OFFICE ASSISTANT (M/W) – Expertise France in Liberia

Mission description

OBJECTIVES:

The Overall Objective is to contribute to increase the competitiveness, inclusivity and environmental sustainability of Cassava, Fisheries and aquaculture and wood processing value chains for enhanced decent job creation, economic growth, and competitiveness of Liberian MSMEs. The Action is aimed at addressing structural barriers to decent work opportunities for all Liberians, including Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), thereby facilitating their active involvement and contribution to Liberia’s Labour market. The Specific Objective (outcome) aims to ensure that MSMEs, with a focus on enterprises owned by women, youth and persons with disabilities, within the three targeted value chains increase their productivity and production quality so they can offer decent and inclusive job conditions while committing to environmental sustainability standards.

INTERVENTION’S STRATEGIES:

The Action will focus on the two main areas of intervention and the related challenges: private sector development and value chain development (Cassava, Aquaculture and Wood processing).

The Action is financed by the European Union and will be co-implemented by Expertise France and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Under the supervision of the Head of Operations / Support Functions Manager, the Office Assistant contributes to the smooth daily administrative and logistical functioning of Expertise France’s Liberia Country Office.

The Office Assistant is responsible in particular for:

–          Ensure collection and transmission of timesheets of local staff

–          Welcoming and directing visitors;

–          Receiving, registering, issuing and distributing incoming and outgoing correspondence;

–          Providing general administrative and secretarial support;

–          Monitoring visa and residence formalities for international staff;

–          Compiling and administratively tracking staff leave;

–          Managing office supplies and consumable stocks;

–          Organising and administratively monitoring international duty travel;

–          Supporting the organisation of meetings, training sessions, workshops and events.

The Office Assistant provides reliable, courteous, organised and responsive support, in compliance with Expertise France’s internal procedures, internal-control requirements, confidentiality rules and applicable Liberian regulations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Reception and orientation of visitors

The Office Assistant shall:

• Welcome visitors to the office in a courteous and professional manner;
• Identify visitors and confirm the purpose of their visit;
• Direct visitors to the appropriate staff member, department or project;
• Inform staff members of their visitors’ arrival;
• Maintain an up-to-date visitors’ register;
• Ensure compliance with office access and security procedures;
• Coordinate with security personnel regarding access to the premises;
• Provide visitors with relevant general administrative information without disclosing confidential information;
• Ensure that the reception area and meeting rooms are clean, accessible and properly prepared;
• Immediately report any incident, unusual behaviour or access-related difficulty to the appropriate person.

Management of incoming and outgoing correspondence

The Office Assistant ensures the proper organisation, traceability, circulation and filing of administrative correspondence.

1. Incoming correspondence

The Office Assistant shall:

• Receive physical and electronic correspondence addressed to the office;
• Verify essential information, including the sender, recipient, subject, date and attachments;
• Apply a receipt stamp and date of receipt where required;
• Record each item in the incoming correspondence register;
• Scan received documents and save them in the appropriate electronic folder;
• Promptly distribute incoming correspondence to the relevant staff members or departments;
• Obtain proof of internal delivery or acknowledgement of receipt where required;
• Identify correspondence requiring a response or specific action;
• Monitor deadlines and issue reminders as necessary;
• File and archive original documents in accordance with the office filing plan.

1. Outgoing correspondence

The Office Assistant shall:

• Prepare and format correspondence for review and signature;
• Verify that all required attachments and approvals are included;
• Assign references to outgoing correspondence in accordance with the applicable numbering system;
• Record the recipient, subject, date of issue and method of transmission;
• Arrange dispatch by email, postal service, courier or hand delivery;
• Retain proof of dispatch, acknowledgements of receipt and transmission slips;
• Archive an electronic copy and, where required, a physical copy of all outgoing correspondence.

1. Required monitoring tools

The Office Assistant shall maintain:

• An incoming correspondence register;
• An outgoing correspondence register;
• A monitoring table for correspondence requiring a response or action;
• An organised physical and electronic filing and archiving system.

General secretarial and administrative support

The Office Assistant provides day-to-day administrative support to management and office teams.

