Administrative Assistant II

JOB DESCRIPTION Position: Bilingual Administrative Assistant - Must have experience at PAHO Status: Full-Time Hours: Contract Position, 5 days per week, from 8:30-5:30 with hybrid office/telework *Must speak fluent Spanish and English* ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION This organization is a specialized international health agency working with countries throughout the Americas to improve and protect people’s health. It is an extremely welcoming and positive work environment which allows some days of telework from home and some days of working in the office on-site in DC. Very metro accessible. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS $23/hr Career Opportunity with reputable international organization Hybrid Role (Partially remote telework from home) Paid Sick Time Paid Vacation Health insurance, medical and dental Free FinFit Financial Wellness Benefit Free Personal Financial Training Library Benefit Shopping Discount Program, Workplace Advantage Employee Assistance Program Counseling Legal & Financial Consultations Pharmacy Discount Card ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Summary of Responsibilities Perform administrative support functions; provide direct administrative support to the Unit Chief and Advisors; coordinate the Unit Chief’s agenda; maintain calendar of appointments and deadlines; assist in coordinating the overall administrative support functions within the Unit; Prepare routine correspondence in English and Spanish; draft articles, reports, technical documents, charts, and a variety of correspondence involving the use of technical terminology to ensure accuracy and conformance to PAHO style; prepare agendas and other material for use on official trips or special meetings; Review all incoming correspondence which require action by the Unit Chief; identify urgent matters, and ensure that these are handled expeditiously, determining which can be answered by specific Office personnel; gather necessary background documentation for correspondence requiring action; make recommendations regarding the appropriate action to be taken; monitor to ensure that deadlines for responses are met; follow up with various personnel in the office for the submission of reports and formulation of correspondence; Assist in the preparation of technical presentations, technical reports and articles by formatting and reviewing to improve clarity, conciseness and coherence; Serve as liaison regarding logistical and operational processes and activities within the Unit; communicate procedures to be followed for meetings of Technical Initiatives, Advisory Committees, etc.; Prepare correspondence on own initiative or from verbal instructions for signature; prepare draft translations of correspondence and other materials from English into Spanish and vice versa; Review all outgoing correspondence requiring the official signature; 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; Provide administrative support in the preparation of regional meetings, courses, seminars and virtual meetings, including the preparation of budget estimates on costs of personnel and participants travel; monitor the operational aspects involved in the organization of these activities such as local conference expenses and other financial needs; prepare correspondence and documentation as needed; Brief and train new staff on administrative procedures and practices and provide guidance, as required; Establish and maintain electronic files and controlled reference material; conduct research of files, reports, and other sources to obtain material requested and when necessary, compile summaries; Support the budgetary execution and the project’s financial resources in the corporate information system and any other databases for reporting needs, in coordination with advisors and project officers; Assist in organizing travel arrangements for the department and support advisors and contingent workers when needed by obtaining concurrence, airline tickets, security clearance; gather and validate relevant background information for duty travel; assist with all necessary processes in PMIS, including spend authorization, purchase of airline tickets and expense reports; Provide coverage for other team members; Perform other related duties as assigned. Key Behavioral Competencie Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts. Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others / Deal effectively with conflicts: Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve results; encourages cooperation and builds rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the teams' successes and shortcomings. Identifies conflicts in a timely manner and addresses them as necessary; understands issues from the perspective of others; does not interpret/ attribute conflicts to cultural, geographical or gender issues. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relate well with diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity: Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity. Communication: Express oneself clearly when speaking / Write effectively / Share knowledge: Quality and quantity of communication targeted at audience. Listens attentively and does not interrupt other speakers. Adapts communication style and written content to ensure they are appropriately and accurately understood by the audience (e.g., power‑point presentations, communication strategies, implementation plans). Shares information openly with colleagues and transfers knowledge, as needed. Knowing and managing yourself: Remain productive / Manage stress / Continuously learn: Remains productive even in an environment where information or direction is not available, and when facing challenges; recovers quickly from setbacks, where necessary. Manages stress positively; remains positive and productive even under pressure; does not transfer stress to others. Seeks informal and/or formal learning opportunities for personal and professional development; systematically learns new competencies and skills useful for job; takes advantage of learning opportunities to fill competencies and skill gaps. Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently / Deliver quality results / Take responsibility: Prioritizes work and makes planning/Organizational adjustments as necessary; seeks clarification from supervisor on timelines, as needed. Uses feedback and inputs from supervisor to achieve results. Produces quality results and has frequent discussions with supervisor to achieve results. Is action‑oriented and sees tasks through to completion. Shows understanding of own role and responsibilities in relation to expected results. Solicits and accepts direction and guidance from supervisor and team members and takes responsibility for own work and actions, as appropriate. Technical Expertise Proficiency in the use of computer software in accordance with assigned responsibilities and established standards. Ability to write/originate routine and non‑routine correspondence and reports in English and Spanish. Ability to prepare working translations. Ability to plan, organize, coordinate and carry out administrative processes such as: meetings, recruitment of staff, personnel matters, preparation of formal publications, budget and expenditures records and acquisition of supplies. Ability to research, analyze and organize information in order to prepare charts, graphics, reports, etc. Ability to coordinate, monitor and control administrative services affecting several projects and involving the allocation of work, developing/adjusting operational procedures, evaluating priorities and coordinating and supporting internal day‑to‑day activities, etc. Education (Qualifications) Essential: Certificate of completion of high school. Desirable: Formal training as an administrative assistant would be an asset. Experience Essential: Five years of administrative work. Desirable: Two years of experience in an international organization would be an asset. Languages Very good knowledge of English and Spanish. IT Skills Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). Other IT skills and knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and Word are considered essential. #J-18808-Ljbffr