Divisional Coordinator

VN Category (INT / EXT / EOI):

The recruitment policy of the WTO is to seek to attract and retain staff members offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and integrity. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the WTO gives full regard to merit and diversity.

The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking to fill a position of Divisional Coordinator in the Legal Affairs Division.

This is an External Vacancy Notice open to external candidates and WTO staff. It is posted on the WTO internal as well as external career site. Eligible WTO staff on short-term, fixed-term or regular contracts and interns must apply through the Workday internal career site.

General Functions

Under the general supervision of the Director of the Division, the incumbent will undertake the following functions:

1.         Develop and implement office procedures to ensure the efficient and effective running of the Division, address administrative challenges and ensure WTO administrative procedures are correctly applied in the Division and adapt procedures to meet changing needs as required. Develop and maintain divisional drives and the divisional repository of reference notes, templates and procedures. Oversee the management of the divisional information and documentation flow,

2.         Ensure the provision of overall office management and administrative/secretarial assistance to the Director of the Division and carry out other administrative duties as may be assigned by the Director. Administer and monitor the allocated divisional budget, assist the Director in budget planning and administration, and track and report on financial commitments.

3.         Provide administrative support to Divisional staff (e.g., travel, leave, Workday and other administrative activities).

4.         Provide administrative support to panels and other activities relating to the work of the Division. This may include organizing meetings and conferences, in-person, and by hybrid or virtual means; drafting correspondence; responding to queries from delegates, Missions, Ministries or other organizations; and formatting, editing and proofreading documentation.

5.         Supervise/assist with the production of Dispute Settlement documents.  With the statistics team, develop, and update tables and charts showing dispute settlement activity and statistics for the division, WTO website and Secretariat. Supervise/assist with the Dispute Settlement database.

6.         Be the primary focal point for Human Resources (HR) Division and follow-up on HR-related divisional matters, such as preparing requisitions for hiring staff, short-term assistance, interns, assist with planning for and addressing staffing issues, maintaining staff records and deal with basic personnel issues in consultation with the Director and HR officers.

7.         Coordinate and supervise the work of two secretaries, train and mentor them and undertake the evaluation of their performance. Participate in the recruitment of secretarial staff.

6.         As required, assist the DS Panelist Coordinator in the preparation of contracts and relevant payments for panelists, arbitrators and experts.  Assist these individuals with making travel and hotel arrangements in accordance with the travel policy.

8.         Maintain skills up-to-date and remain abreast of new office procedures and software.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Completed secondary school education and secretarial training or training in another relevant area of transferable skills.  Alternatively, completed secondary school plus proven secretarial and administrative skills at a fairly senior level.

Knowledge and Skills:

Technical Knowledge and Skills:

Experience in office management; good understanding of electronic file management and of establishing and maintaining electronic drives.

Good secretarial and IT skills including Word, Excel, Powerpoint and aptitude for technology and applications used in virtual meetings. Experience in formatting long documents in Microsoft Word, adding hyper links, legal numbering and footnotes.

Familiarity with the WTO dispute settlement system and proceedings at the panel level would be an asset.

Experience in applying administrative procedures, including staff rules and regulations and policies, preferably in an international organisation.

Behavioural Skills:

Good organisational skills and attention to detail, including demonstrated ability to prioritize, work under pressure and to meet deadlines

Tact and discretion.

The following interpersonal capabilities are required: relate to and build relationships with colleagues; communicate information in a clear way and understand information; work as a member of a team, while being capable of fulfilling tasks independently to achieve his/her objectives; supervise a group of people in their day-to-day work.

Work Experience:

At least eight years of relevant work experience, primarily administrative and secretarial, of which preferably five with an International Organization.

Languages:

Excellent skills in English, both spoken and in writing (including an ability to draft correspondence in English), i.e. at a level corresponding or equivalent to a minimum of C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Knowledge of either French or Spanish would be an asset.

The language skills of shortlisted candidates will be assessed as part of the selection process.

Additional Information:

This post requires the incumbent's presence in the office on a full-time basis. The incumbent will be expected to work until 5:30 p.m. Please note this is a full time position, and candidates should be available from 1 July 2023 to commence duties.

Additional Information:
 
Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted. 

The recruitment process will be undertaken as per Administrative Memorandum No. 976 (OFFICE(16)/15) on Staff Promotions and external recruitment through Vacancy Notices.

For non-entry level positions, the position may be offered at a lower grade if the selected candidate does not fully meet all the required qualifications. 

The WTO may use various communication technologies such as video or teleconference for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. The recruitment process may also involve the use of various forms of testing, assessment centres, interviews and reference checks. 

Applicants may be required to sit a written examination. 

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview. 

Candidates not selected whose performance in the selection process nevertheless shows them to be suitable for a similar position may be kept on a roster for up to 24 months, and may subsequently be called upon as and when the need arises for additional resources.

All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the closing date – Geneva (Switzerland) time – stated in the vacancy announcement. 
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 
The WTO is a non-smoking environment.