The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:    Administrative Assistant  

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: USAID / Uganda, Kampala, Uganda

Salary Range: UGX 50,500,012 – 73,751,394 per annum equivalent to FSN-07

Reports to: Office Director

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years.  Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda.  The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Peace Corps

Job Summary:  The Administrative Assistant serves as the principal administrative support person for the Office Director and reports to him/her directly and/or his/her designee, operating independently to ensure that administrative functions are performed effectively, efficiently, and in a manner that promotes harmony and problem-solving, ensuring other Office staff members may be more effective. The Administrative Assistant is the primary contact person responsible for Office customer service to internal and external partners and other stakeholders, including Mission staff, contractors and grantees and potential contractors and grantees, Implementing Partners (IPs), host-government officials, the Embassy, USAID/Washington, and other customers. In this capacity, the Administrative Assistant is responsible for coordinating information about the Office and making sure that information gets to customers on a timely basis and in a professional manner.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:  

• The Administrative Assistant receives and places phone calls, sends and receives e-mail and faxes, and sets up meetings and makes appointments at the request of the supervisor and other Office staff with Mission, Host Government, Implementing Partners (IPs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), donor organizations, private-sector, and other contacts; arranges transportation, as needed; and takes minutes when requested.
• The Administrative Assistant schedules appointments based on a good knowledge of the Office Director’s commitments and maintains the Office calendar, reminding the supervisor and others of meetings and appointments.
• The Administrative Assistant takes messages in the absence of the Office Director and other staff, directing callers to other staff members, or answering questions personally; prepares visitor access requests, receives and assists visitors, answers questions, or directs them to a staff member who can assist them; schedules meetings for the Office Director, and ensures that attendees are briefed or provided proper background material for meetings; and, participates in arranging for conference/meeting room space as required by the size of the group and maintaining conference/meeting room schedules, in coordination with other Mission administrative staff.
• The Administrative Assistant meets with other Mission support staff on a regular and recurring basis to update and improve standard operating processes.
• The Administrative Assistant maintains control of correspondence for the Office, including program/project/activity files provided by Contracting/Agreement Officer’s Representatives (CORs/AORs) and other Specialists, establishing and maintaining computerized tracking systems to track Office actions, providing weekly reports to the Office Director, receiving and screening Office mail not addressed to a particular individual, drafting responses to routine correspondence and letters, distributing incoming official mail to Office personnel and attaching pertinent background material, and searching files and records to assemble background information for correspondence and other pending actions.
• The Administrative Assistant reviews outgoing mail for proper address, routing, attachments, etc., prior to dispatch, reviewing outgoing correspondence for accuracy and conformance with Mission formatting procedures and special instructions.
• The Administrative Assistant distributes internal policies and procedures and, as necessary, maintains a tracking system of when staff received new policies and/or procedures.
• The Administrative Assistant establishes and maintains files according to standards set by the Mission Correspondence and Records (C&R) Technician/Supervisor in the Executive Office (EXO) and by USAID/Washington, marks correspondence and other documents for filing, and files accordingly.
• Reviews all correspondence prepared in the Office or elsewhere for the supervisor’s signature, corrects errors by drafters and edits correspondence, and ensures that responding correspondence meets requirements posed by incoming correspondence to which it pertains.
• The Administrative Assistant maintains and updates handbooks, operating procedures, and other documents, such as visitors’ lists, telephone listings, personnel rosters, and leave, travel, and training schedules.
• The Administrative Assistant uses computer and web-based word processing, spreadsheets, and software applications in the performance of a variety of assignments.
• The Administrative Assistant drafts electronic country clearances (cCCs); reports time and attendance; assists incoming personnel with check-in procedures and departing personnel with checkout procedures; prepares travel requests for the Office staff for official travel.
• The Administrative Assistant types a variety of correspondence, creates electronic trackers, develops charts, and prepares other documents in draft and final form, proof-reading for format and consistency with standard formatting requirements prior to submitting for signature.
• As required, the Administrative Assistant tracks and manages documents in clearance with the Program Office, including locating documents routed for clearance, and obtaining and tracking clearances and signatures.
• As required by workload, the Administrative Assistant may be assigned to the Front Office, or assigned to support other office Administrative Assistants, during the absence of the job holder.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the USAID Administrative Assistant job should have two or more years of post-secondary schooling in Secretarial Science or Business Administration, or other related field equivalent to a US junior college or community college diploma, is required.
• A minimum of three years of administrative or secretarial work experience, of which two years should be in related work with a U.S. Government Agency, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), other donor organizations, host-government organizations, or private-sector institutions is required.
• The Administrative Assistant should be familiar, or able to quickly become familiar with the responsibilities and activities of the Office of assignment, as well as possess a general knowledge of standard office procedures and practices.
• The Administrative Assistant should have the ability to develop an excellent understanding of USG file management, mail handling, and correspondence formatting.
• The Administrative Assistant should display strong interpersonal skills, flexibility and ability to work creatively with a variety of colleagues.
• The Administrative Assistant must be proficient in keyboarding and in operating computers with standard software, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other software programs as designated.
• The Administrative Assistant must be proficient in using the Internet and E-mail.
• The Administrative Assistant should possess a strong work ethic, the ability to prioritize tasks effectively in a fast-paced environment and produce high-quality work.
• Language Proficiency: Level 4 (advanced professional proficiency) English and local language proficiency (if appropriate), both oral and written, is required.

How to Apply:

Offers must be submitted as detailed in Section IV of the solicitation document and shall include:

• A typed and signed (hand or electronic signature) (around Section 6 – Declaration) DS-174 Employment Application for Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds174.pdf; Version Exp. 06/2022).
• Cover letter (addressed to the USAID Supervisory Executive Officer) clearly indicating the position for which you are applying and describing how you meet the minimum requirements.
• Completed curriculum vitae/resume as detailed in the solicitation document.
• Supplemental [separate] document specifically addressing each QRF as outlined in the solicitation.
• Copies of Academic Transcripts

All offers must be e-mailed to: kampalausaidjobs@usaid.gov

Offers should be in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). No other file types will be accepted. All documents should be scanned into one (1) document (one (1) ATTACHMENT) which should not exceed 10MB.

NB: Only electronic submissions will be accepted and only short listed offerors will be contacted.

Deadline: 4^th October 2022

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline

Related Jobs