Travel & Protocol Assistant at Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

This role will contribute to organizational effectiveness by minimizing disruptions, reducing travel costs, enhancing staff experience, and maintaining reliable data for planning and reporting. This role will report to the Head of HR & Administration.

Key responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate end-to-end travel, including itineraries, flight options, hotel bookings, ground transport, and meeting schedules.
• Prepare and process travel requests in compliance with organizational travel policies, covering approvals, class of travel, routing, and documentation.
• Support travel claims and reconciliations by verifying that expenses align with approved itineraries and policy rules.
• Manage airport transfers, including pickups, entry/exit support, and, where applicable, special arrangements for visiting dignitaries.
• Act as the contact person for staff traveling to handle any changes, cancellations, rebookings, missed flights, and disruptions, and facilitate communication with travel agents, hotels, and ground transportation service providers.
• Assist with lost luggage, delays, entry refusal, and any hotel issues arising for stakeholders on travel.
• Provide visa and immigration support, including preparation of visa letters, entry permits, alien cards, and other diplomatic or administrative documentation as required.
• Prepare and issue confirmed itineraries, travel packs (tickets, bookings, contacts, agendas), visa/entry documentation packs, event/protocol checklists, and coordinate with vendors for quotes, comparisons, and service issue resolution.
• Participate and contribute to establishing a protocol office for AECF, including mapping out key issues under this docket, shaping protocols, maintaining records, and updating policies. Update the relevant host country offices on protocol norms and travel procedures.

Suitable candidates should:

• Possess a bachelor’s degree in business administration, travel & tourism management, or any related field.
• Have three (3) years of experience in travel coordination, protocol, or administration, preferably within regional organizations, or in travel agencies handling international bookings.
• Have experience managing travel across multiple world regions, including visa and entry requirements.
• Have the ability to maintain accurate travel trackers, calendars, and compliance documentation.
• Have the ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks, respond to urgent travel needs, and have a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Possess excellent communication, customer service, and problem-solving skills