Individual Consultancy Service – Project Administrative Assistant 106 views1 applications

Background

The African Union Inter African Bureau is a technical institution under the Department of DARBE whose mission is to provide leadership and integrated support services for the development of animal resources in Africa. AU-IBAR is mandated to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources (livestock, fisheries and wildlife) to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the Member State of the African Union. AU-IBAR accomplishes its mandate through supporting and empowering the African Union Member States and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). The Africa Blue Economy Strategy is endorsed at the highest political level of the continent. The Strategy incorporates key critical vectors for promoting blue economy development of the continent, including fisheries, aquaculture and ecosystem conservation; shipping, maritime safety and trade; climate change, environmental sustainability and ecotourism; sustainable energy and extractive mineral resources; governance, institutions and job creation.

The objective of the Africa Blue Economy Strategy (ABES) is to guide the development of an inclusive and sustainable blue economy that becomes a significant contributor to continental transformation and growth, through advancing knowledge on marine and aquatic biotechnology, environmental sustainability, marine ecosystem utilization, management and conservation and carbon sequestration, the growth of an Africa-wide shipping industry, the development of sea, river and lake transport, the management of fishing activities on these aquatic spaces, and the exploitation and beneficiation of deep sea mineral and other marine resources.

The African aquatic ecosystems inhabit living and non-living resources; however, the unsustainable exploitation of these resources are threatening the biodiversity, resources and environmental sustainability. Several factors are threatening aquatic biodiversity in Africa aquatic ecosystems. These include overexploitation of living species, pollutions from several sources (land-based municipal and agricultural activities), uncontrolled introduction of exotic species in aquaculture systems, effluents from mining activities. Consequently, important aquatic resources are becoming increasingly susceptible to both natural and artificial environmental changes. Thus, conservation strategies to protect and conserve aquatic life are necessary to maintain the balance of nature and support the availability of resources for future generations.

Consequently, AU-IBAR, with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), is implementing a 4-year project on “Conserving Aquatic Biodiversity in African Blue Economy’ whose overall objective of the project is to enhance the policy environment, regulatory frameworks and institutional capacities of AU member states and regional economic communities to sustainably utilize and conserve aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems.

The current phase of the Project expires in December 2025. However, AU-IBAR has received notification for extension of the Project by SIDA. The extension will have substantial inputs of administrative functions that would require fulltime administrative support.to ensure expedited and effective implementation of the Project.

The AU-lBAR’s administrative services provide a very important role in supporting projects’ implementation at AU-IBAR towards achieving the overall mandate of AU-IBAR through provision of critical administrative services (including through record keeping, maintaining constant communication and, engaging stakeholders, arranging meetings etc normally required for effective project management and implement. The extension phase entails numerous stakeholders’ consultation process, administrative and travel arrangements, liaising with procurement and finance unit, to ensure successful meeting outcomes, meetings, office arrangements and travels. The existing administrative staff are already overwhelmed by activities of other projects. In this case an administrative assistant is needed, dedicated to the functions of the project on ‘Conserving aquatic biodiversity in the African Blue Economy Context” Therefore, in order to support effective project implementation and management, the project made provision for the recruitment of a dedicated Administrative Assistant, in the extension phase, to assist the day to day administrative functions of the Project.

Objective

To overall objective of recruiting administrative assistant is to provide support to administrative activities of the project ‘Conserving Aquatic Biodiversity in African Blue Economy’.

Tasks

1. Organization and management: maintaining the office calendar of activities
2. Travel and conference arrangements: making hotel and travel bookings and preparing travel documents for the office staff, making budgets for workshops and meetings and sharing it with finance team and assist with the Organization of conferences, workshops and meetings (physical and zoom meetings)
3. To provide administrative support, drafting correspondences; support to production of meeting documents, reports, minutes and other documentations, dissemination to stakeholders and partners
4. Maintain inventory of key stakeholders of the project, liaising with relevant stakeholders, sector’s associations etc. with regards to specific assigned tasks
5. Filing and archives: maintaining accurate and tidy files, electronic filing and archiving system and filing indexes
6. Keep record of project staff contracts
7. As may be required, to support procurement activities, financial issues of the project working in close collaboration with the procurement and finance staff
8. Assisting in preparation of reports, presentations, tables, lists, statistics and diagrams
9. Monitoring completeness and timelines of documentation and inputs for the development of reports;
10. Follow-up on progress of studies outsourced to consultants (including Centres of Excellence) for timely delivery
11. Communication: dispatching and receiving mails (including emails and faxes), maintaining accurate records of all communication including all outgoing truck calls
12. Equipment: cooperating with the relevant services in AU-IBAR, assisting with the procurement of equipment, their maintenance and keeping the same in good working.
13. Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Duration

Six (6) months, renewable depending on availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

Remuneration

The monthly Salary Scale is fixed at AU Scale of GSA5-5 (Local); USD 1,888.08

Supervision

The successful candidate will work under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator who has the responsibility of approval of reports.

Requirements

Qualification

The successful candidate should have a Bachelors’ degree in Administration or related disciplines including procurement.

General Experience

The following experiences are required:

1. At least 2 years accumulated experience performing administrative and/or procurement functions at African Union institutions
2. Post-qualification working experience, including internship or consultancy in reputable AU organization or related functions (administrative services), as well as performing human resource related functions,
3. Evidence of working in multi-cultural environment in Africa
4. Working experience in AU member states and /or performing administrative functions for project related activities in AU member states in at least four regions of the continent.
5. Experiences in taking minutes and preparation of meeting reports.

Specific Experience

1. Experience in providing administrative support and procurement functions for donor funded projects, including multilateral organizations (e.g. EU) and country-level (e.g. Nordic countries) at AU-IBAR
2. Familiarization with African Stakeholders in the African blue economy sector including aquatic biodiversity, environment, fisheries, and aquaculture sector
3. Record of planning technical workshops and meetings involving stakeholders at continental, regional and national levels in Africa performing on issues of on blue economy or ocean governance, fisheries, aquaculture and their aquatic ecosystems.
4. Experience in conducting inventory or stock taking stock, issues relating to administration and procurement activities as well as maintaining database on relevant stakeholders in African blue economy sector.
5. Record of experience in liaising or communication with African stakeholders in the blue economy sector.

Other Essential Skills and Experience

1. Demonstrated knowledge and competence in administrative and clerical work is required
2. Able to work independently and in a team
3. Proficiency in at least two AU official languages
4. Computer skills: Microsoft Office, MS Word, Excel, PPT, Outlook.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the requirements and the evaluation grid below:

Criteria Scores (%)

Qualifications (20 marks)

Bachelor’s degree 15

Master’s degree 5

General Experience 20

Specific Experience 35

Female applicant 10

Other skills (publication, writing skills) 10

Proficiency in AU language 5