Opportunity

Assistant Head of Mission at Embassy of Belgium in Abuja

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Position: Multi-skilled administrative operative/principally active in secretarial work and organization
in support of the Head of Mission
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Hiring Agency: Embassy of Belgium in Abuja
Grade: GS4/0
Work Schedule: Full time – 38.5 hours per week
Duration: 1 year contract with possible extension
Closing date for applications: 14/02/2025 at 23:59 UTC/GMT

As a “secretarial operative”:

Carry out secretarial tasks in order to support the Head of Mission in the daily administrative
management :
• Manage agendas or other schedules
• Make necessary contacts for the service or the Head of Mission with local official bodies,
other representations, private organisations, suppliers, etc.
• Sort and record incoming and outgoing correspondence
• Proofread and, if necessary, correct documents (spelling, layout, etc.)
• Reply (telephone, e-mail, letters) to simple requests
• rigorously keep the register of contacts (electronic business cards, diplomatic lists, …) of the
Head of Mission up to date.
• Draft letters/verbal notes/various communications under the Head of Mission’s supervision
• Create spreadsheets and prepare simple presentations
• Prepare the minutes of internal meetings
• Prepare mission authorisations and book trips, hotels for the Head of Mission
• Manage small accounting tasks for the Head of Mission
• Contribute to the management of certain files concerning staff of the Residence
(recruitment/end of contract, salary sheets, presence sheets and holiday sheets, etc.).
• Search for and keep up-to-date information and documentation that is useful for colleagues’
work.
• Prepare/complete files for meetings, missions, etc.
• Regularly report on (feedback) the status of files
• Manage simple instruction files (diplo-flights, routine notifications to local authorities, etc.)

As an “organiser”:

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Contribute to practical organisation or manage the practical organisation of meetings, conferences,
seminars, official visits or other events in order to guarantee the successful organisation of these
activities and the brand image of the Embassy.
• Draw up a timetable
• Draw up the list of participants/guests and prepare the invitations

• List the equipment and services needed (premises, various equipment, catering, interpreters,
etc.)
• Contact suppliers in order to benefit from offers and carry out an initial analysis in order to
make proposals to the manager, if necessary
• Book flights, hotels, restaurants, etc.
• Organise the necessary vehicles and transport to the sites of the activity, hotels, etc.
• Regularly report on (feedback) the status of files

As a “reception operative

Ensure the permanence and quality of reception and support the daily work of the Head of Mission
• Answer basic practical questions (by e-mail, telephone, face to face, etc.) and/or transfer
requests to the most suitable colleague in order to answer more complex questions.
• Ensure bookings of meeting rooms for the Head of Mission
• Control the tidiness and cleanliness of meeting rooms
• Prepare and install documentation and organise catering for meetings
• Ensure the frontline reception of visitors or participants in meetings•

As an “archive manager”

Carry out archiving (paper and/or electronic) according to a logical structure and the instructions in
force in order to guarantee easy access to information and documents
• Gather together the documents to be archived (letters, files, notes, other relevant information,
for example, press articles, background articles, brochures, etc.)
• Develop an optimal archiving system according to instructions or standards (paper or
electronic format on SharePoint for example): label/name, etc. by folder, document, files, etc.,
draw up a table of contents, etc.
• If necessary, inform colleagues about the archive system and help them with their searches
• Notify/Search for missing documents
• Encode data in the databases and print out reports
• Control and update databases and files •
As a “contact person”
Act as a bridge between the Head of Mission and external contacts (Department, partners, local
authorities, private organisations, citizens, etc.) in order to centralise and disseminate questions,
information, instructions that are useful to the good functioning of the post
• Transmit questions/information/instructions from line managers to staff and vice versa.
• Transmit questions/answers/information from external contacts to the post and vice versa
• Create useful contacts with resource people or bodies in order to strengthen and widen the
post’s network.
• Maintain relations with resource people or bodies, either for exchanging general information
or in the frame of specific cases.

Key Competencies and Required Skills:

• Be able to work in a team: Contribute to a good team spirit and a good atmosphere at work by
sharing ideas and useful information, listening to the opinions of others, participating in the
service’s activities, being prepared to help spontaneously or on request and combining
strengths, avoiding and resolving disputes.
• Be service-oriented (internal and external users): Give priority to the needs of users (internal
and external) and offer a fast, proactive, personalized effective service (with the required
transparency and integrity) and establish constructive contacts.
• Show others respect and be open to their ideas, their opinions and their differences, whether
cultural or other. Accept procedures and instructions in accordance with oneself and others.
• Be reliable/trustworthy/loyal: Act honestly, in accordance with the job’s requirements, respect
ethical principles, including confidentiality and integrity, respect your commitments and avoid
any form of partiality.
• Be able to adapt/Be flexible: Adopt a flexible attitude, adapt to changes in various situations.
Be flexible in terms of the roles and tasks allocated, working hours and, if necessary, the
place of work.
• Be capable of developing yourself: Constantly attempt to progress in your job and, if
necessary, take initiatives to develop new skills according to available resources.
• Invest in order to achieve your goals: Be involved, do your utmost and show your wish to
achieve your goals and the goals of the service and/or the post. Take responsibility for the
quality of the actions undertaken.

Requirements

Education:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
Experience:
• Minimum 3 years of recent experience working within an office environment in an
administrative support or program assistant capacity for a corporate organization, foreign
mission, government office or international organization.
• Minimum 3 years of recent experience providing effective client service and dealing with the
public (in person, by telephone, and electronic messaging).
• Fluently speaking, writing and reading in English is required. Language proficiency will be
tested. Knowledge of either French or Dutch is an important asset.

Recruitment

Conditions of Employment:

• You must be legally able to work at the Embassy of Belgium in Nigeria. (Please note that the
Embassy does not sponsor work authorizations directly or indirectly).
• Before an offer of employment can be made, candidates must provide a local Nigerian
address as proof of residence so that if selected, it will appear on the offer letter.

Method of Apply 

• Send your application to [email protected] with the following subject: “Multi-skilled
operative – Surname Name”. Example: If your name is “Bob Thomson”, you should use the
subject “Multi-skilled operative – Thomson Bob”.
• In your application, you must include the 3 following documents:

o Curriculum Vitae (CV) of maximum 2 pages

⁰ Cover Letter of maximum 2 pages
o Copy/scan of your identity card or passport.

• The CV, Cover Letter and proof of identity must all be in the PDF format.
• Those 3 PDF documents must be attached to one same email. The size of that email must
not exceed 6MB.
• You may attach recommendation letters of previous employers.
• The deadline for applications is 14 February 2025.
• Any application that does not respond exactly to the instructions presented above will be
automatically eliminated.

Area of Selection:.

• Open to internal and external applicants who are legal residents or citizens of Nigeria, who
meet all the essential requirements stated in this job poster, and whose applications are
received by the closing date. The Belgian Ministry of Foreign affairs is an equal opportunities
employer and welcomes applications from diverse sections of the community. Candidates
will be considered based on merit. Our Embassy offers an inclusive workplace where respect,
teamwork, and collaboration are part of our culture

Salary : 7.166,90 € annually

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Mr HausaLoaded

Abubakar Rabiu Editor-in-cheif

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