Department: People, Organisational Development and Administration (PODA)
Reports to: PODA Manager
Duration: Initially for two years fixed-term with probation period of six months; possibility of extension
Location/Travel: Kathmandu with some visits to WAN project sites; some international visits may be required
Purpose of Job:
To proactively ensure that effective and efficient administrative support is provided to staff in the Water Nepal Country Programme Office. This includes responsibility for office management, safety and security management, procurement & logistics, transport & vehicle management, stock & store management, and team management.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Office Management
- Ensuring that reception services are provided in such a fashion that visitors are provided with a warm welcome and that their needs are swiftly met
- Ensuring that all incoming communications (telephone calls, letters, e-mail etc) are responded to professionally, and reliably passed on to the appropriate person
- Ensuring that a high standard of secretarial service is provided to WaterAid Nepal staff (including word processing, filing, copying, stock of stationary/ other office supplies, etc).
- Ensuring that other administrative services are provided in a timely and reliable fashion (e.g. travel arrangements, conference venue bookings, meetings arrangements etc)
- Ensuring that the post office box, all subscriptions (e-mail, internet etc) and other service contracts (photocopier, fax and other machinery servicing contracts) are renewed in a timely manner
- Taking minutes of unit meetings and producing reports for the PODA Manager in accordance with the agreed reporting framework
Safety and Security Management
- Setting up systems and procedures to ensure the safety of all WAN properties, including fire safety, availability of first-aid, and general safety-management
- Ensuring that properties are guarded effectively (recruiting, training and managing guards, organising rotas and ensuring stand-by cover as required)
- Ensuring that all valuable assets are insured and that all insurance policies are kept up to date
- Updating the fixed assets register, quarterly, and whenever new items are purchased (including maintaining and updating the inventory lists and fixed assets records for international staff houses)
- Ensuring that WAN has an efficient system for keeping all records and filing paperwork
- Ensuring that all items of office equipment are in a good working condition at all times (setting up and monitoring maintenance schedules, budgeting for replacement etc)
- Ensuring that the office environment is clean, well-organised and attractive and that service is provided to a high standard of quality and hygiene (recruiting, training and managing the office attendant, ensuring stand-by cover as required)
- Ensuring that all bills, utilities, invoices etc are paid on time for both the office and international staff houses, as requested by authorised members of staff, and according to WaterAid’s financial procedures
Procurement and Logistics
- Preparing fund and purchase requests
- Purchasing supplies and materials, as requested by authorised members of staff; ensuring that the best price, quality and conditions for WaterAid are negotiated, as far as is possible, in all procurements
- Making arrangements for transporting materials and supplies to their final destination, in full consultation with all involved
- Following up delivery of all approved procurements
- Purchasing tickets for travel and facilitating the acquisition of all associated paperwork (e.g. visas, passports etc)
- Taking the initiative in collecting feedback from staff in the projects and working to continuously improve the quality of the logistics service
Transport and Vehicle Management
- Surveying the transport needs of staff and developing a plan to meet both current and anticipated future needs
- Ensuring that an effective system is in place to meet the transport needs of staff in the most cost-effective manner possible (e.g. by planning and tracking vehicle allocation, vehicle movements, vehicle utilisation, fuel consumption etc)
- Ensuring high quality maintenance, regular servicing of vehicles, generators and other mechanical equipment and tracking of spare parts
- Ensuring that regular reports are produced (e.g. the monthly log sheet summary - detailing fuel consumption, kilometres travelled and project allocations with calculation of all key performance indicators)
- Ensuring that all vehicles of WAN have current road licences, insurances and any other legally required documentation and equipment
- Ensuring that all vehicles in the WaterAid fleet are roadworthy and immediately advising the PODA Manager if any problems are anticipated
Store and Stock Management
- Ensuring that an effective and efficient stores management system is in place, so that appropriate levels of supplies are maintained at all times
- Ensuring proper recording and documentation of receipts, storage and issues
- Reviewing and analysing each project’s stock reconciliation report and making suggestions for action, if necessary
- Ensuring that spot checks of stocks are carried out and recorded
- Ensuring that monthly stock checks are carried out; compiling a monthly summary report for submission to PODA Manager.
Assistance to International Staff:
- Acquiring special passes, work permits, etc for international members of staff; ensuring that these are renewed as requested; at all times, dealing courteously and ethically with government officials
- Assisting new international staff with other practical help (e.g. getting driving licences, advice for finding their way around etc)
- Lead the team of Administrative Assistant, Office Assistant, Drivers, Guards and Other General Support Staff:
- Ensuring that work is planned and organised, that staff are given appropriate workloads and are clear about what is expected of them (e.g. by writing job descriptions, setting goals, holding task planning meetings etc)
- Monitoring and reviewing progress and, in particular, ensuring that staff are working effectively (e.g by carrying out regular Personal Development Reviews with staff)
- Supporting staff in order to enable them to give of their best e.g. by encouraging and praising good performance, coaching, assisting staff to prevent or resolve problems, taking firm action in the face of poor performance etc.
- Ensuring that staff are adequately trained and developed for their roles e.g. by analysing staff training needs, organising the delivery of training, coordinating the sharing of experience etc.
- Authorising payments so long as they are within the assigned budget
- Following up on any advances given to ensure correct reporting and accountability
- At all times acting according to the highest standards of professionalism and personal integrity in managing and overseeing the affairs of WAN
Others
- Work with the best interest of WaterAid and its beneficiaries in mind
- Promote importance of value for money as a part of organisational culture
- Represent WAN at meetings/forums/workshops when necessary and as advised by line manager
- Any reasonable official duties as requested by line manager
- Work in coordination with:
- District stakeholders and line agencies
- Project management team at district level
- Partner field offices
- WAN programme teams and support units
Person Specification
- At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Management or Administration
- A minimum of five years of work experience of managing the overall general administration in a large, complex organisation, preferably with 2 to 3 years of officer level experience in an INGO
- Knowledge of office, properties and staff security management
- Knowledge of air ticketing, immigration rules, training and workshop venues, office cleanliness, hygiene, gardening and ground keeping
- Experience in procurement
- Excellent skills in organising, planning and prioritising to be able to deliver outputs in a fast-paced work environment
- Ability to demonstrate exceptional behavioural qualities such as critical thinking, problem solving, active listening, proactive, and service orientation
- High level proficiency in professional writing and communication in English. A professional certificate to demonstrate this skill will be highly advantageous; Fluency in spoken and written Nepali language.
- Advanced user-level skills to operate IT tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, HR information system etc.
- Strong interpersonal skills with an ability to work in a multi-cultural setting
- Experience in report writing, survey and research activities
- Self-motivation, creativity and an ability to perform without close supervision