Executive Assistant – G07

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 been administered language proficiency exams by the DHR in at least two of the official languages. Nevertheless:

(i) Any candidate, including a 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; and

(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 in a second official language within the 36 months following the appointment.
(iv) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, a candidate for a position in the General Secretariat shall demonstrate proficiency in at least one official language of the Organization.

(v) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, the application of language requirements shall be guided by the principles of merit, equitable geographic representation, proportionality, and non-discrimination. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.

(vi) Persons applying for positions in the Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States shall demonstrate proficiency in the official language(s) of the Member State.

(vii) When the native language of the candidate is not one of the four official languages of the Organization, the candidate shall be required to sit a proficiency examination administered by the DHR in at least two of the official languages.

The salary for this position corresponds to Grade G07, Step 1, in accordance with Staff Rule 103.3 Initial Salary:
(a) A staff member on initial appointment shall be placed in the first step of the grade of post, without exemption.
(b) This rule does not apply to a staff member who is already employed by the General Secretariat and is selected, promoted, demoted, reassigned, or otherwise transferred to a different post. In such cases, salary shall be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of these Staff Rules.
            
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

•    Prepares national and international travel for the Assistant Secretary General, Chief of Staff, and Advisors, organize their travel schedule including flights, hotels, diplomatic notes, transfers, visas, passports, and other travel-related logistical arrangements. Liaise with directors of the offices of the GS away from HQ, or directly with host country governments regarding agendas, speeches, protocol, and travel arrangements in general. Travel Expense Claims for the ASG.

•    Creates Purchase Requisitions in Oracle for the OASG.

•    Creates Purchase Requisitions in Oracle for the MOAS Program and coordinates matters related to MOAS projects inside and outside HQ, travel, documents, and correspondence.

•    Processes documents for official translation into the OAS document processing system Docu Vera.

•    Organizes fund raising events as well as official meetings and receptions. Prepares guest lists, ensure the timely printing of invitations, catering, and finalizing seating arrangements in accordance with protocol requirements.

•    Distributes and coordinates the ASG's speeches, photos, and press releases through the Department of Press.

•    Provides the operational, logistic, and research support required by the ASG and assists in the preparation of the General Assembly by organizing and coordinating parallel meetings on the OAS priority areas with OAS Executive Secretaries and Directors. Establishes frequent contact with the host country authorities to exchange information and resolve or clarify logistics and other administrative matters prior to and during the GA.

•    Prepares and reviews routine correspondence in English and Spanish for the ASG and Chief of Staff's signature and translates unofficial documents and other material from English to Spanish and vice versa. Coordinates and follows up on correspondence/documentation deadlines. Receives and processes all correspondence for the signature of the ASG, for accuracy in content and style and examines all outgoing correspondence to ascertain correctness. Obtains background information and checks format, style, grammatical accuracy, punctuation, and spelling. Follows-up on matters referred to other offices for action and report on results to the ASG and Chief of Staff. Supervises and controls development of contact lists of relevant governmental and non-governmental officials.

•    Coordinates the ordering and procurement of all materials necessary for the running of the OASG and Permanent Council, including computer equipment, office supplies and equipment’s, business cards, passports, access to e-mail accounts for OASG Staff and Interns, etc. Requests help desk and general services as needed by the OASG Staff.

•    Liaises with Advisors and other areas within the General Secretariat of the OAS to coordinate the drafting of speeches and reports, background information, project updates, briefings and other for official visits, presentations, meetings, and other activities of the Assistant Secretary General.

•    Proofreads and edits the ASG's speeches in Spanish.

•    Coordinates office holidays and leave schedule, and supervises overtime hour for the ASG's driver.

•    Conveys to OASG Senior Staff directives from the ASG and follow-up on specific matters.

•    Performs other duties that may be assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:  
Essential: High school or technical/commercial training and 9 years of relevant experience in administrative operations and/or secretarial work OR advanced training and 7 years of relevant experience.

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of the OAS mandate and priorities 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 (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other applications such as Oracle, Visio, Access, Share Point) and software applicable to the area of work.

LANGUAGES:
Essential – Proficient in at least two of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (read, write and communicate). The selected candidate must satisfy the applicable language-proficiency examination requirements under Article 44(f) of the General Standards, including passing the required DHR-administered examination in a second official language within the applicable timeframe. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.  

Desirable –  Working knowledge of other two OAS official languages.

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES: Client Orientation, Knowledge Sharing, Teamwork, Interpersonal Skills. Ability to clearly communicate in the languages required for the post.

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

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