The Office Assistant shall:

• Draft, format and proofread correspondence, notes, tables and administrative documents;
• Manage the line manager’s diary, appointments and meetings when requested;
• Prepare meeting rooms and required documentation;
• Prepare attendance lists and support the drafting of meeting minutes;
• Carry out photocopying, scanning, printing, binding and filing tasks;
• Update directories, contact lists and administrative monitoring tools;
• Maintain physical and electronic filing systems;
• Facilitate the circulation of administrative information between teams;
• Monitor administrative deadlines and report delays or bottlenecks;
• Support the preparation of meetings, missions, training sessions, workshops and events;
• Perform any other administrative duties reasonably related to the efficient operation of the office

Visa and administrative formalities for international staff

Under the supervision of the line manager and in coordination with the Human Resources function, the Office Assistant provides administrative support for visas, residence permits and other immigration formalities for international staff.

The Office Assistant shall:

• Inform international staff of the documents required for visa applications, renewals, residence permits and other applicable formalities;
• Collect the required documents and conduct a formal completeness check;
• Prepare forms, cover letters, certificates and administrative requests;
• Submit or transmit applications to the relevant authorities, embassies, consulates or authorised service providers;
• Monitor the progress of each application;
• Follow up with the relevant parties within appropriate timeframes;
• Regularly inform the staff member and their manager of the status of the application;
• Arrange for the secure collection and return of passports and official documents;
• Retain copies of supporting documents and submission receipts in a secure location;
• Anticipate expiry dates and issue renewal alerts sufficiently in advance;
• Immediately report any delay or risk that may affect an international staff member’s stay or travel;
• Maintain administrative liaison with the relevant Liberian authorities within the limits of the position’s responsibilities

Visa monitoring table

The Office Assistant shall maintain an up-to-date visa and residence permit monitoring table containing, at a minimum:

• Full name of the staff member;
• Nationality;
• Position and project;
• Type of visa or residence permit;
• Document number, where required;
• Date of entry into the country;
• Date of issue;
• Expiry date;
• Recommended date for initiating the renewal process;
• Application submission date;
• Application status;
• Missing documents;
• Responsible authority or service provider;
• Date of the latest follow-up;
• Date of issuance or collection;
• Comments and next actions.

Access to this monitoring table shall be restricted to authorised staff because it contains personal and sensitive information.

The Office Assistant is responsible for the administrative monitoring of applications but does not replace the competent authorities and cannot guarantee the issuance of visas or residence permits.

Compilation and administrative monitoring of staff leave

In support of the Human Resources function, the Office Assistant contributes to the compilation and administrative monitoring of staff leave.

The Office Assistant shall:

• Centralise duly completed leave requests;
• Verify that the required managerial approvals have been obtained;
• Forward requests to the HR focal point or authorised manager;
• Record approved leave in the relevant monitoring table;
• Update the shared leave and absence calendar;
• Compile planned absences to support team organisation and business continuity;
• Flag overlapping leave periods or potential gaps in operational coverage;
• File approved leave forms;
• Prepare periodic summaries for Human Resources and the line manager;
• Ensure the confidentiality of staff information.

The leave monitoring table should include:

• Full name;
• Position and project;
• Type of leave;
• Start date;
• End date;
• Number of days requested;
• Status of the request;
• Managerial approval;
• Leave balance communicated or validated by Human Resources;
• Return-to-work date;
• Comments.

The calculation and final validation of leave entitlements remain the responsibility of Human Resources or another authorised manager. The Office Assistant is responsible primarily for compilation, recording and administrative follow-up.

Management of office supplies and consumables

The Office Assistant ensures the availability, safekeeping and monitoring of office supplies and consumables.

The Office Assistant shall:

• Maintain a perpetual inventory of office supplies and consumables;
• Record all stock receipts and issues;
• Distribute office supplies to staff in accordance with applicable procedures;
• Conduct regular physical stock checks;
• Reconcile physical stock with recorded stock balances;
• Establish and monitor minimum reorder levels;
• Prepare purchase or replenishment requests for approval;
• Support the receipt of orders;
• Verify the quantities and condition of delivered items against purchase orders and delivery notes;
• Immediately report any discrepancy, loss, damage or stockout;
• Ensure that supplies are stored safely and in an orderly manner;
• Prepare a monthly report on consumption and replenishment requirements;
• Promote the economical and responsible use of office supplies.

Required stock-management documents

The Office Assistant shall maintain:

• An inventory card for each item;
• Goods received notes;
• Stock issue forms or registers;
• Monthly physical inventory records;
• Reorder-level monitoring tables;
• Monthly consumption reports.

Organisation and monitoring of international duty travel

Under the supervision of the Head of Operations / Support Functions Manager, and in coordination with Administration and Finance, Human Resources, Logistics, Procurement and Security, the Office Assistant supports the administrative and logistical preparation and monitoring of international duty travel.

All travel arrangements must comply with Expertise France’s procedures, security requirements, travel policy, available budgets and approval workflows.

