Committee Secretary – P04

In accordance with paragraph f. of Article 44 of the General Standards, the official languages of the Organization are English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  No candidate for a position in the General Secretariat subject to the competition requirement shall be contracted until he/she has passed language proficiency exams administered by the DHR in at least two of the official languages. Nevertheless, i) Any candidate, including staff member whose native language is one of those four languages shall only be required to demonstrate proficiency on an exam in one of the others; and (ii) Persons applying for G-1 and G-2 positions at Headquarters and G-3 driver/clerk positions in those Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States where the language requirement unduly restricts the recruitment of otherwise qualified staff shall be exempt from this language proficiency requirement for as long as they occupy those positions. Subsequently, in order to be eligible to compete for a higher-level position, any staff member who has benefited from this exemption must demonstrate proficiency in a second official language of the Organization. (iii) A person selected as the best candidate may receive a fixed-term contract, which will be considered to have lapsed in case the person does not pass the required language examination within the 36 months following the appointment. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the general guidance of the Chief of Staff of the Assistant Secretary General and the direct supervision of the Coordinator of the Office of the Secretariat, the incumbent is responsible for duties which include the following:

1.    Advise and assist in planning, coordinating and supervising the organization and provision of secretariat services required for face-to-face and virtual sessions and meetings of the OAS General Assembly, the Meetings of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Council and its subsidiary organs, and other political bodies, which often involve multilingual negotiations.

2.    Receive, check and coordinate documentation submitted to the political bodies and liaise directly with document originators with respect to deadlines for submission, content, consistency and style of official documentation relevant to institutional governance and the OAS mandate.

3.    Facilitate collaboration between the Representatives of Member States and officers of the General Secretariat in various committees/working groups, to finalize institutional governance-related correspondence, keeping abreast of political developments and elevating matters of political/diplomatic sensitivity, as appropriate to the appropriate supervisory authority.

4.    Facilitate the work of Member State and Observer Representatives and observers in formal and informal meetings.

5.    Liaise with OAS colleagues to organize and coordinate orientation sessions, and briefings for the benefit of Member States and Permanent Observers.

6.    Prepare the preliminary work plans for the chairpersons of the assigned political bodies on the strategies to comply and follow-up with all aspects of the mandates issued by the General Assembly and other governing bodies, and coordinate with the different areas of the General Secretariat and other AS entities the presentation of their respective reports and recommendations.

7.    Provide up-to-date information and summaries to the chairpersons of the assigned political bodies on substantive political matters, the status of the negotiations taking place among Member States, and the activities of the OAS General Secretariat on topics of the interest and competence of the political bodies, thereby moving decision-making processes forward.

8.    Provide continuous advice and guidance to the chairpersons, other elected officers, and delegations on the organization of work, status of negotiations, conduct of business, rules of procedure and the established practices, program-budget and conference servicing implications, as well as relevant administrative issues.

9.    Prepare summaries and analytical reports on proceeding of meetings, including the annual report of activities of the assigned political bodies, and follow-up on the implementation of their mandates, decisions and recommendations.

10.    Advise high-level officials of the OAS General Secretariat on current working methods and procedures of the assigned political bodies and makes recommendations in order to maximize efficiency and bring about the best possible use of time in the assigned work areas.

11.    Conduct background research and analysis of all items on the agenda, to prepare the scripts or memoranda for the chairperson for each meeting. Provides advice to the chair of their assigned political body on the voting process and procedures relevant to that of the assigned political body.

12.    Ensure the timely and accurate submission and issuance of all pre-session, in-session, and post-session documentation in multiple languages (including concept notes and studies, draft conventions, declarations, resolutions, decisions and reports).

13.    Coordinate all preparatory, procedural, logistical, and technical aspects of meetings. This involves, consultations with Member States, obtaining the input from multiple areas of the OAS General Secretariat, other organs of the OAS, international organizations, and institutional partners, and, facilitating civil society participation as mandated.

14.    Act as the focal point and serve as an invaluable repository of information for the assigned political bodies.

15.    Execute duties with political neutrality in order to guarantee the uniform management of the information, application of existing regulations, parliamentary procedures, and the internal processes within the OAS

16.    Carry out and perform other related duties as required
 

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:  
Essential: First University Degree (Bachelor’s) in international relations, international law, business administration, diplomacy, or related fields and 11 years of relevant experience in similar positions at the national or international level OR Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in one of the fields listed above and 7 years of relevant experience OR a Doctorate and 4 years of relevance experience.

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of the OAS mandate and priorities, OAS project management and oversight system as related to the area of work and/or the dynamics of the Inter-American agenda and system.

COMPUTER SKILLS: Ability to effectively work using Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Oracle, Visio, Access, and SharePoint, as well as software relevant to the area of work such as IDMS.

LANGUAGES:
Essential – Proficient in at least two of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (read, write and communicate). Language proficiency examination will be required.

Desirable – Working knowledge of other two OAS official languages

Personal Competencies: Client Orientation, Knowledge Sharing, Teamwork, Interpersonal Skills, Managing and Coaching Staff, Strategic Planning, Encouraging Innovation, and Decision Making/Judgment. Ability to clearly communicate in the languages required for the post.
 

The GS/OAS embraces equality, diversity and inclusion. Thus, the GS/OAS, in accordance with its rules and regulations, is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, achieving a diverse staff, and will take into account a wide geographic representation, as well as gender equity and equality, in the selection of candidates.

Please note that the mandatory retirement age for staff members at the General Secretariat of the OAS is 65 years. Please note that the mandatory retirement age for staff members at the General Secretariat of the OAS is 65 years.