Background

The Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific established the Bangkok Regional Hub as well as the multi-disciplinary Pacific Centre in Suva with a focus on the Pacific Islands. The main priority of the Regional Hub is to provide UNDP Country Offices in Asia and the Pacific with easy access to knowledge through high quality advisory services based on global applied research and UNDP lessons learnt. The second priority is to build partnerships and promote regional capacity building initiatives, which allow UNDP, governments and other development partners to identify, create and share knowledge relevant to solving urgent development challenges.

The Bangkok Regional Hub is headed by the Director who is also the Deputy Assistant Administrator & Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP). The Director is responsible for all work within the Hub, for liaising at both the policy and operational level with the New York Headquarters, for coordinating UNDP initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region countries with host governments, the mass media, external partners, and donors.

With these responsibilities in mind, the Executive Associate to the Deputy Director is responsible for carefully managing the Deputy Director’s calendar and travel schedule, organizing meetings, missions, telephone and video conferences, liaising with high-level officials both within UNDP and partner organizations, following up on appointments, deadlines and commitments, managing information storage and retrieval, and performing certain administrative duties. Given the demands of the office, all of this must be done with the utmost professionalism, with speed, efficiency and accuracy, and with a keen awareness of the requisite levels of diplomacy, tact, discretion, confidentiality and protocol.

The Executive Assistant works under the direct guidance and supervision of the Deputy Director and in close collaboration with Head of Management Support Services. The Executive Assistant also works closely with staff members from the Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP Country Office in Thailand, and HQ units based in New York.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Executive Associate plays a key role in ensuring the Office of the Deputy Director achieves its goals by the effective and efficient management of the work of the Deputy Director and his/her close collaborators.

Under the direction of the Deputy Director, the Executive Associate will carry out the following key functions:

  • Effective and efficient organization of the Deputy Director’s office, schedule and travel;
  • Effective communications and documentation;
  • Effective organization of meetings, workshops and other events organized by the Directorate.

Effective and efficient organization of the Deputy Director's office, schedule and travel:

  • Backstop the Deputy Director while s/he is on mission by liaising with staff, preparing and sending materials, managing updates to his/her schedule, etc.;
  • Provide support to the Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific while on Mission to Bangkok;
  • Maintain records, files, and documents as needed for the Deputy Director;
  • Intercept and route all incoming telephone calls and communications to the Directorate, monitoring responses and ensuring timely follow-up;
  • Prepare substantive correspondence, directives, and comments on behalf of the Deputy Director for signature and follow-up when required;
  • Management of the Deputy Director’s office, schedule, and travel ensuring an environment of professionalism and teamwork at all times, and setting an exemplary standard of conduct for the Regional Hub;
  • Management of the Deputy Director’s daily schedule of meetings and monthly/quarterly travel schedule in a timely, efficient, accurate and discreet manner;
  • Management and organization of all of the Deputy Director’s meetings and telephone calls to include booking meeting rooms, confirming the participation of attendees, setting up and facilitating telephone and video conferences, organizing catering (if required), etc. via the use of automated office management systems;
  • Researching, collecting, consolidating and organizing materials as needed for each meeting;
  • Liaise and coordinate with respective teams the finalization of meeting minutes and summaries, tracking the progress on actions to be taken, and following-up with focal points as required to ensure execution and completion of commitments made;
  • Organization of all of the Deputy Director’s and UNDG team’s travel, in consultation with other offices and teams as necessary, to include setting up all meetings, booking flights, ground transportation and other travel, booking hotels or other lodging, organizing the payment of daily subsistence allowance, making changes and other adjustments during the mission, finalizing and submitting travel claims, etc.;
  • Organization of meetings and travel for other staff members in the Deputy Director’s office including the Communications Advisor, Partnership Advisor and Programme Specialist and UNDG team;
  • Maintaining the Deputy Director’s list of contacts and business cards;
  • Provide the Deputy Director with other support as needed in carrying out the day-to-day activities of the Regional Hub.

