in equity capital, borrowing by the Bank, the furnishing of technical assistance, they examine and approve the budget of the Bank each year, they review the capital stock of the Bank every 5 years. To assist in the fulfilment of their responsibilities, they chair/participate in all committees and meetings quoted in section 2.
Also during the Board Meeting held bi-monthly, the BoD examine submitted projects for approval to them by the other bank-wide departments as well as ratifying Bank Policies. They also hold regular Workshops to review the Country Strategies, and of course the Annual Meeting. They meet with all departments of the Bank, reviewing their Policies and Procedures on a regular basis. The Board Directors consult and report directly to their Governors.
The Executive Assistant to Board Director is responsible for organising the day-to-day co-ordination of all these elements as well as any travelling undertaken by the Board Director.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

The Executive Assistant to Board Director is responsible for administrative and secretarial support to the Board Director in order that the latter might maximise his/her time and to ensure that the day-to-day operations run smoothly. This involves liaising with both internal departments and external authorities (Ministries, representatives of shareholders’ Capitals such as Embassies and other IFIs). This job may also involve ad-hoc responsibilities as required by the Board Director which may include, but are not limited to the following :

• Pro-active complex diary management for BoD’s related activities, including logistics for travel (accompanying the President on his trips, Board Consultation Visits) – with knowledge of EBRD travel policy - visas, accommodation, ordering currency and preparing itineraries.
• Organising documents for all Board Committees, meetings and travel to ensure the Board Directors are fully briefed, so as to facilitate their work with Senior Management.
• Monitoring e-mails, screening and prioritising messages and replying on behalf of the Board Director where appropriate; managing incoming phone calls, prioritising communications for the Board Member’s attention or re-routing as necessary; management of a contact database.
• Drafting, editing correspondence and occasionally proof reading reports for Board Directors.
• Managing and maintaining comprehensive filing in various hard copy and electronic systems and archiving for Board Directors to ensure instant retrieval of documents.
• Facilitating the co-ordination with the Senior Management and other departments regarding meetings and general Bank matters (eg: President’s Office & Vice Presidents’ Offices).
• Conducting ad-hoc or specific tasks assigned by Board Directors which may be related amongst others to pipeline or reporting.
• Executive Assistant to Board Director may take part in consultation meetings (conferences/retreats/receptions) with their respective counterparts overseas.
• Constituency offices with interns: the Executive Assistant to Board Director facilitates the intern induction on their arrival within agreed policies and practices to maintain an effective workplace.
• Monitoring and reporting of the department’s self-managed costs in line with annual projected budget, processing expenses relating to travel & hospitality, ensuring these adhere to the Bank’s policy & procedures. Mid-year review & year-end budget preparation, together with budget forecasting, running the lodge card report and preparing year-end accruals.
• Maintaining an up-to-date disaster recovery and business continuity call out cascade to refer to in the event of an emergency.
• Organising and attending events: Conferences, Workshops, BAs team retreat, farewell receptions, yearly Constituency events and hiring of premises.
• Maintaining confidentiality of information in and out of the Board office & highly sensitive documents.
• Representing the BoD : participating in inter-departmental working groups on bank-wide issues such as evaluation panels (Grassroots, Carlson Wagonlit, Floats, People Management Framework).
• Facilitating Board Director’s work by extracting and summarising confidential information from Board documents.
• Facilitating Donor and other ad-hoc events requested by shareholders and Embassies.
• Constituency Board changes (every three years): managing all administrative procedures relating to the appointment /departure of the Board Director; facilitating a smooth induction period; arranging BOLDnet access, EBRD remote; telephone, all IT facilities, and organising introductory meetings with the BoD and Vice Presidents.
• Annual Meeting : key areas of responsibility uniquely performed by the Executive Assistant to Board Director.
Co-ordinator for the Constituency and up to 7 Delegations (each delegation can comprise of up to 25 Delegates) and local Delegation Assistants.
The role manages the logistics of delegation(s) and her/his respective Governor/Shareholder, including registrations, flights, accommodation and payments, running the list of business guests, compiling 66 Delegation lists; the programme of meetings is geared towards the Head of Delegation (either the Minister or the Governor of the National Bank).

Travelling to the host country of the Annual Meeting : duties encompass time sensitive ad-hoc administrative tasks where good initiative, co-ordination skills and adaptability are vital, eg: co-ordinating delivery of delegates’ badges in unfamiliar locations, monitoring arrivals/departures/VIP transportation, together with the constantly changing programme of the Ministers of the various delegations and supervising the local delegation Assistants.
KKnowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Academic Qualifications
Degree and/or secretarial experience in te banking sector or IFI;
Secretarial qualification desirable but not essential;
Fluent English with both written and verbal communication skills, in order to assist the Board Directors from non-speaking English countries;
Knowledge of a foreign language essential for some Constituency Offices

Experience/Knowledge

Very good knowledge of the EBRD, its mandate and the broad range of its operations, its role and governance as an International Financial Institution.
Sound knowledge of the structure of all EBRD departments with their different procedures and ability to use its information and resources.
Strong organisational skills with ability to handle complex situations independently.
Political awareness, excellent networking and diplomatic skills to interact effectively with Shareholders/Government Authorities.
Supervisory skills essential during Annual Meetings.
Demonstrable experience of managing information within a governed framework.
Ability to handle relations at all levels including authorities, EBRD management and the wider business community in a multi-cultural environment; demonstrating confidence when interacting with all levels.
Ability to adapt to change and respond positively to new challenges.
Ability to prioritise own work and to work to deadlines.
Ability to use discretion at all times whilst having access to highly sensitive and confidential information.
Ability to cope well under pressure, within time constraints and demonstrate effective time management skills.
Strong team player.

Technical Skills
Intermediate/advanced computer literacy (Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint);
Knowledge of SAP desirable but not essential.

Please be advised internal applicants are only eligible to apply once the probation period in your current role has been passed.

Please note that CCTs and applicants working directly for a Board office can only apply for jobs advertised via the external website.

This vacancy is archived.

Recommended for you