Secretarial Assistant

This post is located in the UNESCO Regional Office in San José, Costa Rica. The incumbent works under the overall authority and direct supervision of the Director of the Office. He/she performs a variety of office and management support and administrative tasks, and provides direct assistance to the Director in order to contribute to smooth and efficient running of the Office and the flow and management of information within the Office.

In particular, the incumbent will:

• Screen requests for appointments with the Director of the Office according to the nature of the requests and their urgency.
• Maintain Director’s calendar, confirm mutually convenient schedules and arrange appointments or rearrange schedules disrupted by unexpected events.
• Receive visitors, place and screens telephone calls, respond to queries and correspondence, often of a sensitive, confidential or technical nature.
• Coordinate and lead secretarial support services for high-level meetings and special projects/events.
• Attend meetings, prepare minutes, monitor follow-up activities.
• Review, record, distribute and process incoming mail and correspondence; follow up on pending actions; prepare draft responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties (e.g., arrangements for meetings and other events, reservations, budget preparation and follow-up, contracting, missions, etc.).
• Coordinate with other units to ensure smooth running and expedition of work within the Office.
• Search, compile, and organize background information and reference materials from various sources for reports, briefs and speeches. Liaise with PAX on reporting and country profiles, National Commissions.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

• Completed secondary, technical and/or vocational education.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience in administrative, secretarial and/or related tasks.

Skills and competencies:

• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Good analytical and problem solving skills.
• Capacity to draft contracts, prepare meeting documents, briefings, etc.
• Ability to systematize and synthesize information, be organized and know how to prioritize.
• Ability to operate with a considerable degree of autonomy, to take initiative and work effectively in a team.
• Discretion and capacity to deal efficiently and tactfully with people of different cultural backgrounds and high-level counterparts.
• Good knowledge of office applications (i.e. MS Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Languages:

• Excellent knowledge of Spanish and good knowledge of English.

Desirable Qualifications:

Education:

• Specialized training/certification in administration and/or secretariat.

Work Experience:

• Similar experience working with diverse organizations in the region and in an internationalenvironment preferably a United Nation agency.
• Experience in coordinating secretarial support services for high-level and/or representational meetings.
• Experience in managing the agenda of senior staff and providing administrative and organizational support for  meetings and missions.

Languages:

• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian).

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/San-Jose-Secretarial-Assistant/801794202/