Special Assistant

• Support to the Country Director in coordinating the internal governance set-up of UNOPS
• Management of the Executive Office, ensuring an environment of professionalism and teamwork at all times, and setting exemplary standards of conduct for the office team;
• Coordination and organization of intra-departmental meetings of the Country Director including the Senior Management Decision Group; secretary for the meetings
• Efficient and discreet management of the long-term calendar of appointments and commitments for the Country Director; maintenance of backup documentation and monthly update for discussion and decisions by the Country Director.
• Coordination with appropriate Offices, Divisions, staff, and external governing bodies on the participation of the Country Director at governing body meetings, preparation of agendas and supporting documentation for the Country Director.
• Focal point for the corporate initiatives requested by the Country Director, up-date for the Country Director of all developments in such initiatives and monitoring of deadlines and results expected
• Organization of special corporate events, such as luncheons, receptions for high-level invitees from missions, governments, UN agencies, governmental/non-governmental organizations and other partners
• Adherence to appropriate protocol and correspondence guidelines by the office team when communicating with Government and other external partners;
• Development of effective systems and procedures to improve and streamline work and communication flow within the team, to meet high paced job demands and business requirements.
• Use of technology and electronic systems and tools to initiate work, share information with colleagues and clients.
• Coordinate and participate in meetings with donors and partners and produce high quality meeting minutes and action oriented summaries as well as follow up on agreed actions as appropriate
• Update and maintain the project tracking sheet, meeting records database and other tools
• In conjunction with the project managers, support in development of expression of interests, concept notes and proposals, budgets and costing for potential new projects
• Support the Project Managers by reviewing progress reports and other external communication as and when needed

• Establishment/maintenance of all hard copy and electronic files, reference materials and confidential records as required, and evaluation of information for retention or disposal.
• Establishment of an effective network and exchange of information with internal partners and important business clients; coordination of the information flow in the office and dissemination of corporate and interoffice communication to staff as required.
• Follow up with senior managers on requests made by the Country Director; collection of reports and submission to the Country Director in the required format.
• Determination of work priorities, drafting of speeches, reports, routine correspondence, interoffice circulars, general briefing notes, documents, reports, and minutes of meetings when requested, translations when required.
• Preparation of spreadsheets, database files, presentation materials and tables ensuring appropriate style and accuracy of information.
• Management of the Country Director’s missions and representation schedule, as well as related travel arrangements; preparation of high quality briefing materials for the Country Director for appointments, meetings, missions.
• Preparation of the office administrative budget plan for the submission to the Country Director; review and monitoring of expenditures against the administrative budget. 
• Preparation of requests for recruitment of consultants for corporate requirements, including drafting/obtaining TORs, identification of consultants/firms, submission of requests to Procurement Unit and ensuring appropriate settlement and follow-up thereof, in accordance with UNOPS guidelines. 
• Set up and monitoring of administrative procedures for the Executive Office to ensure a smooth flow of information and communication; recommendations to improve speed and efficiency and remove bottlenecks
• Oversight, supervision, and coordination of the work Executive Office related tasks
• Screening of all incoming communications and outgoing correspondence for supervisor’s signature, clearance and further action by other staff; wherever possible.
• Provision of all other related administrative, logistical, protocol and secretary services for the Directorate.
• Focal point for  the Executive Office’s intranet, ensuring that the Executive Office’s intranet space contains up to date information on the activities of the Executive Office.
• Develop and design communications materials, including factsheets, presentations, capacity statements for purposes of outreach initiatives with potential partners

3. Contributes to knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Organization of training for UNOPS staff on coordination, administration and protocol issues.
• Training of new or temporary support personnel on office methods, systems and procedures.
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

The key results have an impact on the efficiency of the Executive Office. Accurate analysis and presentation of information strengthens the capacity of the office and promotes the image of UNOPS as an effective service provider and contributor to the development of the country. Incumbent’s own initiative is decisive in results of work and timely finalization.