Senior Administrative Assistant

Sri Lanka’s labour market faces significant challenges in social protection and gender equality, exacerbated by multiple crises. This is further intensified by the low levels of labour force participation, despite Sri Lanka’s high educational levels. The unequal distribution of unpaid care burden is one of the underlying causes of low labour force participation of women, as women naturally tend to assume the caregiving role in many households. Women face unfair employment, wage, and leadership ‘penalties’ across the career cycle, due to absences for caring for family members.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure smooth functioning of the project administration, office management and operation support-related functions, in close collaboration with other administrative and operation support staff, through the provision of management and administrative support to the project. This includes processing entitlements, issuance of contracts and maintenance of records and files.
• Advise and assist project staff with the interpretation of administrative rules, regulations, and procedures. Make travel and hotel reservations, prepare travel authorizations, and assemble information pertinent to the purpose of travel.
• Participate in the organization of special meetings and coordinate all important administrative arrangements for conducting workshops/seminars and training, as required by the project/programme.
• Maintain, contact and liaise with concerned technical units at Headquarters, ILO constituents, social   partners’ organizations and UN agencies, to discuss planned activities and resolve sensitive matters.
• Prepare on own initiative correspondence and reports, as required, on general administrative or other related tasks, including those of a confidential nature. Prepare periodic administrative statistics, reports and correspondence.
• Brief and assist staff, experts, and consultants on all aspects of administration-related matters.  Provide Interpretation of administrative rules, regulations, and procedures.
• Review all incoming correspondence which requires action, make recommendations regarding the appropriate action to be taken, monitor deadlines for responses, follow up with various project/programme personnel and other organizational units on the submission of reports and correspondence.
• Prepare background information, detailed cost estimates, and periodic and ad hoc reports for use in programme and budget preparations. Participate in budget analysis and projections, as required. Provide information upon request.
• Carry out all operations required for expenditures under development cooperation funding, ensuring the most rational use of the funds. This includes making calculations, requesting funds, checking to support justifying documents and making payments.
• Monitor accounts regarding allocations and expenditures and make adjustments to optimize utilization of the funds. Draft and clear administrative correspondence relative to budgetary matters to verify data, answer queries and obtain additional information.
• Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

Education

• Completion of secondary school education and formal training in relevant administrative areas.

Experience

• Completion of secondary school education and formal training in relevant administrative areas.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English, (both spoken and written) and good working knowledge of another local language (Sinhala or Tamil)

Source: https://jobs.ilo.org/job/Colombo-Senior-Administrative-Assistant,-SOC-PROGEDI/1089607901/