Administration Assistant

• Attractive local package
• Friendly and supportive team environment
• Join the principal development organization in the Pacific 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 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 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 vision of the Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) is to be ‘The agency for educational quality in the Pacific region’. Its mission is to enhance the quality of education and training for Pacific learners, so they realize the benefits of lifelong learning. EQAP seeks to promote the following core values within the context of SPC’s corporate values:

• a culture of quality;
• a culture of continuous improvement;
• cultural and political sensitivity;
• respect for the autonomy and priorities of the education system in each Pacific Island country and territory (PICTs); and
• assimilation of the expressed needs of countries in its delivery of technical services.

The role – Administration Assistant will be responsible for managing and monitoring administrative responsibilities that contribute to successful achievement of outcomes for the various sections in EQAP, through direct support for of professional services provided by the Professional Officers and EQAP Director.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Data Input and Verification

• Input student assessment and scholarships application data into EQAP assessment databases for senior secondary assessments, Literacy and Numeracy assessments in primary levels, and scholarship applications.
• Verify assessment and scholarships data for accuracy and integrity before and after data inputting.

Administrative Support

• Provide logistical support for trainings/workshops, in terms of travel and accommodation logistics for POs and participants.
• Maintain a system of filing of physical as well as electronic records inclusive of scholarship applications.
• Transfer information from records into M&E templates.

Communications and Customer Service Support

• Customer Service
  • Manage incoming telephone messages effectively and efficiently.
  • Provide friendly, attractive and welcoming first impression through face-to-face interaction with visitors coming to the reception area.
• Communications
  • Email staff on a daily basis information on the attendance and movement of staff.
  • Communicate focal points in various countries and staff of SPC about staff travels.
  • Liaise with Pos and IT staff to ensure the information on the website is updated on a timely basis.

Finance Operations Support

• Make travel arrangements, input purchase orders in Navision for ticketing and where required make accommodation reservations for official travels and inform staff accordingly.
• Provide effective administrative support for the payment or reimbursement of fees to consultants, markers, examiners, supervisors and other individuals contracted to carry out assessment related activities.

Assessment Support

• Maintain accurate records of students’ details, fees, marks and results.

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

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• A relevant diploma from a recognized tertiary institution e.g. Diploma in administration, management, business studies, and communications.

Technical expertise

• Have at least 1 to 2 years of relevant work experience in office secretarial and administration in the area of education.
• Experience in basic data gathering, data entry and data cleaning and organization and familiarity with data analysis processes.
• Experience in organizing workshop/training/conference logistics.
• Advanced computer literacy, especially with Microsoft Office applications.      

Language skills

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written).

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment.

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – 3 years – subject to renewal depending on funding and performance.

Remuneration – The Administration Assistant is a band 5 position in SPC’s 2024 salary scale, with a commencing taxable salary range of FJD 1,558-1,948 per month, plus local staff benefits. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

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 bilingualism, 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 be given to the Pacific Islander.

Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.

Application procedure

Closing Date – 28 April 2024 at 11:59pm (Fiji time)

Job Reference: JM000638

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

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, 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

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

Only Fijian citizens are eligible to apply for this role.

SPC does not charge a fee to consider your application and will never ask for your banking or financial information during the recruitment process.

Screening Questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):

1. Can you please describe your experience in organising and providing support to meetings, workshops and conferences including the travel arrangements?
2. Can you tell us about your experience in collecting, electronically storing and retrieving data? Mention the challenges that you faced and how you addressed it?
3. Can you please describe your experience in administrative and financial tasks including the filing of documents, acquitting funds and project payments that meet audit requirements or donor contractual obligations?

Position Description