Job: Program Assistant

Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Deadline: Thursday, 15 August 2013 

Description

Background / General description:

The MNAPC team, based in the Beirut Country Office consists of three Senior Procurement Specialist. This team has responsibilities over the World Bank Procurement work in CMU2 countries (Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Iran and Syria). The MNAPC Program Assistant will work under the daily operational supervision of the MNAPC team as a fully integrated member of the team providing ACS services to all team members.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 2 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The MNAPC Program Assistant areas of responsibility and specific tasks are defined as follows:

Area of Accountability 1: Administrative and Operational Support to MNAPC Team

This will include:

• Work on Procurement matters in the performance of the Bank's fiduciary and service functions, under guidance from procurement team as required;
• Follow up on procurement related activities externally with projects and internally with procurement department (complaints, pending activities, follow up requests, procurement plans, etc.);
• Develop/maintain/updating monitoring tools pertaining to:

(i) projects operations; and

(ii) MNAPC internal systems such as PS tracking and MNAPC dashboard;

• Process eConsult2 transactions in the Bank electronic system;
• Use procurement plans to quarterly monitor portfolio (planned v/s commitments);
• Maintain a coherent filing system ('ghost' for task team leaders (TTL) not based in Lebanon or final for TTL based in Lebanon) to include procurement preparation and contract management, correspondence, claims, reports, etc. The filing is in hard copy and electronic as well;
• Ensure that all projects documents are properly filed and referenced;
• Develop tools for capturing procurement data and identify progress towards the achievement of procurement schedules;
• Draft procurement letters in compliance with legal agreements and disseminate internally and externally;
• Verify eligibility of contractors with respect to black listing (debarred, and suspended) and other excluding lists (anti-money laundry, etc.);
• Enter contracts in the Bank system, when appropriate;
• Participate in country procurement assessments, prepare background analysis, and collaborate on public procurement efforts as required;
• ïAssist in the drafting and preparation of a range of procurement-related documents and reports; Report regularly and punctually on the status of work items, as required, using the provided systems;
• Provide training/support internally and externally in terms of filing, record keeping, correspondence, Client Connection, dgmarket, eConsult2, IRIS/WBDocs, etc. and other Bank information systems.
• Handling sponsored workshops/conferences/events/learning visits, all logistics and admin support related to: visas, travel, hotel accommodation, distribution of Per Diems, reserving conference facility, banqueting, interpretation, workshop material, recruitment of translators, and translation facilities such as boots as necessary, arranging for breaks and meals needed for the workshops, etc.;
• Translating short documents from English/Arabic and Arabic/English, relevant to the work of the team, such as reports, memos articles, etc; (Translation from and to French is of advantage).

Quality Control and Back Up Support for the MNSSD Team

This will include:

• Planning, organizing and executing logistics in support of the Project, AAA and TA cycles;
• Editing and formatting reports, memos and correspondences produced in English and Arabic;
• Conducting research, preparing and formatting tables and annexes, and managing the production process of LEN, SPN, ICRs, AAA and TA reports and any other written material;
• Accountable for the integrity of project, AAA and TA filing and information system (including procurement) in the country office. This includes ensuring that filing is organized and maintained.
• Being the information resource for external and internal clients on status of Work Program Agreement (including procurement, disbursement, accounting and audit, trust fund/co-financing, and legal issues);
• Monitoring of WPA budget, including trust funds, on behalf of the team and suggesting, where appropriate, ways to enhance work organization and effectiveness;
• Organizing and maintaining filing system in IRIS/WBDocs and updating SAP in conjunction with filing and archiving of AAA, LEN, SPN and ICR reports in a manner that ensure system meets annual audit requirement of the Country Office;
• Recording, disseminating and tracking of all correspondences and minutes of meetings;
• Handling logistics related to missions (incoming or outgoing), including appointments, field visits, office support such as requests for formatting mission reports, PPT presentations, translation, arranging meetings with counterparts and CMU;
• Establishing and maintaining a current database of contacts. He/She will share such database with the staff responsible for the database of WB contacts in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iran;
• Translating from English/Arabic and Arabic/English short documents, relevant to the work of the team, such as reports, memos articles, etc;
• Handling sponsored workshops logistics related to: visas, travel, hotel accommodation, distribution of Per Diems, reserving conference facility, banqueting, interpretation, workshop material;
• Daily media monitoring of related news for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iran.

