Role Purpose: As a key member of the Regional office team you will be the trusted partner of the Regional Director and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) on all administrative related matters.
The position provides high-level administrative support by handling information requests, and performing clerical functions such as organising travel, preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling meetings.
The Regional Executive Support Officer assists the RD and SLT and is responsible for correspondences and mailing, processing agreements; for sending and receiving pouches, booking hotels and air tickets, reserving conference room and facilities.
The RESO is the overall point of contact on support issues related broadly to communications issues within the East & Southern Africa Regional Office.
Scope of Role: Reports to: Regional Director, East and Southern Africa
Dimensions: Save the Children works in 12 countries in East and Southern Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) with a current staff complement of approximately 5500 staff and current expenditure of approximately $410 million each year
Staff directly reporting to this post: None
Key Areas of Accountability: Administrative support
Act as the primary administrative aide to the Regional Director, responsible for the day to day oversight of the Director’s activities
Provide a variety of administrative, coordination and logistics services in support of Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Regional Leadership Team (RLT)
Handles administrative routines of the Regional Director’s office; receives incoming telephone calls, letters, e-mail and messages
Makes appointments and schedules meetings with the Regional Director and updates the Regional Directors calendar
Manages Communication from the Regional Director and Senior Leadership Team to the Country offices.
Respond routine letters and general correspondences coming to the Regional Director’s Office
Compile expense reports ensuring expenses are approved in a timely matter
Ensures that stationery and other office supplies are available for the Regional Director office
Maintain up to date central files/documentation
Meeting coordination and support
Coordinates the Senior Staff member’s meetings and other workshops
Compiles meetingsworkshops documentation and provides background documents for the Regional Director
Tracks down visitor’s itinerary and send required visitor’s information, and arranges logistics and assists visitors in their visit schedule as required
Prepares the major events and visitors calendar, SMT-Out-of-Office notice and sends out the information to country offices
Liaison
Act as a coordinator and liaison between departments, programs and SCI partners
Facilitate the International staff work permit, visa process and other logistical support, ensuring visitors are well catered for
Makes travel arrangements and the required logistical arrangement for the Regional Director and the regional SLT
Skills and Behaviours (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:
Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
Creates a managerial environment to lead, enable and maintain our culture of child safeguarding
Ambition:
Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale
Collaboration:
Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work cross-culturally.
Creativity:
Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach
Integrity:
honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence
displays consistent excellent judgement
Qualifications and Experience
Minimum 5 years’ experience in general Administrative functions
Degree in Business Administration or equivalent qualification
Demonstrated ability to work in multi-cultural situations using a collaborative approach
Proven ability to handle challenging work load
Commitment to Save the Children values
Cross-cultural experience, understanding and sensitivity;
Excellent interpersonal and written and oral communication skills;
Computer literate, with high degree of proficiency and productivity;
Fluency in English is essential
Experienced in handling a wide range of administrative and executive support related tasks
Ability to work independently with little or no supervision
Exceptional organisation skills, with willingness to be flexible and enjoy the administrative challenges of supporting an office of diverse people and programs.
The ability to interact with staff (at all levels) in a fast paced environment
High level of professionalism and confidentiality
