Jobs at International Union for Conservation of Nature
About International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN has evolved into the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its 1,300 Member organisations and the input of some 16,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. Our experts are organised into six commissions dedicated to species survival, environmental law, protected areas, social and economic policy, ecosystem management, and education and communication. The ability to convene diverse stakeholders and provide the latest science, objective recommendations and on-the-ground expertise drives IUCN’s mission of informing and empowering conservation efforts worldwide. We provide a neutral forum in which governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples groups, faith-based organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges. By facilitating these solutions, IUCN provides governments and institutions at all levels with the impetus to achieve universal goals, including on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development, which IUCN was instrumental in defining. Combined, our knowledge base and diverse membership make IUCN an incubator and trusted repository of best practices, conservation tools, and international guidelines and standards. As the only environmental organisation with official United Nations Observer Status, IUCN ensures that nature conservation has a voice at the highest level of international governance. IUCN’s expertise and extensive network provide a solid foundation for a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects around the world. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. They also produce a wealth of data and information which feeds into IUCN’s analytical capacity. Through their affiliation with IUCN, Member organisations are part of a democratic process, voting Resolutions which drive the global conservation agenda. They meet every four years at the IUCN World Conservation Congress to set priorities and agree on the Union’s work programme. IUCN congresses have produced several key international environmental agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the World Heritage Convention, and the Ramsar Convention on wetlands. We continue to help these conventions strengthen and evolve so that they can respond to emerging challenges. Our Member organisations are represented by the IUCN Council – the governing body. Headquartered in Switzerland, IUCN Secretariat comprises around 900 staff in more than 50 countries. Our vision A just world that values and conserves nature. Our mission Influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. Our history IUCN was founded in October 1948 as the International Union for the Protection of Nature (or IUPN) following an international conference in Fontainebleau, France. The organisation changed its name to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1956 with the acronym IUCN (or UICN in French and Spanish). This remains our full legal name to this day. Use of the name “World Conservation Union”, in conjunction with IUCN, began in 1990. From March 2008 this name is no longer commonly used.
Front Office and Administration Assistant, Regional Office, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office
MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: SPECIFIC DUTIES:
- Front Office Management;
- Switchboard management – handling and screening of all incoming calls and routing them to their proper recipients. Callers should be treated with courtesy and should not be kept on the line unnecessarily.
- As the 1st IUCN contact person both on phone and reception, receive IUCN visitors and politely advise them accordingly.
- Mail management- handling and distribution of incoming and outgoing mail (from/to the post office, hand deliveries to the office and with assigned couriers provide services to and from office for all staff in respect of local and international mail services.
- Front office equipment & stationery – ensure that the front office equipment (printers, photocopiers and scanners) are always in good working condition and loaded with paper.
- Front Office tidiness – maintain the reception area in a neat and organized manner, and ensure display of current IUCN publications at the front office desk.
- General Office Administration Support;
- General management support to Administration, HR and Finance Department.
- Typing and formatting of miscellaneous jobs e.g. various accounts forms, duty/tax free forms and other documents whenever requested.
- Documents management – filling documents at the central filing, retrieving and archiving of correspondences.
- Receiving incoming invoices – ensure that all incoming invoices, delivery notes are received, recorded and forwarded to finance department for final payment.
- Processing VAT exemption forms – ensure that all invoices attracting VAT amounts are duly processed in a timely manner and the same disseminated to Suppliers in good time.
- Rapporteur staff meetings- take record of fortnightly staff meetings and circulate minutes within the 1st week of the meeting.
- Specific Administrative Support – In liaison with the line manager, assist administration and programme staff by providing specific administrative support e.g. making calls, scanning documents, photocopying, organizing meetings and events, making appointments, arranging travel, visa, airport transfers and distributions of documents.
- Support daily management of the Wasaa Campus on security and general maintenance
- Protocol Management Assistance;
- Support in processing of new and existing expatriate employee work permits. Support in Installation, relocation and expatriation of expatriate staff.
- Support in preparing, submitting and follow up on work permit application forms for expatriate staff and their dependents for issuance of re-entry passes.
- Support in preparing, submitting and follow up notifications of arrival/departure forms for all expatriate staff and dependants (18-21 years) for issuance of government identification passes.
- Prepares, submits and follows up PRO 1B forms for duty free purchases.
- Prepares, submits and follows up vehicle registration and de-registration forms for issuance of relevant plates.
- Obtains PIN certificates for all newly hired expat staff.
- Prepares, submits and follows up application for VAT exemptions for both IUCN and exempt staff on a monthly basis.
- Any Other Duties;
- Any other duties reasonably assigned by the supervisor.
REQUIREMENTS
POSITION REQUIREMENTS: Education;
- Diploma in Business Administration from recognized institution
- A Degree in Business Administration will be an added advantage.
- High proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc) and Internet Use
Work Experience;
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in office management preferably in an International Organization or NGO environment.
- Language Proficiency;
- A high level of proficiency in oral and written communication in English and Kiswahili is required. (Another IUCN Language would be an added advantage esp. French)
- Functional competencies;
- Adheres to IUCN ESARO Core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and Accountability;
- Excellent Communication skills;
- Highly motivated and results-oriented individual;
- Demonstrated ability to work with limited supervision to prioritize tasking and manage workflow in a high-pressure environment;
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong team player with proven communication and diplomacy with the ability to work effectively with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
- Committed to continuous learning and proactive and mature attitude towards self-development;
Core Competencies;
- Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of IUCN in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.
- Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provides a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
- Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.
- Accountability: Takes responsibility of individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN One Programme approach.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to International Union for Conservation of Nature on hrms.iucn.org to apply