Administrative Assistant III

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The mission of the External Relations, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization (ERP) Department is to lead the official relationships between the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB) and the international community; mobilize political leadership and support, especially in high-level political fora; lead, guide and facilitate resource mobilization at the international level, and build partnerships and collaborative arrangements to support PAHO and the Region’s health strategies and goals. ERP manages the PAHO Secretariat’s diplomatic functions, e.g. with Ambassadors, and supports Member States and the PAHO Director to attain health priorities and objectives enabling health as central to development and economic growth.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the Director, External Relations, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization, the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

1. Perform administrative support functions, including but not limited to coordinating and organizing the appointments and calendar of the Director, External Relations, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization (ERP) handle confidential and sensitive matters with discretion; place and answer telephone, Teams and Zoom calls, handle routine calls or forward calls to the appropriate officer(s); screen, with considerable tact, all requests to speak to or see the Department Director; establish the purpose of the request and determine which requests can be handled by self or other Department team members; receive visitors; prepare agendas and other material for use on official trips or special virtual or in-person meetings, gathering and validating relevant background information; review all outgoing correspondence to ensure accuracy, correct spelling and punctuation in English and Spanish and adherence to established practices and procedures;
2. Assist in the preparation in English and Spanish of technical presentations, technical reports and articles by reviewing, correcting and/or rewriting texts to improve clarity, conciseness and coherence; prepare and verify the content of tables, graphs, and charts; based on instructions received, draft articles, reports, technical documents, charts, and a variety of correspondence involving the use of technical terminology; follow up on the submission of reports and correspondence in order to ensure established deadlines are met;
3. Review all incoming correspondence which require action by the Department Director and other personnel; review for substance, identify urgent matters and ensure that these are handled expeditiously; determine which can be answered by specific Team personnel; gather relevant background documentation for correspondence requiring action by the Department Director or other personnel; make recommendations regarding the appropriate action to be taken; follow up with Department personnel and other organizational components on the submission of reports and correspondence to meet established timelines;
4. Organize and make duty travel arrangements for the Department Director and other personnel as needed. This includes: obtaining concurrence from country to be visited; preparing itineraries; obtaining visas, where applicable; preparing spend authorizations and purchase orders; coordinating transportation and hotel accommodations, providing them with all background documentation for their meetings prior to departure; preparing expense reports upon their return (and their completion of Travel Report) and following up on programmatic and administrative actions resulting from duty travel of the Department Director;
5. Serve as liaison regarding logistical and operational processes and activities between the Department Director and staff in the Department, as well as with other offices throughout the Organization; communicate procedures to be followed for meetings of Governing Bodies, Advisory Committees, etc.;
6. In the absence of the Department Director, collaborate with the Acting Department Director in matters related to the everyday activities of the Department;
7. Assist in the preparation of Briefing Book documents for the Office of the Director and any other office, based on information provided by the ERP staff;
8. Prepare correspondence on own initiative or from requests of Department staff for signature of the Department Director and other members of the team; prepare translations of correspondence and other materials from English into Spanish and vice versa.
9. Support the Department Director to track PPES compliance in the PASB Management Information System (PMIS) system, and take follow-up action as needed;
10. Establish and maintain physical and electronic files and controlled reference material; register all correspondence in computerized systems and follow up on correspondence going to other offices for clearance and/or signature; maintain the confidential files of the Department; conduct research of files, reports, and other sources to obtain material requested and, when necessary, compiling summaries;
11. Serve as back up to the Program Management and Partnership Specialist in activities related to program planning, execution and financial status of the biennial work plan (BWP) and funds; record grants; initiate purchase orders; record resource allocations established by the Department Director; provide periodic status reports, and bring matters to the attention of the Department Director when resource decisions are required;
12. Monitor the status of documentation for the appointment recruitment, and payment of professional and general service staff, consultants, short-term professionals and contractors; initiate and carry out the necessary steps in PMIS to successfully complete HR actions; serve as HR Partner within entity in PMIS;
13. Maintain and update ERP database for current and prospective donors, embassies, OAS missions, Non-State Actors in Official Relations with the Organization, non-financial partners and other external key stakeholders.
14. Serve as a back up for the Voluntary Contributions (VC) Tracking Tool front desk and support the VC corporative review process as needed.
15. Perform other related duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: Certification of completion of high school.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO, only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. PAHO will also use the databases of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/ and College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator to support the validation process.

Experience:

Essential: Six years of administrative work experience.

SKILLS:

PAHO Competencies:

• Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.
• Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with other/Deal effectively with conflict - Creates team spirit; promotes collaboration and open communication in the team; proactively supports others; welcomes team responsibilities and drives team results; promotes knowledge sharing in the team. Proactively identifies conflicts and facilitates their resolution in a respectful manner; tactfully resolves conflicts between or with others and takes action to reduce any possible tension; effectively builds a rapport with individuals and teams, establishing good personal and professional relationships, as well as minimizing risk of potential conflict.
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity - Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.
• Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking/Listen/Write effectively/Share knowledge - Foresees communication needs of audience and targets message accordingly. Facilitates open communication; encourages others to share their views openly and takes time to understand and consider their views. Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.
• Knowing and Managing Yourself: Remain productive/Continuously learn - Remains objective and focused even in a “changing and moving” environment; continues to display positive behavior when facing some constraints; keeps challenges in perspective. Seeks all relevant information for decision making from a wide range of sources; quickly learns new competencies and skills that expand role capability; shows rapid understanding of new and/or complex information relevant to job.
• Producing results: Work efficiently and independently/ Deliver quality results/Take responsibility - Prioritizes work, monitors own progress against objectives and adapts plans as required; communicates adjustments as necessary.
• Acts proactively and stimulates action as needed; handles problems effectively and constructively. Produces high-quality results and workable solutions that meet clients’ needs. Works independently to produce new results and sets own time lines effectively and efficiently. Demonstrates positive attitude in working on new projects and initiatives. Demonstrates accountability for own success, as well as for errors; learns from experience.

Technical Expertise:

• Ability to write/originate routine and non-routine correspondence and reports in English and Spanish.
• Ability to prepare working translations from Spanish to English and vice versa.
• Ability to plan, organize, coordinate and carry out administrative processes such as: meetings, recruitment of staff, personnel matters, preparation of formal publications, budget and expenditures records, acquisition of supplies.
• Ability to research, analyze and organize information in order to prepare charts, graphics, reports, etc.
• Ability to coordinate, monitor and control administrative services affecting several projects and involving the allocation of work, developing/adjusting operational procedures, evaluating priorities, coordinating and supporting internal day-to-day activities, etc.
• Ability to supervise, including skills in planning, organizing, evaluating, problem-solving and decision-making of office management matters.
• Ability to understand and use Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Languages:

Very good knowledge of Spanish and English.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential.

REMUNERATION

Annual Salary: (Net of taxes)

USD $53,164.00

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Local Recruitment)

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

A written test may be used as a form of screening.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

PAHO/WHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

PAHO/WHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of abusive conduct.

PAHO/WHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity. PAHO/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

PAHO offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance). Other benefits include: 30 days annual leave, dependency benefits, pension plan, and health insurance scheme.

All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.

Administrative/support positions in Washington, D.C. are open to Washington, D.C. metropolitan area residents only. Candidates must be U.S. Citizens or hold a Permanent Resident Alien card (Green Card).

Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this post. The post description is the official documentation for organizational purposes.