Back Executive Associate

Background Information - Job-specific
UNOPS HAMCO is recruiting for this position: Executive Associate based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Established in 2009, the Horn of Africa Multi-country Office (HAMCO) currently operates an established Operations Centre in Addis Ababa, overseeing a portfolio of engagements across four countries in the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, and South Sudan. HAMCO focuses on providing services in Infrastructure, Procurement, Project Management, HR and Transactional Services, and Fund Management, across sectors such as Health, Education, Agriculture, and Resilient Infrastructure, among others.

Our goal is to support countries in need, assist communities, and empower our partners by delivering on our mandate in infrastructure, procurement, and project management throughout the Horn of Africa.

The purpose of the position is to provide administrative and secretarial support to the Horn of Africa Multi-Country Office Director and Representative to the AU in managing daily tasks, calendar, contact lists, travel, communications and correspondence, administration, and overall coordination needs.

Reporting directly to the HAMCO Director and Representative to the AU, the Executive Associate will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Secretarial Support to the Ethiopia Multi-Country Office Director

Manages the HAMCO Director’s front office, including appointments and daily schedule; assists in following up on tasks and activities; maintains an up-to-date schedule of appointments and activities, including UN Country Team, UN Liaison Team, and Security Management Team meetings; ensures relevant background documentation and talking points are available for meetings and events as needed; makes arrangements for and receives visitors; liaises to address official requests and telephone calls concerning the work of the HAMCO Director.

Establishes and maintains contacts, liaising by telephone and/or email with representatives and officials from partners, permanent missions, government ministries, international organizations, and research and academic institutions as required.

Drafts, formats, registers, and dispatches official correspondence for the review of the HAMCO Director, as well as the HAMCO Head of Programme and Head of Support Services, as relevant and required; assists the HAMCO Director with timely review, approval, and signing of correspondence and administrative documents; follows up and reports on the status of correspondence and required actions.

Seeks advice from the HAMCO Head of Programme & Head of Support Services, as well as relevant HAMCO Heads of Office, to ensure that correspondence and other official and administrative documents are in line with UNOPS corporate rules, practices, work plans, and standards/templates.

Registers and reviews incoming correspondence such as messages addressed to the HAMCO Director; liaises with the HAMCO Director’s Office and relevant personnel on correspondence, as required; advises the HAMCO Director on scheduling based on requests and workload; corresponds with relevant organizations to invite or decline invitations as needed; brings important matters to the attention of the HAMCO Director or other relevant personnel; ensures the smooth flow of correspondence to and from the Office of the HAMCO Director.

Assists with the organization of internal HAMCO management meetings, including HAMCO Director’s Office meetings and UNOPS Ethiopia Office management and personnel meetings.

Handles sensitive issues, staff matters, and confidential information considered by the HAMCO Director with utmost discretion.

Provides the same administrative, secretarial, and coordination support to the HAMCO Officer in Charge during the absence of the HAMCO Director.

Maintains and updates the electronic and paper file archive of the HAMCO Director’s front office.

Monitors attendance, sick leave, and annual leave of staff reporting to the HAMCO Director.

Administrative and Logistical Support

Works closely with all units within UNOPS HAMCO, including personnel in Sudan, South Sudan and Djibouti, to follow up on a wide range of issues related to the functioning of the HAMCO Director’s front office.

Makes necessary travel arrangements for the HAMCO Director, liaising with hosts and counterparts, and coordinating with the Travel Unit for visa formalities, hotel reservations, and air ticket issuance; handles the visit program and ensures all concerned are informed of the HAMCO Director’s visit and scheduled activities; coordinates preparation of background documents for meetings and conferences (local and abroad), as well as briefing notes for consultations and visits; helps provide appreciation letters to partners for mission-related support.

Assists the HAMCO Director with the preparation of UNOPS promotional materials, greeting and event invitation cards, and presentations to partners, the Regional Office, and headquarters, as needed; collates and helps finalize reports by HAMCO and responses to relevant corporate or partner reports and presentations.

Under the leadership of the HAMCO Director and Head of Support Services, supports the organization of missions from UNOPS headquarters and the regional office, as well as other relevant partners and officials, including scheduling relevant meetings, preparing relevant background documents, and making logistics arrangements such as hotel reservations and transport.

Performs other duties as assigned by the HAMCO Director.

Education:

Completion of secondary education is required.

Certification in administration or technical training in specialized secretarial and/or management/executive assistance is highly desirable.

A University Degree (Bachelor's Degree or Master’s Degree) in Business, Public Administration, or related fields is desirable and may substitute for some of the required years of experience.

Experience

A minimum of six (6) years of progressively responsible experience, or less depending on academic qualifications, working in international organizations and providing administrative, secretarial, or clerical support, is required.

Experience working with the UN, diplomatic personnel, and international organizations is an added advantage.

Experience in the use of Google Suite applications is an asset.

Language

Fluency in reading, speaking, and writing English is required.

Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx Additional Information

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

This is a local position and is open to Ethiopian Nationals only.

Terms and Conditions

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.

For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.

All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.