Key Result: The office of the Deputy Director works at maximum efficiency to contribute to the achievement of the Regional Office’s objectives.

Ensures effective communications and documentation:

  • Provide information as required, as requested, and as appropriate, to internal and external parties;
  • Maintain informal communication channels and networks with other Executive Associates, Programme Associates, and other contacts close to key partners to facilitate communication and access;
  • Management and review of incoming electronic and written communications ensuring the flow of materials through the Deputy Director’s Office for timely clearance and/or signature of documents as required, and timely and accurate delivery both within UNDP and to external parties, etc.;
  • Manage the Deputy Director’s emails, including contributing to drafting emails and handling sensitive communication, and determining which matters should be brought to his/her immediate attention and/or routes to appropriate managers as required;
  • Obtain and organize reports to or for the Deputy Director by following up on deadlines, commitments made, and actions taken;
  • Coordination of information flows within BRH and dissemination of corporate and interoffice communications to staff as required;
  • Contribute to the preparation and drafting of routine correspondence, interoffice circulars, general briefing notes, minutes of meetings, and other documents when requested;
  • Translations of simple documents or summary translations of selected Thai and/or other UN language(s) to English and vice-versa;
  • Facilitation of information sharing within the entire Region and Regional Hub;
  • Adherence to appropriate UNDP protocol and guidelines for correspondence when communicating with internal and external partners;
  • Maintenance of electronic filing systems while ensuring the safekeeping of confidential materials;
  • Tracking the movement, whereabouts and means of contacting the Deputy Director at all times;
  • Present proposals to eliminate communication bottlenecks in the Directorate and streamlining of office procedures within the Directorate.

Key Result: The schedule and correspondence of the Deputy Director are organized and easily tracked, and materials needed are complete and available in time.

Ensures effective organization of meetings, workshops and other events organized by the Directorate and/or UNDG team:

  • Management of the organization of larger meetings, workshops, training, and advocacy events in collaboration with the Management Support Services Team in the Hub to include securing the venue, preparing the required contractual arrangements, inviting guests, arranging catering, liaising with technicians regarding sound and communications systems, overseeing travel arrangements, etc.;
  • Preparation of clear and well-organized agendas for such events in consultation with substantive team leaders or task managers;
  • Timely preparation and delivery of background notes and logistical/administrative details in connection with such meetings.

Key Result: 

  • Events are managed in a timely fashion and organized effectively.

Competencies

Core:

Innovation:

Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability:

  • Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability

  • Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability

  • Ability to get things done.

Primary

Quality Assurance

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to insure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled.

Relationship Management

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to engage with other parties and forge productive working relationships.

Office Administration

Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability

  • Ability to manage day-to-day office activities (including but not limited to travel management, facilities and asset management, policy and procedures maintenance) to meet operational needs.

Operational Efficiency

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to identify and execute opportunities to improve operational efficiency.

Team Building

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to work effectively with diverse groups of professionals towards common goals.

Secondary

Knowledge Management

Perform defined tasks

  • Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Secondary Education, preferably with specialized secretarial training or office management, is required;
  • University Degree in Business or Public Administration is desirable but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

  • 7 years of progressively responsible experience in administrative or office management experience is required at the national or international level;
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, concisely and diplomatically verbally, in writing, face to face, and over the telephone;
  • Experience and ability to communicate with a range of audiences and internal stakeholders, including the ability to interact with high-level partners is highly desirable;
  • Excellent writing  skills to draft correspondence and other documents on behalf of senior level staff is required;
  • Experienced in and capable of handling confidential information relating to organizational issues, staffing/personnel and other matters is an advantage;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required. Familiarity with the use of web based management systems will be an advantage;
  • Experience of working with senior staff in international organizations/firms will be an asset.

Language:

  • Fluency (oral, written, and understanding) of English and Thai is required;
  • Working Knowledge of other UN official language is an asset.

Remuneration:

  • Starting Baht 1,032,928 net per annum.

Remark: