Executive Assistant to the DRR

Yaoundé

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Yaoundé
Grade: Administrative support - GS-5, General Service - No need for Higher Education - Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Administrative support
- Disaster Management (Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Recovery)
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: 2024-12-27

BACKGROUND

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

 UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

Anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and committed to universality, equality, and leaving no one behind. The global UNDP vision through the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 is to continue its commitment to eradicating poverty, accompanying countries on their pathways towards the SDGs, accelerating structural transformations for sustainable development, and building resilience to crises and shocks. It envisions bold goals, making a difference in millions of lives, including through tackling multidimensional poverty, energy access, election participation, and development financing.

UNDP’s strategic support to Cameroon’s development agenda for the period 2022-2026 is based on the United Nations Development Programme Strategic Plan, which offers development in six key areas: Poverty and Inequality, Governance, Resilience, Environment, Energy, and Gender Equality, facilitated by digitalization, strategic innovation, and development financing.

UNDP will engage in the key national priorities of Recovery in the Northwest and Southwest Regions, Stabilization in the Far-North Region, the National Development Strategy 2020-2030, the SDGs, and Environment and Climate Change, across the country, through its 3 key programme priority areas:

Transformative, Inclusive, and Sustainable Growth
Inclusive Governance and Peacebuilding
Environmental Sustainability and Climate Disaster Risk Management

And the position of the Executive Assistant to DRR for UNDP, is a keys position to support achieve those objectives.

POSITION PURPOSE

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative (DRR), the Executive Assistant ensures effective and efficient functioning of the DRR’s office, full confidentiality in all aspects of assignments, maintenance of protocol procedures, and management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made. The Executive Assistant promotes a collaborative, client-focused, high quality and results-oriented approach in the operations of the DRR’s office.

The Executive Assistant to the DRR works in close collaboration with UNDP staff, UN Agencies, national authorities, international organizations, and other stakeholders and external entities to ensure efficient flow of information and follow through on actions, instructions, commitments and agendas. Internally, the Executive Assistant ensures that strategic decisions are followed through and that all units and clusters follow the guidance by the DRR/SM Team.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

KEY DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

1.) Ensure effective and efficient functioning of the Deputy Resident Representative (DRR) office.
	Maintain the supervisor’s calendar and contacts with high-ranking visitors, arrange appointments and meetings, take minutes, act as an interpreter, and/or prepare informal translations when required. Maintain protocol procedures as well as profiles, rosters and telephone lists of high-level partners and contacts. Compile research and prepare high quality briefing materials for supervisor for appointments, meetings, missions, and for use in discussions. Manage Deputy Resident Representative missions and representation schedule. Prepare correspondences, directives, and comments on behalf of DRR for his/her signature and follow-up when required. Digitalization of folders, files and others documents for a better follow-up. Effective and efficient quality control of all the incoming and outgoing request forms and documents from programme and operations submitted to the approval of the supervisor, the Deputy Resident Representative and/or seniors management. Prepare timely inputs to reports. Maintains database.
2.) Assist in communication with the office to facilitate essential flow of information.
	Assist in maintaining paper and electronic filing systems to ensure safekeeping of confidential materials and accessibility of documents. Coordinate information flow in the office and follow up on circulation files. Facilitate sharing information between the DRR’s Office, UN Country Team, and the UN Coordination Unit. Follow up deadlines, commitments made, and actions taken; and coordinate the collection and submission of reports to the DRR. Screen all incoming calls and correspondence. Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work units and with internal and external clients/partners. Responds to clients/partners needs promptly.
3.) Assist in facilitating knowledge building and management in the Country Office.
	Provide contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Assist in organizing specialized training for secretarial and/or support staff. Assist in organizing training for UN staff on coordination, administration and protocol issues.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None

REQUIREMENTS

Education

Secondary Education is required.
A university degree in Social Sciences, Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance or equivalent will be given due consideration but is not a requirement.
Specialized secretarial training is desired.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

Minimum of 5 years (with high school diploma) or 2 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant progressively responsible secretarial, administrative, and/or programme experience is required at the national and international level.
Working experience in similar position in UN/International organization/NGO/recognize administration is highly desired.
Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.), and in handling web-based management systems such as ERP, digitalization of documents is required.
Experience in UN operations, structure, and administrative procedures is desired.
Experience in support of senior executives and/or senior levels officials in the United Nations is desirable.

Language Requirements

Fluency in French and working knowledge of English OR Fluency in English and working knowledge of French is required.

Expected Demonstration of Competencies

Achieve Results:	LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively:	LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously	LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility	LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination	LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner	LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion	LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area	Name	Definition
Administration & Operations	Documents and records management	Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving
Administration & Operations	Events management (including retreats, trainings and meetings)	Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.
Business Management	Communication	Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.
Business Management	Customer Satisfaction/Client Management	Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfill and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
Business Development	Knowledge Generation	Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.
Ethics	UN policy Knowledge	Knowledge and understanding of the UN staff Regulations and rules and others policies relating to ethics and integrity

KEYWORDS

Office administration
Scheduling and calendar management
Information sharing
Advising on protocols

DISCLAIMER

Female candidacies are strongly encouraged.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity
UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. We strongly encourage female candidacies.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.

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