Administrative Assistant

• Kiritimati Island - based position (Kiribati)
• Join the principal development organisation in the region

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 26 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 20 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Geoscience Energy and Maritime Division provides advice, technical assistance, research and training support to Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs). There are three (3) areas of scientific programming and two areas of focus within this division:

1. Oceans and Maritime – Driving growth in blue economies through well-informed and inclusive action from integrated solutions for ocean and coastal management and maritime and transport.
2. Geo-resources and Energy – Strengthening the management of the Earth’s non-living resources through responsible harnessing of mineral resources, including metalliferous and development minerals, and clean and renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal for sustainable development.
3. Disaster and Community Resilience – Improving resilience and sustainability through the management of disaster risk and adapting to climate change. This includes building resilience through wider support for climate change, disaster risk management (DRM) initiatives, and water and sanitation initiatives. The RENI project falls within this programming area.
4. The other two focus areas within this division are Programming and Operations, which is responsible for driving integrated programming excellence and operational support across the division, and Geo-informatics, which is responsible for providing diverse, integrated, and unique and demand driven services across SPC work programmes, projects and countries. This includes developing, managing, building on and retaining or preserving spatial data and information for the benefit of all scientific areas.

The role – The Administrative Assistant will provide all administration tasks related to the Safe and Sustainable Drinking Water for Kiritimati Island Project, will ensure that the Project Management Unit is provided with the necessary support to facilitate effective and efficient service delivery as part of SPC’s overall programmatic support to Kiribati.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

1. Provision of effective and efficient administration and secretarial services support

• Provision of general administrative and secretarial services support to the Project Coordinator and project staff to enable the implementation of project activities.
• Provision of effective backstopping of financial processes to ensure the delivery of activities and intended outcomes of the Project.

2. Coordination of Travel

• Ensuring that arrangements for project staff travel are conducted in an efficient and effective manner and meet with the requirements of SPC rules and procedures.
• Coordination of arrangements for Project Steering Committee meetings including travel.

3. Support to the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands Development

• Provision of administrative and related support to the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Development in the exercise of general administrative duties to help ensure that overall services are maintained at an optimum level.

4. Financial and administrative reporting

• Adherence with all reporting requirements in an accurate and timely manner to facilitate individual accountability within the project.

5. Support to Project governance and ensuring compliance with relevant policies and regulations

• Facilitation of compliance with all relevant policies, regulations and administrative directions and contribution to the good governance of the Project and the Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands Development.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

1. Qualifications

• Tertiary level qualification or equivalent work experience in business or public administration, accounting, secretarial studies, or another relevant field.

2. Technical expertise

• At least 2 years’ experience in a secretarial, administration or finance support role.
• Strong computer skills, preferably with Microsoft Programmes (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Ability to take initiative and work under limited supervision.
• Ability to multitask, priorities workload and complete work under deadlines.
• A flexible approach and a willingness to assist with a variety of other tasks with the programme.
• Demonstrated organizational skills.
• General understanding of planning and budget processes.
• Understanding of spreadsheet and database principles.

3. Language skills

• Sound English and i-Kiribati communication skills (oral and written).

4. Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• A team player, with cultural sensitivity and the ability to work as part of an inter-disciplinary and multi-cultural team.
• Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage.

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – This position is budgeted for 3 years and is subject to renewal depending on performance and funding.

Remuneration – The Administrative Assistant is a Band 6 position in SPC’s 2021 salary scale, with salary range of 14,539-18,174 AUD per year. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration being given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

Benefits – SPC provides medical and life insurance for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilinguism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals.  If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will begiven to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s private policy.

Please note that applicants must be Kiribati Nationals currently residing in the country or hold the proper work permit for salaried employment there.

Application procedure

Closing Date – 1 August 2021, 11:00 pm Noumea time

Job Reference – AL000408

Applicants can apply online at: http://careers.spc.int/

Applications can also be submitted in person to the address below:

Contact:                  Mr. Bwereti Tewareka 

                               Chief Administrative Officer

                               Water and Sanitation Project

Address:                 Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands Development

Kiritimati (Christmas Island), Republic of Kiribati

Email:                     bwereti.tewareka@mlpid.gov.ki

Tel:                         O: +(686) 81211,81214

                               M: +(686) 63014368

To be considered for this role, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions

Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. These documents may be requested at a later stage.

All positions at SPC have specific screening questions. If you do not respond to all of the screening questions, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage.

Screening questions:

1. The Administrative Assistant will perform a variety of tasks “behind the scenes” to support smooth project delivery on Kiritimati.  What is one key strength that you will bring to the team? How have you applied this strength in the past?  What skill sets do you need to work on improving? How will you go about this improvement?
2. The Administrative Assistant will need to ensure compliance with SPC and EU finance, procurement, travel and reporting policy and protocol, plus be familiar with Government of Kiribati administrative requirements.  How will you ensure you satisfy these requirements?  How have you managed this in the past?
3. The Administrative Assistant will support Ministry of Line and Phoenix Islands Development (MLPID) with administrative-related duties to build their capacity for sustained and efficient operation beyond the scope of the project.  Give an example of when you have built capacity of local counterparts.  What were some of the most effective techniques you applied?