Area of Accountability 2: Cross support to the Lebanon Country Office Team:

• As a member of the Lebanon Country Office ACS network, the MNSHD program Assistant will work under the administrative supervision of the Office Manager in whichever task He/She is assigned to that involves an office or regional activity.
• The incumbent has to take full responsibility with respect to every aspect of assignment by acting independently and professionally, and creating and promoting collaboration, quality work, and development of team members especially in the following competencies:
• Excellent primary administrative assistance and organizational skills including: being pro-active; demonstrating the ability to prioritize and deliver assignments in a timely manner.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English and Arabic ( French is desirable) including ability to: independently draft a variety of formal and informal correspondence; proof-read/edit/translate materials using proper grammar, punctuation and style.
• Superior interpersonal skills including demonstrating the ability to: work in a team-oriented and multi-cultural environment; handle sensitive and confidential information with due discretion; deal tactfully and discretely with staff at all levels.
• Good knowledge and understanding of administrative and operational procedures applicable to the Bank and ability to propose interpretation and application of such procedures.
• Possess excellent working knowledge of Bank's standard software and technology systems (Word, Lotus Notes, Excel, PowerPoint, Operations Portal, SAP, etc.)
• Possess certification and/or completed training in areas such as eConsultant2, Basic Procurement, trust fund, SAP transactions.
• Technical Competencies
• Project and Task Management - Have ability and independence to undertake a diverse and complex assignment with minimal supervision and be accountable for outcomes and results. Demonstrate strong organizational skills. Resolve competing demands within tight deadlines.
• Technology and Systems Knowledge - Should have solid knowledge of Bank's standard software and technology systems relevant to functional area (operations portal, SAP, travel management, WBDocs, eConsultant2, etc). Ability to coach less experienced staff.
• Institutional Policies, Processes, and Procedures - Demonstrate relevant functional knowledge and understanding of institutional/Africa VPU policies, operational and administrative procedures and, able to apply and guide others of same.
• Versatility and Adaptability - Take the initiative and motivation to proactively learn new developments in relevant policies, procedures and technology. Proactively identify and present option(s) to resolve problems/issues related to the project work and/or team environment.

Behavioral Competencies

• Client Orientation - Able to interact with clients with discretion and diplomacy to resolve complex client related issues. Display knowledge and understanding of relevant internal and external factors and their impact to the client. Demonstrate sense of urgency, flexibility to change, initiative.
• Drive for Results - Take personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results. Coordinate with others and ensure that others with whom s/he is working to deliver on time and quality results. Identify potential issues and employ strategies and solutions, working independently/collectively with others to mitigate them.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Show respect for different points of view, collaborate and contribute productively to the team's work and output. Solicit feedback, negotiate and/or resolve differences in a constructive manner.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Able to communicate (verbally and written form) in a constructive and professional manner. Identify own competency gaps and actively looks for opportunities to enhance own skills and abilities. Able to contribute to the unit's knowledge sharing.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Able to provide general research support and present information in a usable format. Demonstrate ability to assess situation and, make sound judgment on action needed and apply relevant Bank policies, processing procedures and guidelines.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

Internal Contacts:

• Other VP Units, IFC and MIGA
• Other institutional units such as, but not limited to, CTR, FIN, GEF, RMC, TRE, etc.
• Staff in all locations, locally and internationally
• Units providing cross-support

External Contacts:

• Government Officials
• Consultants
• External Organization

Selection Criteria:

• Ability to pass relevant Bank Group tests (e.g. English language, computer applications, etc.) in place at time of recruitment.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of Bank Group administrative/operational procedures.
• Thorough knowledge of and proficiency in advanced functions of standard Bank technology packages.
• Good knowledge of and demonstrated experience in specialized administrative/operational support functions (e.g., database management, knowledge management, task management, major event/course planning, etc.) and ability to apply relevant procedures, processes and systems.
• Extensive knowledge of unit's business processes and procedures.
• Sound knowledge of the unit's work program
• Analytical ability, practical problem-solving skills and resourcefulness in performing varied tasks in the area(s) of functional specialty
• Demonstrated skills in retrieving, gathering and obtaining information from various sources (Internet, etc.) and pulling them together in a usable format
• Sound organizational skills and ability to prioritize and deliver assignments in a timely manner often under severe time pressures.
• Demonstrated initiative in developing practical approaches that improve office support work and effectiveness of unit/team
• Strong inter-personal skills and commitment to work in a team-oriented, multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to prepare presentation materials using various software packages with minimum guidance.
• Ability to provide guidance to less experienced staff
• Strong English language skills (verbal and written), including ability to draft a variety of correspondence and edit materials using proper grammar, punctuation and style.
• Ability to pass relevant Bank Group tests at time of recruitment (e.g. English language, computer applications, etc.) as required
• Substantive and effective use of language skills, in proofreading, editing, translation and quality enhancement of documents in more than one language.
• In addition to the relevant English language and computer applications tests noted above, must have passed the Bank's language-specific speaking and writing tests, demonstrating a substantial level of fluency and ease of speech.

Minimum Education/Experience at recruitment/selection

• Minimum Education: Bachelor Degree
• Minimum Years of Relevant Experience: 5 (internal candidates), 7 (external candidates)

More Info and Application