Country Administrative Assistant at International Fund for Agricultural Development

Job Summary

The Programme Management Department (PMD), under the leadership of an Associate Vice-President, is responsible for the overall programme of loans and grants of the Fund and is composed of five regional divisions and an Operational Policy and Results Division. The Country Administrative Assistant (CAA) post is located in an IFAD Sub-regional Hub and reports directly to the Country Director heading the office. S/He works collaboratively with the full array of the staff located in the assigned hub including technical staff from the Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD), financial staff from the Financial Operations Department (FOD), SSTC and partnerships staff from the External Relations and Governance Department (ERG) in addition to those staff programme staff in PMD, including the Country Programme Assistant based in her/his Sub-regional Hub. S/He is accountable for routine office communications, operational and secretarial support services to contribute to a smooth implementation of the hub plan and to ensure efficient workflow and effective management of information. The accountabilities/key results expected are:

• Routine Office Communications & Workflow
• Operational Support
• Office Support
• Administrative Functions

Responsibilities

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. Responsibilities may include:
• Provide support for the organization of in-country meetings with internal and external project/programme stakeholders (e.g. project team meetings, negotiations, meetings with governments, country visits of senior management, learning events, etc.), including preparation and dissemination of relevant documentation and scouting for venues and related activities;
• Uploading and profiling required documents for records management and knowledge management purposes (e.g. in the Operations Library, on xdesk, through IFAD's electronic records management system), and sharing of information with project partners.
• Participating in select missions (for administrative support and support organization of events, such as workshops, seminars etc, as required.
• The CAA may also act as a back-up for the Country Programme Assistant during absence on leave or in instances of peak workload

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. Responsibilities may include:

• Prepare the travel arrangements, including related ERP transactions, for staff located in IFAD's country office including input of mission dates in corporate system, handling of visas and logistical arrangements, and supporting staff in compliance with UNDSS recommendations on travel;
• Supporting the recruitment of non-staff hired by the Hub/ Country Office, including processing of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) related transactions and initiating payment requests;
• Supporting office asset administration (including maintenance of IFAD office furnishings and equipment, inventory control and vehicle/fleet management in liaison with the Country Operational Analyst);
• Providing background/supporting documentation upon request, formatting/drafting standard components of documents, maintaining office records and filing systems ensuring timely submission of appropriate documentation into IFAD’s records management system.

ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS:

Is accountable for integrity, transparency, equity in the personal use of assigned IFAD equipment and supplies, and in the administration of IFAD resources. This includes providing inputs into the country office budget preparation exercises and monitoring sub-allotments issued; implementing procurement processes and assisting in contract close-out procedures; effective use of ERP functionality for improved business results; simplification of transaction and reporting processes; and improved client services.