Overview
The Senior Executive Associate provides procedural communications, operations, and administrative support services, as well as specialized administrative functions, to enhance the smooth running of the supervisor’s day-to-day activities and section. The role also represents the supervisor in initiating, following up on, and resolving issues pertaining to administrative requests.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails, and telephone calls on behalf of the supervisor.
- Communicate sensitive information to higher-level managers.
- Provide routine information pertaining to the work of the division/office.
- Draft responses to written inquiries on routine questions.
- Coordinate responses to sensitive inquiries.
- Follow up on established deadlines and ensure timely submissions by staff of reports, correspondence, and other documents.
- Provide high-level administrative and strategic support with a focus on managing complex protocol-related functions.
- Liaise with Executive Office of the President, MoFA, Senior Government offices, and development partners.
- Coordinate high-level official visits, courtesy calls, and bilateral or multilateral engagements.
- Secure clearances, manage official correspondence, and align schedules across multiple institutions.
- Ensure adherence to national and UN protocol standards.
- Anticipate protocol sensitivities, resolve scheduling conflicts, and brief senior leadership on protocol considerations.
- Maintain diplomatic relations with protocol departments, State House, line ministries, and county governments.
- Coordinate official engagements, high-level meetings, and correspondence.
- Liaise with other UN agencies and the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO).
- Maintain the supervisor’s calendar and arrange meetings.
- Organize official travel on behalf of the supervisor.
- Prepare briefing materials for official trips or meetings.
- Prepare documentation for the supervisor’s signature, reviewing for style, factual, and grammatical accuracy.
- Support capacity development activities and conferences by making logistical arrangements.
- Maintain and update a system monitoring staff absence.
- Support management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating inventory.
- Provide support on budget revision/preparation, implementation status, funding utilization, and financial closure.
- Monitor budgets and financial expenditures, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations.
- Prepare and maintain records, documents, and control plans for project/programme implementation monitoring.
- Carry out transactions in VISION pertaining to grants, such as registering grant allotments and tracking expiring programme grants.
- Guide managers in the process of PCA/SSAs.
- Facilitate the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners.
- Maintain up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters.
Required Experience
- A minimum of six years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required.
- Training and experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint.
- Knowledge of integrated management information systems required.
- Thorough knowledge of UNICEF’s organizational structure, administrative policies and procedures.
- Organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities.
- Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with visitors.
- High sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.
- Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
- Ability to work in a team environment to achieve common goals and to provide guidance to more junior support staff.
Qualifications
- Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
- A bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position may replace three years of related work experience. A master’s degree may replace an additional two years.
