Secretary – Country Office at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

African Development Bank Group (AfDB) – Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries).

The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten Year Strategy (2013 – 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas (High 5s), all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for scaling up, namely; energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Secretary – Country Office

Reference: ADB/19/061
Location: Niger
Grade: GS6
Position N°: 50097485

The Complex

The Bank has reorganized and is developing the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex whose major objective is to build regional capabilities and bring responsibility for client activities closer to the regions.
Five Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Hubs have been created, each run by a Director General: Southern Africa, North Africa, West Africa; East Africa, and Central Africa.

The Hiring Department/Division

Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery (RDVP) Complex, the Bank has five (5) Regional Hubs, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central. Each Regional Hub is headed by a Director General (DG) and is provided with the relevant sector functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries. Regional Hubs provide country offices in their regions with strategic direction and are responsible for operations, business development, project management and the overall effective implementation of the Bank’s High 5s, namely: “Light up and Power Africa,” “Feed Africa,” “Industrialize Africa,” “Integrate Africa” and “Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.”
Country Offices of the African Development Bank have been established to strengthen policy dialogue between the Bank , Governments and other stakeholders; improve performance of the project portfolio and aid coordination with other development partners

The Position

The Secretary will work closely with the Country Manager and the Team to provide administrative support. The incumbent of the position will help the Country Manager and the team to make the best use of his time by dealing with secretarial and administrative tasks.

Duties and responsibilities
Under the Supervision of the Country Manager, the Secretary will perform the following:

Make appointments for experts and other staff of the Country Office and keep their schedules up to date.
Receive visitors and attend to them with tact and discretion.
Prepare briefing material used by experts for official missions and special meetings.
Handle protocol-related issues concerning reception of the visitors of experts and of the Office.
Organize experts’ meetings; assist the Country Manager’s secretary in coordinating official receptions given by the Resident Representative.
Participate in staff meetings, take notes and produce reports in the absence of the Country Manager’s secretary.
Draft correspondence on non-substantive issues and ensure its follow-up.
Manage the experts’ incoming and outgoing mail and the office’s telephone communication.
Maintain an appropriate filing system; process experts’ back-to-office reports, ascertain the quality of documents requiring the approval and / or signature of experts and other staff members.
Prepare and finalize draft correspondence (letters, faxes, etc. …) concerning various aspects, on behalf of experts, prepare minutes of experts ‘meetings.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

Hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in Business Administration, Commerce, Administration or a related field, supplemented by training in secretarial functions/administration/office management.
Have a minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in progressive positions, attached to an executive’s office, preferably in an international organization.
Be able to work under pressure and to prioritize in the dynamic setting of an international and multicultural setting. Ability to work and cooperate with others from diverse background.
Handling speedily and efficiently internal and external requests.
Ability to manage simultaneous and shifting demands, priorities and tight deadlines.
Proficiency in the use of standard equipment (computer, fax, scanner, photocopies etc.).
Demonstrable commitment to delivering excellent customer service focused reception and administration services.
Be able to multi task, excellent problem solving skill and attention to detail.
Effective communication; highly client oriented, good team working and relations.
Ability to operate effectively in a multicultural organization.
Good innovative and creative approaches to activities in order to enhance performance and create added benefits for the clients and the organization.
Integrity and confidentiality.
Proficiency in written and verbal communication in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other.
Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint). Knowledge of SAP or other ERP systems would be an asset.