Executive Assistant

Organization Information

Reports to: Director-General
Directorate/Department/Organ: Office of the Director General (ODG)
Division: Office of the Director General
Number of Direct Reports: 0
Number of Indirect Reports: 0 
Job Grade: P1
Number of Positions: 1
Contract Type: Regular
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Purpose of Job

Support the execution of the work of the Director General of the African Union Commission on operations, and providing administrative assistance, supporting the logistics for organization of missions.

Main Functions

• Act as a liaison between the Director General and the rest of the support staff 
• Provides support in following up on the activities of the ODG.
• Assist in conducting initial analysis and the generation of draft reports in a timely manner for the Office of the Director General (ODG) and AU’s internal use.
• Provides administrative support to the activities of the ODG including preparing all necessary logistical arrangements for the success of the activities organized by the ODG.

Specific Responsibilities

• Maintains the work schedule of the ODG and particularly the timely preparation and sharing of the Director General’s calendar to allow adequate preparation for scheduled activities.
• Record noting or minute taking during the Director General’s internal meetings.
• Analyses and maintains an overview of the ODG’s work agenda to ensure timely administrative and technical support is provided in general and in specialized areas.
• Takes the lead and prepares plans related to the organization of meetings identified by the Director General, including coordination of invitations, confirmations, ticketing and accommodation for multiple participants for the Office, guide and coordinates efforts of the administrative support and registry staff on planned activities.
• Provides oversight on matters related to facilities management (office space and equipment), activities linked to issues of security and protocol, finance, human resources, supply chain, security, conference management and other service providing departments as well as service providing bodies, 
• Participates in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of budgets.
• Prepares office communication including but not limited to official memos, note verbale, analysis reports and summaries, draft presentations (as required) in connection with the activities carried out by the respective office and as requested by the Director General. 
• Maintains special and confidential files and ensure adequate accessibility for the allowed users.
• Liaises with the administrative support personnel to ensure that meeting and correspondences outcomes is duly monitored, and decisions implemented; provide timely report to the supervisor/concerned official; provide support in planning and executing next actions to realize expected outcomes.
• Prepares and participates in various departmental meetings and ensure that minutes and/or notes for review and endorsement by participants are timely prepared; review/edit and follow up on timely dispatch.
• Provides oversight on the activities of administrative support staff in relation to communications support to ensure timely responses to internal and/or external inquiries, coming through official correspondences, emails etc. 
• Responsible for compilation of information on staff official missions, various official trips and leave schedules for better information on staff presence and allocation of tasks
• Any other related duties assigned by the Director General

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, International, Development Economics, Public Administration, Development Studies, Business Administration, Finance, or any related field with at least two (2) years’ experience providing executive and secretarial assistance to Senior/High level Officials.
• Qualification in Office Management and advanced secretariat and executive assistant training is mandatory.
• Bi-lingual, Secretarial Science and/or Office Management is a plus.
• Experience in planning and coordination of meetings with various stakeholders
• Supervisory experience and work experience in SAP will be an added advantage.

Required Skills

• Sound planning and organizational skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills 
• Ability to work effectively under pressure;
• Knowledge in finance and budgeting 
• Management and administrative skills 
• Ability to use Microsoft office suite and AU computing systems 
• Knowledge and working understanding of AU standard operating procedures and digital systems. 
• Communication and report writing skills 
• Ability to work in teams and in a multi-cultural setting. 
• Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, Portuguese or Spanish) is required; fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage

Leadership Competencies

Core Competencies

Functional Competencies