Fresher Administration Assistant NGO Job Opportunities – Plan International
Job Title: Administration Assistant (Fresher Jobs)
Organisation: Plan International
Duty Station: Uganda
Reports to: Procurement and Admin Coordinator
About US:
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 75 countries.
Job Summary: This role is primarily responsible for providing logistical support to the Programme Area Office. He/she will ensure that efficient and effective administrative routines are implemented.
The Administrative Assistant provides administrative support to staff and visitors in the Programme Area Office; the job holder interacts with key external stakeholders in the course of performing her/his duties as an Administrative Assistant at the front desk.
The Administrative Assistant is required to think ahead in order to envision the logistical and administrative details that are required for success – this can be around managing office supplies, utilities and stationery staff welfare organising maintenance of office equipment or ensuring that the front desk is staffed at all times. Good levels of proactivity are required.
This position is responsible for managing petty cash with a float limit of about Uganda Shillings 1,000,000 at any one time.
The Administrative Assistant needs to receive and process requests from visitors, ensuring that their needs are attended to, and also to anticipate the needs of staff for a conducive office environment.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Reception Service
- Manage an efficient and well-informed front desk; represent the PIU’s brand by ensuring that visitors and all incoming and outgoing communications are handled with maximum efficiency and professionalism:
- Ensuring that the visitor reception area, front desk and compound are clean, tidy and attractively arranged at all times
- Receive visitors and incoming communications cheerfully and efficiently; deal with any client, staff, visitor, and consultant requests, immediately if possible, referring to relevant personnel when necessary
- Receive incoming calls and place outgoing calls; handle incoming and outgoing correspondences
- Process courier deliveries, mail, receipt of clients, documents, and correspondence
- Develop and regularly maintain updated office telephone directories and telephone logs; Report and suggest solutions related to the improvement or malfunctioning of the switchboard
Facilities Management & Maintenance
- Manage the office facilities ensuring an appropriate standard of health, safety, security, and environment is maintained at all times:
- Ensure that all routine maintenance is carried out to keep facilities in a safe and attractive condition, liaising with service providers (e.g., electricians, carpenters, builders) to ensure that quality work is done
- Develop and implement a system for recording and responding swiftly to maintenance requests (giving priority to matters of safety), ensuring that the assets staff are using are safe and fully functional; participate in health and safety audits
- Support the Administration Manager with matters relating to staff safety and security.
- Monitor front office equipment (telephones, computer, seating) and ensure it is in good working order at all times (includes scheduling regular maintenance), follow up on payment of utility bills
- Manage the office first aid kit
- As requested by management, take responsibility for opening and closing the office; when closing, ensure that all doors and windows are shut and adequately secure
Administrative & Logistical Support
- Work in close collaboration with the Program Area Admin & Procurement Coordinators, provide logistical support necessary for timely completion of PIU’s projects:
- Liaise with the Program Area Admin & Procurement Coordinators to ensure that appropriate contracts/agreements are drawn up with vendors of office supplies or services (e.g., travel agents, cleaning services & hotels)
- Maintain good relationships with the vendors of office services; ensuring that PIU’s expectations are clearly communicated, met, and timely payments are made in return for administrative related services.
- Oversee the office supplies; ensuring that the correct levels of required supplies are kept in stock, re-ordering when necessary, and ensuring that supplies are kept secure and in good condition
- Prepare monthly inventory reports for office stationery and consumables for Administration Manager’s review before replenishments are done.
- Liaise with the finance department to ensure that payments are made to vendors
- Oversee an efficient store management system that ensures the availability of the appropriate store items for smooth office operations (office supplies & stationery) as and when required:
- Implement the stock control systems and procedures, aiming to make available necessary items for operation and keep an up-to-date inventory/ stores schedule detailing items on hand and location
Risk & Resource Management
- Ensure risk and resource management of the front desk, telephone communications and petty cash function in compliance with PIU’s policies and procedures:
- Work together with the Administration Manager to identify and manage all risks associated with reception
- Prepare for and support audits; ensure that any corrective actions relating to front desk management, telephone communications and executive office assistance are closed out in a timely manner
- Prepare and share reports concerning reception services and first instance communication, as requested by Human Resources
- Maintain reconciled Petty Cash Ledger by making entries into the ledger book to ensure that daily cash at hand reconciles with book balances
- Support the finance team with the timely payments of appropriately approved petty cash request
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant must hold a Higher diploma in Administration, Business, Education and/or a relevant field from a recognised university
- Two years of experience working areas of administration, operational support, and management, in relatively large organisations of similar complexity to PIU
- Takes responsibility for own performance and development: reflecting, seeking and listening to feedback, learning from mistakes, finding people or resources to help them learn, keeping knowledge and skills up to date.
- Good understanding of broad trends in the development and humanitarian sector and key external organisations relevant to PIU’s administration and operation.
- Good track record of planning and organising work effectively; managing time to deliver results against agreed priorities, objectives and quality requirements, to time and within budget.
- Good understanding of financial and procurement systems, with a good track record of complying with relevant procedures and controls.
- Good track record of responding positively to organisational change initiatives; demonstrated openness to new ideas and willingness to put learning into practice in the workplace.
- Good written and spoken communication skills, including in English, with an ability to effectively adjust content and presentation so as to connect with an audience.
- Good teamworking skills, including an ability to listen well to others, appreciate viewpoints, and respond positively to diversity.
- Track record and demonstrated experience in office management
- Experience in managing processes and analysing information
- Fully conversant with Microsoft Office package, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
- Good listening skills and an ability to empathise with, and anticipate, the needs of others
- Good customer service skills – willingness to go the extra mile and keen to deliver customer satisfaction
- Good communications and public relations skills; especially an ability to communicate clearly and assertively on occasion
- Good planning and organising skills, especially organising schedules for transport or maintenance
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested applicants apply online at the link below
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