Assistant To The Director Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

In accordance with paragraph f. of Article 44 of the General Standards, the official languages of the Organization are English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. No candidate for a position in the General Secretariat subject to the competition requirement shall be contracted until he/she has been administered language proficiency exams by the DHR in at least two of the official languages. Nevertheless:

(i)Any candidate, including a staff member, whose native language is one of those four languages shall only be required to demonstrate proficiency on an exam in one of the others; and

(ii)Persons applying for G-1 and G-2 positions at Headquarters and G-3 driver/clerk positions in those Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States where the language requirement unduly restricts the recruitment of otherwise qualified staff shall be exempt from this language proficiency requirement for as long as they occupy those positions. Subsequently, in order to be eligible to compete for a higher-level position, any staff member who has benefited from this exemption must demonstrate proficiency in a second official language of the Organization; and

(iii) A person selected as the best candidate may receive a fixed-term contract, which will be considered to have lapsed in case the person does not pass the required language examination in a second official language within the 36 months following the appointment.
(iv) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, a candidate for a position in the General Secretariat shall demonstrate proficiency in at least one official language of the Organization.

(v) During all steps of the recruitment and selection process, the application of language requirements shall be guided by the principles of merit, equitable geographic representation, proportionality, and non-discrimination. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.

(vi) Persons applying for positions in the Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States shall demonstrate proficiency in the official language(s) of the Member State.

(vii) When the native language of the candidate is not one of the four official languages of the Organization, the candidate shall be required to sit a proficiency examination administered by the DHR in at least two of the official languages.

The salary for this position corresponds to Grade G06, Step 1, in accordance with Staff Rule 103.3 Initial Salary:

(a) A staff member on initial appointment shall be placed in the first step of the grade of post, without exemption.

(b) This rule does not apply to a staff member who is already employed by the General Secretariat and is selected, promoted, demoted, reassigned, or otherwise transferred to a different post. In such cases, salary shall be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of these Staff Rules.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
This is a highly skilled, semi-professional work in administrative, technical and program functions. Note: these responsibilities and expected results are standardized, and are not necessarily performed by all staff members sharing this job title):

Take full responsibility for the efficient organization and functioning of the office of the Secretary / Director, including, but not limited to, the implementation of the GS/OAS administrative rules and regulations, procedures and practices.
Provide administrative and technical support in connection with the Department's legal work, including organizing and maintaining legal files and reference materials; compiling applicable instruments, precedents and background documentation; tracking legal consultations and deadlines; and preparing documents for review by the Department's attorneys.
Provide information based on background material(s), instructions, policies, applicable legal and administrative instruments, and precedents, researching and including legal and institutional background documentation in anticipation of the Secretary / Director's questions and information needs, identifying and highlighting issues in legal and administrative documents requiring action by the supervisor and/or other staff in the area of work.
Advise the Secretary / Director on personnel-related problems and, within the delegated authority, propose solutions; and draft confidential correspondence relating to staff matters on own initiative or on the basis of information received.
Compile data and statistics, legal references and other background information to build comprehensive internal communication and information presentations, reports and fact sheets for the Secretary / Director.
Closely monitor the supervisor's email, preparing responses and taking action where necessary on own initiative (within the delegated authority and in accordance with the guidelines from the supervisor), exercising discretion and maintaining confidentiality.
Process briefing and legal documentation requests, which includes, but is not limited to, maintaining records and following up on deadlines; collecting information from teams, other secretariats, departments and offices; checking legal and administrative documentation for completeness and editing documents when as necessary; timely submission to the supervisor's clearance/signature.
On own initiative, draft or prepare correspondence in final version on administrative and routine legal matters, based on instructions, established precedents and templates, and check correspondence submitted for the supervisor's clearance/signature, checking such for consistency, accuracy and compliance with the GS/OAS rules and presentation standards, editing or returning such to originators, when necessary.
Coordinate the daily agenda of the supervisor, including, but not limited to, dealing with requests for appointments and meetings, making travel arrangements, and preparing or ensuring that briefing and legal files and documentation are available and complete, including relevant background documentation, applicable instruments and precedents, and requesting missing information, as required.
In the absence of the supervisor, ensure the smooth running of the office by briefing the acting staff member in charge on ongoing issues and problems.
Convene and coordinate weekly staff meetings and ad hoc meetings, including the preparation and circulation of agenda with background information, drafting minutes, as appropriate, participate in projects and meetings.
Develop and maintain a series of lists, namely absences (missions and leave), focal points on specific issues within and outside the Secretariat/Department, and those meetings, events, etc. of interest to the area of work.
Actively engage the Performance Evaluation System: Establishing work expectations with the direct supervisor by defining individual annual objectives in ongoing performance conversations and making sure to have a formal performance evaluation meeting.
Perform notarial and related document-certification functions in support of the Department's work, as required and within the scope of the applicable authorization.
Perform other related duties as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Essential: High school or technical/commercial training in the administrative field and seven years of relevant experience OR advanced training and five years of relevant experience.

Desirable: Experience providing administrative or technical support in a legal department, law firm, international organization, governmental institution, or similar professional environment; familiarity with legal terminology, legal documentation, and document-management practices; training or coursework in legal studies, paralegal studies, public administration, international relations, or a related field; notarial certification or eligibility to obtain such certification; and experience or knowledge of OAS mandates and priorities and/or.the Inter-American agenda and system.

COMPUTER SKILLS: Ability to effectively work using Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other applications such as Oracle, Visio, Access, Share Point) and software applicable to the area of work.

LANGUAGES:

Essential: Proficient in at least two of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (read, write and communicate). The selected candidate must satisfy the applicable language-proficiency examination requirements under Article 44(f) of the General Standards, including passing the required DHR-administered examination in a second official language within the applicable timeframe. The lack of proficiency in a second language should not be grounds for elimination during the recruitment and selection process.

Desirable - Working knowledge of other two OAS official languages.

Interpersonal Skills: Client Orientation, Knowledge Sharing, Teamwork, Interpersonal Skills. Ability to clearly communicate in the languages required for the post.

The GS/OAS embraces equality, diversity and inclusion. Accordingly, in accordance with its rules and regulations, the GS/OAS is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and achieving a diverse staff. In selecting candidates, it will take into account equitable geographic representation, as well as gender equity and equality.

Please note that the mandatory retirement age for staff members at the General Secretariat of the OAS is 65 years.