Fairtrade Africa: Executive Assistant

FAIRTRADE AFRICA PURPOSE: To improve the socio-economic conditions of African producers through increased access to better trading conditions.
JOB PURPOSE: To perform administrative and logistics tasks in support of the Executive Director and to Executive Team and the Board to efficiently manage Fairtrade Africa.
REPORTING LINES:
Post holder reports to: Executive Director
Staff reporting to this post: None (sometimes volunteers)
BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY: none
DIMENSIONS:
 Plan and coordinate the Executive Director’s, Director of Programmes and the Board Chairman’s (the Directors’) schedules ensuring time is used as effectively as possible and deadlines achieved in a timely manner
 To provide secretarial and administrative support to the Director, organising all travel arrangements, including extensive international travel, and ensure smooth running of their offices
 To provide secretarial and administrative support to the Board of Directors, some Board subcommittees and Senior Management Team (SMT) away days ensure smooth running of meetings
 Liaise with team heads as appropriate in connection with SMT issues
 To arrange and organise meetings, including minute taking as required in relation to the above identified groups
 To ensure Directors have the information required to enable them to carry out their roles
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Administrative duties
To coordinate the forward planning of the Directors’ schedules ensuring that time is used as effectively as possible and deadlines achieved in a timely manner
 Coordinating the Directors’ diaries and work schedules, including forward planning of work
 Gathering and collating information for tasks initiated by the Directors
 Liaising with senior staff and external contacts on behalf of the Directors
 Arranging both national and international travel and organisation of producer visits
 Providing administrative assistance to Board of Directors including organising itineraries for partner Directors coming from outside Kenya.
Secretarial and logistical support:
To provide secretarial and administrative support to the Directors and ensure smooth running of their offices
 Filtering incoming mail, using initiative to answer and/or redirect correspondence where appropriate and prioritise items requiring input from the Directors
 Handling telephone enquiries, dealing with or referring to other staff matters not needing the Directors’ attention and acting as the public face/first point of contact for the executive team
 Ensuring the Directors are briefed and prepared for meetings
 Drafting, proof reading and editing straightforward letters, reports and other documents
 Making travel and accommodation arrangements for the Directors, other staff and guests as required, including extensive international travel, obtaining visas, checking travel health requirements and obtaining foreign currency whenever necessary
 Developing and maintaining efficient office systems eg. filing, databases
 Ensuring expenditure is in line with the FTA’s procedures, processing Directors expense claims, checking invoices prior to authorisation and coding expenditure to correct budget headings
Meeting and events support:
To arrange and organise meetings, including taking of minutes as required
 Planning and organising meetings, ensuring availability of meeting rooms, external venues, equipment, and materials as required
 Circulating notices of meetings, agendas, papers etc in good time to those attending
 Organising and minute taking for weekly staff meetings, some minute taking for Board and sub-committee meetings
 Arranging travel and accommodation for high level directors and members of the Board and assistance during their stay in Kenya
 Making catering arrangements for all above meetings and servicing refreshments
Information and basic research support
To collate information required to enable Directors to carry out their roles
 Assisting with project planning, monitoring schedules and ensuring sufficient time to meet important deadlines
 Supervision of volunteers
 Identifying and making contact with organisations and people on behalf of the Directors
 Collating information for drafting papers, speeches, and presentations as required
 Assisting with other projects such as events and involvement with other teams
SKILLS AND COMPETENCE: (E) Essential & (D) Desirable
 Experience of being a EA at Director level, undertaking full range of duties commensurate with the role including extensive diary and email management and travel arrangements (E)
 Experience of providing administrative support, including some minute taking, for Board and sub-committees (E)
 An organised and methodical approach and the ability to juggle competing priorities, both in terms of forward planning and reactive work in relation to unplanned occurrences (E)
 Excellent communication skills with the ability to create a positive impression of FTA in person, writing or by telephone (E)
 Discretion, tact and diplomacy (essential that the post holder maintains complete confidentiality of information disclosed at management or Board meetings etc) (E)
 Ability to write clear and concise letters, papers and reports for internal and external use (E)
 Experience of collating information to provide initial short briefing documents for the Directors (E)
 Able to organise and plan work on own initiative, as well as working with a variety of different people (E)
 Ability to perform well under pressure (E)
 Calm disposition, flexibility and proactive approach (E)
 Trustworthy and responsible (E)
 Experience of, and interest in, working for an NGO (E)
 Demonstrable skills in using MS Office applications especially Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint (E)
 Experience of being a EA to more than one person (D)
 Knowledge of Ethical Trade and Fairtrade in particular (D)
 Practical knowledge of French (D)
OTHERS:
This job description is intended as a guide and should not be viewed as an inflexible specification as it may be varied from time to time in the light of strategic developments following discussion with the post holder. The post holder will be expected to work to agreed objectives, which should facilitate achievements of the key responsibilities in accordance with the Performance Review Process.
APPLICATION:
Send applications to recruitments@fairtradeafrica.net by the 15th of February 2011. Please reference “FTA Executive Assistant” in the subject line. All applicants should state how they meet essential requirements of the post, with ALL the following: detailed CV, cover letter and salary history (current and last 2 jobs is applicable), email address, telephone contacts, current and expected remuneration package, names of three referees with contact details by 15th of February 2011.
Qualified applicants will be subjected to a background check as a condition of employment. The final hiring decision is anticipated end of January for a start date ASAP.
More Jobs and Vacancies in East Africa available here

East Africa Vacancies