DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the PAHO/WHO Representative, the incumbent is responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following assigned duties:

• Arrange appointments and maintain the PAHO/WHO Representative’s calendar, receive visitors, place and answer telephone calls, handle confidential and sensitive matters with great discretion; prepare agendas and other material for the Representative for use on official trips or special meetings;
• Handle matters of protocol; make arrangements for meetings with high-ranking officials and coordinate meetings organized by the Representative; assist in administrative issues relating to national institutions, host governments interacting with the PAHO/WHO Representative; maintain up-to-date lists of names, addresses and telephone numbers of Ministers, Government Officials, members of the Diplomatic Corps and any other institutions which have contact with the PAHO/WHO Office in the country;
• Review all incoming correspondence which require action by the Representative; review for substance, identify urgent matters and ensure that these are handled expeditiously; determine which can be answered by specific Office personnel; gather necessary background documentation for correspondence requiring action by the Representative; make recommendations regarding the appropriate action to be taken; monitor to ensure that deadlines for responses are met; follow up with various Office personnel and other organizational components on the submission of reports and correspondence;
• Prepare correspondence, reports, email, etc. from general instructions and on own initiative; follow up on pending matters and handle confidential material; type and process correspondence, presentations, reports and other documents involving the use of technical terminology using standard office computer software;
• Review all outgoing correspondence requiring the signature of the Representative; proofread for style, punctuation, grammar, spelling and adherence to the Organization’s standards and policies; recommend revisions to correspondence and other documents to ensure that they are clear and accurate in content;
• Assist in the preparation of technical presentations, technical reports and articles by reviewing, correcting and/or rewriting texts to improve clarity, conciseness and coherence; prepare and verify the content of tables, graphs, and charts; follow up with staff under the Representative on the submission of reports and correspondence in order to meet established deadlines;
• Coordinate the secretarial services of the Office, distributing special assignments to other secretaries; review all outgoing correspondence to ensure accuracy, correct spelling and punctuation and ensure conformance to established practices and procedures; brief and train new administrative support staff and provide guidance on office procedures;
• Establish and maintain electronic files and controlled reference material; maintain the confidential files; search files and compile pertinent information as required;
• Perform other administrative functions such as: compile background data for preparation of correspondence and/or reports; follow- up on the submission of reports; assemble correspondence for mailing; incoming correspondence and route it to the corresponding staff;
• Organize the PWR's travel plans and make necessary arrangements, including obtaining airline tickets, required visas, hotel reservations, assist with spend authorizations and expense reports; prepare and assemble background materials required by the PWR for duty travel;
• Ensure that the process for the preparation of staff members’ yearly performance planning and evaluation is completed, including the scheduling of meetings with the PWR;
• Participate in administrative and technical staff meetings; prepare "aide-memoires" of resolutions as well as distribute them to participants; follow up the actions to be taken;
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: Certificate of completion of high school.

Desirable: Training in business administration would be an asset.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.
• WHO, only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Experience:

Essential: Six years of general office or administrative work experience, including supervisory responsibilities.

Desirable: Administrative experience working in an international environment -including frequent interaction with high level government, executive and other officials- would be considered an asset.

Languages:

• Very good knowledge of Portuguese and English. Knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.

Source:https://careers.who.int/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=2102330&tz=GMT%2B05%3A30&tzname=Asia%2FCalcutta