Administrative Assistant, Gender Partnership Programme (G5)

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:

Under the supervision of the Manager, Gender Partnership Programme, the Administrative Assistant will provide administrative and logistical support to the programme and assist in research. He or she will be responsible for the following duties:

Administrative and logistical assistance:

• Provide administrative and logistical support in the organization of global, regional and national meetings at the IPU Headquarters, as well as in the field. This includes, liaising with host parliaments, local event organizers and participants, providing logistical support to invitees, preparing required documentation and accompanying staff on mission;
• Organize travel for Programme staff and external collaborators, prepare travel authorization forms, liaise with travel agency, register invoices and track payments;
• Organize meetings and official receptions, handle all necessary arrangements, such as room reservations, guest/participant lists, invitations, catering, seating arrangements, background documentation, special equipment;
• Assist in the preparation and organization of the Forum and of Women Parliamentarians and the work of the Committee for International Humanitarian Law. Prepare draft convocations and other administrative correspondence. Prepare meeting documents and files for staff and participants. Respond to the latter’s organizational queries and, assist in the follow up to these activities;
• Provide general office assistance: respond to complex information requests and inquires, set up and maintain files/records;
• Draft notes and reports of meetings;
• Draft contracts for external collaborators;
• Coordinate with other IPU programmes with a view to sharing information;
• Provide assistance in budget follow-up.

Research assistance:

• Compile, summarize and enter data on women in parliament and women’s participation in politics;
• Respond quickly and diligently to requests for information on women in parliaments;
• Maintain and further develop data spreadsheets, produce tables, figures and other visual materials to be inserted in publications;
• Collect and compile country background information related to gender equality and women’s participation in politics;
• Maintain an e-collection of gender-related studies, reports and research (including from universities, research centers and international organizations);
• Contribute to updating the IPU website.

Development and implementation of management and communication tools:

• Propose and develop project management tools aimed at facilitating the programme’s work, its organization and the implementation of its activities;
• Develop and maintain a contact spreadsheet for the Programme;
• Develop tools to facilitate data collection for programme activity reports;
• Prepare Power Point presentations and other communication material on programme activities;
• Contribute to developing social media communications and coverage;
• Develop and maintain tools aimed at tracking gender disaggregated data from programme activities;
• Support benchmarking and performance monitoring efforts led by the Programme.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work implies interaction with the following:

IPU staff

Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff

Research institutes and non-governmental organizations.

Competencies:

• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to apply good judgement in the context of assignments given. Shows pride in work and in achievements; is conscious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Incorporates gender perspectives and equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Knowledge of the organization: Is able to demonstrate knowledge about the organization and takes on board its objectives.
• Technological awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
• Team work: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; is willing to learn from others’ ideas and expertise; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
• Client orientation: Establishes and maintains effective relations with Members of Parliament, external collaborators and colleagues.
• Commitment to continuous learning: Actively seeks to keep abreast of new developments in the relevant field and to develop own skills.

 

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Completion of secondary education and secretarial training or equivalent;
• Five years’ experience in administrative support;
• Sound experience in working for international organizations. Familiarity with the work of parliament is desirable;
• Demonstrated experience in organizing meetings and events;
• Demonstrated working knowledge of word processing, the use of database applications, and the use of Internet for collecting and disseminating information;
• Demonstrated working experience in using project management tools;
• Basic knowledge of statistics;
• Complete fluency and excellent reading and writing skills in English or French, and working ability in both languages, some knowledge of additional languages (particularly Spanish and Arabic) is desirable;

 

Duties applicable to all staff:

Actively work towards the achievement of the IPU’s strategic objectives. Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the Secretary General.

Compensation:

The Inter-Parliamentary Union offers an attractive salary and benefits package comparable to that of other international organizations headquartered in Geneva. The net salary for this position starts at CHF 73’876 commensurate with education and experience.

Employment Policy:

This position will be filled through a local recruitment process that will be open to internal and external applicants. From among equally qualified candidates, preference will be given to the under-represented sex and persons from countries not represented in the Secretariat.

This position will be based in Geneva and will require frequent travelling. It will be for an initial period of two years, renewable depending on satisfactory performance and availability of funding.