Administration Officer Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG)

The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) is an independent, non-profit making organisation with a mandate to provide cutting edge research on governance and public ethics issues and, monitor governance fundamentals in both the government and the private sector.

AfriCOG's governance and anti-corruption reform initiative are aimed at addressing the structural causes of Kenya's governance crisis by a knowledgeable citizenry.

AfriCOG seeks to recruit an Administration Officer as below;

Job Title: Administration Officer

Department: Finance and Administration

Contract Period: Short term period of 6 months renewable based on performance

Main purpose of position

The main purpose of this position is to effectively and efficiently provide the smooth administrative functioning of AfriCOG, including office administration, programme administrative support, human resource administration, IT and personal assistance to the Executive Director.

You will also be responsible for making sure that the office is running smoothly and efficiently.

Reporting Relationships

• Direct reporting to the Executive Director as Personal Assistant
• Direct reporting to the Finance Manager on other duties
• Working relationship with AfriCOG program staff, associates and suppliers
• Supervision of subordinate staff

Job Requirements

This is a demanding job that will require among others, the following sets of skills and attributes:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to organise work and to prioritise demanding tasks
• Excellent interpersonal skills, maturity
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing work demands
• Trustworthiness, discretion, reliability and loyalty
• Self-motivation, and ability to work with minimum direction
• Good typing speed, ability to quickly understand information, numerical skills and creativity
• Software skills: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and MS Access

Detailed requirements:

1. Office administration

• All general office management tasks
• Creating, modifying and managing all administration files in the office
• Supplier procurement and correspondence
• Working with program staff to make sure office orders and deliveries are made on time
• Implementing a current and relevant record management system
• Stationery and supplies management and administration
• Petty cash custody and administration

2. Board communications

• Providing support to ED in ensuring regular and effective communications with Board of Directors
• Supporting ED ad F& A manager in timely organisation of Board meetings
• Support ED and F & A manager in timely organisation of annual members’ meetings
• Maintaining up-to date and accurate records and files of board meetings
• Supporting F& A Manager and ED in timely communications with company secretaries to ensure compliance with statutory requirements

3. Programme administrative support

• Ensuring timely correspondence between donors and programme staff
• Ensuring programme files are fully updated through close working relationship with relevant programme staff
• Ensuring supplies and request for programs are quickly attended to and provided
• Maintaining a program correspondence file

4. Human resource administration

• Managing personnel files
• Working with relevant officers to prepare and update staff and consultant contracts
• Initiating and maintaining staff appraisal documents
• Managing staff leave days and files
• Monitoring staff in/out times
• Providing administrative support to staff recruitment including ToR development, and assessments, inductions and orientations, secure and confidential management of all staff files and documentation

5. PA to the Executive Director

• Managing director’s travel, meetings and appointments
• Managing directors diary and contacts database
• Coordinating and ensuring orderly timely succession and administration of meetings
• Screening telephone calls and inquiries and handling them accordingly
• Dealing with correspondence, taking dictations and minutes and records for the same
• Producing documents, briefing papers, reports and presentations as may be required
• Creating and managing all files relating to director’s matters including correspondence file, personal file, salary deductions files, reports and meetings file etc.

Job Specification

The candidate should be a professional administrator, upwardly mobile (i. e. willing to invest in advancing their career) with commitment to social development, effective and efficient management and a strong team player.

Experience

• At least 3 years experience in administration and office management with excellent references
• Exposure to and genuine interest in the civil society sector

Minimum Qualification

• Graduate in Business Studies or related field
• Computer Literacy; especially MS Office Suite or similar
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili, excellent verbal and writing skills.

General eligibility

The post is open to Kenyan citizens. AfriCOG is an equal opportunity employer.

Application Procedure

Please send the following documents:

• Cover Letter indicating your current and expected pay
• Curriculum vitae with three professional referees
• List of your last three employers with their contact details

Deadline for applications: 17th October 2011

If you feel that you meet the criteria, please send your detailed CV to admin@africog.org on or before 17th October 2011.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.