Adviser in the Senior Director's Office

Job Description

£66,005 p.a. + benefits

The Commonwealth Secretariat seeks to appoint an Adviser in the Senior Director’s Office in our Governance and Peace (GPD) Directorate. The Governance and Peace Directorate (GPD) is the lead directorate in the Commonwealth Secretariat for the promotion of democracy, human rights, rule of law and good governance in the Commonwealth. The directorate is responsible for programmes which foster greater adherence to Commonwealth political values, the conducting of fair, credible and inclusive elections and engagement with member countries through the Good offices of the Secretary General.

The Adviser in the Senior Director’s Office is primarily responsible to support the substantive and administrative duties of the Senior Director and have a direct oversight on the coordination of the rotation of Young Professionals, who will report to designated Heads. Additionally, the post-holder also assists the Senior Director in the oversight and coordination of outputs, functions and schedules of sectional, cross-sectional or interdivisional projects and programmes. In this regard, the post-holder keeps in regular contact with Heads in the Directorate to assist and foster efficiency and relevance in delivery.

Responsibilities of the Adviser in the Senior Director’s Office includes (but is not limited to):

• Advising the Senior Director in monitoring and analysing staff performance, administration systems and financial oversight to ensure that the output, goals and targets of the division are met;
• Provide timely briefing information and advice for the Senior Director in preparation for meetings both within the Secretariat and with external bodies, taking the initiative to progress activities and actions as far as possible in advance;
• Review Project Design Documents (PDDs) for the Directorate and provide recommendations for approval to Senior Director;
• Provide technical support and expertise to teams with Extra Budgetary Resources (EBRs);
• Carry out research and co-ordinate information from internal and external sources to provide input to papers and briefing documents and create non-standard documents, charts, tables and presentations

To be considered, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Attained a Degree in Law or Political Science;
• Attained a Master’s Degree in Law, Management or a related subject;
• At least ten years of relevant experience in a highly demanding environment;
• Proven capability to carry out in-depth research;
• Demonstrate evidence of impeccable English writing skills with in-depth analytical capacity;
• Demonstrate proof of successfully coordinating and delivering outputs from multiple projects.

Applicants who are able to provide evidence of publications either books or peer-reviewed journals, are a member of a professional administrative body and demonstrates lateral thinking and love for innovation will have an added advantage.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 member governments and provides guidance on policy making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.

To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.

Closing date: 17 August 2020

About the Organization

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the principal intergovernmental body of the Commonwealth, responsible for advancing and achieving the shared goals of the association’s 54 member governments in advancing democracy, development and respect for diversity. The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General who, as the Chief Executive of the organisation, is responsible and accountable for overall leadership, management and delivery.