Secretarial Assistant

OVERVIEW

Post Number : 4WSADM0702RP

Grade : G-5

Parent Sector : Sector For Administration and Management (ADM)

Duty Station: Apia

Job Family: General Administrative Support

Type of contract : Fixed Term Field

Duration of contract : 2 years, renewable

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 12-MAY-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

(Only candidates who are entitled to work in Samoa may apply to this position)

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall authority and direct supervision of the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in the Pacific, based in Apia, the incumbent coordinates and performs a full range of office, management support, and administrative tasks, providing assistance to the Director to ensure the quality and consistency of office workflows and information management.

Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:

• Screening appointment requests based on their nature and urgency; maintaining the supervisor’s calendar; confirming mutually convenient schedules; receiving visitors.
• Responding to queries and correspondence, often of a sensitive, confidential, or technical nature.
• Coordinating and leading secretarial support services for high-level meetings, office-wide training, and special projects/events. Attending meetings, preparing minutes, and monitoring follow-up activities.
• Arranging for formal editing, translation, and other necessary services for documents and publications.
• Overseeing the work of other support staff, setting priorities, and ensuring equitable distribution of tasks.
• Managing incoming mail and correspondence; drafting technical responses to a wide range of correspondence and communications. Performing quality control on outgoing documents; proofreading and editing. 
• Performing a variety of administrative duties. Coordinating with other units to ensure the smooth flow and timely completion of work. Orienting new staff to relevant administrative procedures and providing general assistance to other office support staff.
• Researching, compiling, and organizing background information and reference materials from various sources for reports, briefs, and speeches. Generating various statistical and other reports from multiple databases.
• Creating and maintaining the office’s filing and reference systems. Periodically reviewing the efficiency of office procedures and recommends improvements.
• Updating the office website, knowledge management tools, databases, etc.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Completed secondary, technical diploma and/or vocational school.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• At least 5 (five) years of relevant work experience in administrative, secretarial support and/or closely related fields.
• Experience of agenda management and logistics.
• Experience in preparation of reports, briefs and speeches, and file management.
• Experience in knowledge management tools and databases.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Sense of integrity, confidentiality, commitment and reliability.
• Good analytical and problem solving skills.
• Ability to provide quality and timely support and services.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of MS office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and database packages.

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Experience within an UN agency or other international organization.
• Experience in the field of administrative and secretarial support.

LANGUAGES

• Knowledge (spoken and written) of French.
• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and/or Spanish).

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

UNESCO’s salaries consist of a basic salary and other benefits which may include if applicable: 30 days annual leave, family allowance, medical insurance, pension plan etc.

The approximate starting annual salary for this position is 31, 457 in TALA.

For full information on benefits and entitlements, please consult our Guide to Staff Benefits.

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