Travel planning and opening of travel files

The Office Assistant shall:

• Receive the approved travel request;
• Collect the required information, including the traveller’s identity, purpose of travel, destination, itinerary, dates, project and cost centre;
• Verify that all required managerial, budgetary and security approvals have been obtained;
• Open a physical or electronic file for each duty trip;
• Record the duty trip in the consolidated travel monitoring table;
• Check visa, transit, passport-validity and entry requirements sufficiently in advance;
• Coordinate the schedule with the traveller, their manager, the project team and relevant support functions.

Preparation of travel authorisations

The Office Assistant shall:

• Prepare the draft travel authorisation or mission order using the applicable template;
• Verify the accuracy of information relating to the traveller, destination, dates and purpose of travel;
• Indicate the relevant project, cost centre, means of transport and conditions of coverage;
• Submit the document to the authorised managers for review and signature;
• Send the signed copy to the traveller, Finance and other relevant departments;
• Archive the signed travel authorisation in the travel file;
• Ensure that no official travel is committed without prior authorisation, except where a formally approved derogation applies.

Booking airline tickets

In accordance with procurement and travel procedures, the Office Assistant shall:

• Request itinerary and fare proposals from approved travel agencies or service providers;
• Compare options based on travel dates, cost, ticket flexibility, journey duration, number of connections, security considerations and baggage allowance;
• Prepare a comparison table where required;
• Submit the recommended option for approval before ticket issuance;
• Securely transmit accurate passport information to the service provider;
• Verify the ticket following issuance, including the traveller’s name, route, dates, times, authorised travel class and baggage allowance;
• Send the electronic ticket and itinerary to the traveller;
• Monitor changes, cancellations, credits and refunds;
• File quotations, approvals, tickets and invoices.

No ticket may be issued or modified where this results in additional expenditure without prior approval from the authorised manager.

Accommodation and local transport arrangements

The Office Assistant shall:

• Identify accommodation that complies with applicable budget ceilings and security requirements;
• Request and compare quotations where necessary;
• Book accommodation after approval;
• Verify dates, rates, taxes, cancellation conditions and included services;
• Reconfirm the booking before departure;
• Arrange, where applicable, transfers between the airport, hotel and duty location;
• Send the traveller the driver’s contact details, meeting point and other relevant information;
• File booking confirmations, quotations, invoices and approvals.

Visa, transit and travel formalities

The Office Assistant shall:

• Verify entry and transit visa requirements;
• Inform the traveller of the documents required and applicable deadlines;
• Prepare invitation letters, mission certificates and required application forms;
• Verify passport validity and the availability of the required blank pages;
• Submit and monitor the application where this falls within the position’s responsibilities;
• Record submission, follow-up and issuance dates in the monitoring table;
• Immediately alert the line manager of any delay or risk that could compromise the travel;
• Refer the traveller to the appropriate focal points for health, security or insurance matters.

Preparation and communication of the travel pack

Before departure, the Office Assistant shall compile and send the traveller a travel pack, including, as applicable:

1. Signed travel authorisation or mission order;
2. Electronic ticket and detailed itinerary;
3. Accommodation confirmation;
4. Copy of the visa or travel authorisation;
5. Contact details of the focal point at destination;
6. Information on airport transfers and local transport;
7. Emergency and security contact details;
8. Travel insurance, assistance and repatriation information;
9. Mission agenda, terms of reference or programme;
10. Instructions regarding allowances, advances and authorised expenditure;
11. Expense claim form;
12. List of supporting documents to be retained;
13. Instructions concerning the mission report or debriefing note.

The travel pack shall be sent sufficiently in advance of departure. The Office Assistant shall confirm receipt and ensure that any outstanding administrative matters are resolved or escalated.

Travel advances and expense claims

In coordination with Finance, the Office Assistant shall:

• Inform travellers of the applicable rules on travel expenditure, per diems and supporting documents;
• Prepare or centralise travel advance request forms;
• Verify that the signed travel authorisation is attached before submission to Finance;
• Submit requests within the applicable deadlines;
• Remind travellers to retain invoices, receipts, boarding passes and other supporting documents;
• Provide the expense claim form;
• Receive the completed expense claim upon the traveller’s return;
• Conduct a first-level administrative completeness check covering:

o   completeness of the form;

o   consistency of dates;

o   availability of supporting documents;

o   identification of the relevant project and cost centre;

o   the traveller’s signature;

• Identify missing documents or inconsistencies;
• Submit the complete file to Finance for review, approval, accounting and p