Deadline: 14 July 2021 midnight
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Type: 6-month Fixed Term Contract, with possible extension
Habitat International Coalition (HIC) is appointing a Senior Office Coordinator to its General Secretariat (GS) to provide administrative, operational and staff support and to ensure that all relevant administrative and HR practices in the Cape Town office are executed timely and in full alignment with HIC’s values and organisational standards and requirements.
HIC is looking for:
- A seasoned and highly organised individual with experience in operations and people-related administrative support;
- A like-minded individual with working experience in the not-for-profit-organisation (NPO) sector and/or a genuine interest in the global work of human rights related to habitat and social justice.
Abilities required:
- Perform the required tasks meticulously, to take initiative and focus on continuous improvement of operational support and processes (e.g., general and events coordination, administration related to Board governance and HR);
- Excellent writing and communication skills in English (knowledge of additional languages used in HIC–as Spanish, Arabic or French–advantageous);
- Experience and confidence working online with communication and other related software
- Proactive support to different structures in the GS and HIC and deliver under tight and multiple deadlines;
- Work primarily online in a global, multicultural environment with care, sensitivity, empathy and respect.
Your communication and coordination skills must enable you to work well in collaboration with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, and become an essential support person for the HIC General Secretariat. You would be able to collaborate also with finance and administrative staff in other HIC Reference Centres (e.g., Mexico and Egypt), by exceeding delivery on day-to-day operational support in a friendly and proactive manner.
This position is a 40-hour per week, full-time post based in the Cape Town office to start by 1 August 2021 or soonest thereafter.
Habitat International Coalition (HIC)
HIC is the global, independent and non-profit network working for habitat-related rights and social justice through the defence, promotion and realisation of human rights related to habitat and the right to a safe place to live in peace and with dignity, both in urban and rural areas. Through solidarity, networking and advocacy support for social movements and organisations, influencing public policies and the international agenda, HIC works to develop and fulfil transformative practices, norms and standards across HIC Member competence: human rights related to habitat, in particular housing and land, social production of habitat, gender equality and equity; environmental justice. Visit www.hic-net.org for more information.
Functions of Senior Office Coordinator
The General Secretariat (HIC-GS) operates globally as the hinge of the Coalition that manages essential functions required for the coordination of HIC and its democratic structures and processes globally. The functions of the GS include (i) supporting, managing and consolidating the Coalition and its HIC membership (ii) hosting and promoting the exchange, communication and co-development of HIC Members’ capacities and learning, and (iii) supporting HIC global advocacy and campaigns.
The Senior Office Coordinator’s tasks will span all three functions of the General Secretariat’s work. The incumbent will work together closely with the Secretary General, providing support to the entire General Secretariat related administration, operations and personnel.
Responsibilities
Among other tasks, the Senior Office Coordinator will be responsible for:
- General Administration: Responsible for supporting any administrative or operational tasks and/or processes which will aid the effective, efficient and organised running of the overall GS functions.
- Board Governance: Fulfil administrative tasks related to governance, meetings, Board related practices;
- Events Administration: Responsible for arranging, coordinating and supporting all HIC organisational events;
- HR Administration: Support the integration, execution and seamless management of the HIC General Secretariat human resources;
- ICT Administration: Effective and timeous implementation and updating of information and communication technology packages
- Asset Administration: Responsible for asset administration related to all equipment (CapEx) categories, which include office rental, furniture and fittings ;
The Senior Office Coordinator is expected to work independently and as a team player. S/he is expected to work with, respect and empower partners, colleagues and communities in a sensitive and participatory manner. HIC staff set high standards of performance for themselves and others and assume responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments and tasks. The Administration and HR Coordinator will work in an environment that respects and promotes diversity and seeks to fully benefit from each individual’s unique qualities and diverse working cultures.
Activities
General Administration
- Support the GS with regards to continuous improvement pertaining to office administration and processes.
- Secretarial support; e.g., minute taking; general office administration (e.g., stationery orders, signatures, identity documents);
- Support SG with HIC-GS administration related to organisational registration, and international bodies (e.g., United Nations);
Board Governance
- Organise, coordinate and/or prepare logistics, documentation and communication for Board and working group meetings including interpreter liaison and set up;
- Maintain Board Member records;
- Oversee and implement the exchange of relevant updates and information with the Board in cooperation with the Secretary General and HIC-GS staff , in order to keep the Board informed of the HIC processes.
Events Administration
- Execute all logistical arrangements for events like governance meetings, annual meetings (General Assemblies), exchanges, international- and project related events by performing administration coordination and/or secretarial duties (e.g., minute taking, slide presentation, speaker coordination, organising and setting up simultaneous interpretation and translations, where necessary);
HR Administration
- Execute all HR related administration that includes staff registers, staff documentations (e.g., job descriptions, contracts), leave-type administration and leave/overtime/hours recordkeeping;
- Support GS with recruitment-related tasks, which includes application-and-candidate management;
- Support GS with performance-management-related tasks, which includes tracking and maintaining all performance documentation, building and maintaining a skill register and staff-development plans;
- Plan, coordinate and deliver the staff and volunteer induction program with relevant stakeholder involvement and support;
ICT Administration
- Ensure the registration of all online subscriptions and actively manage all required renewals (including website subscription and hosting)
- Create and assign new HIC e-mail addresses if/when required
- Ensure the maintenance of the HIC Server
- Oversee electronic and manual storage of information
- Inform the team and propose improvements and alternatives for online work tools.
- Asset Administration
- Manage and ensure the HIC-GS asset register is maintained and kept up to date
Qualifications and competencies
Work experience:
Essential: 8-10 years working experience in a similar or same role. Demonstrated ability to work in a support role to senior roles in organisations/team members with multiple deliverables. Demonstrated relevant experience in operations and HR support.
Desirable: Previous experience in NPO/civil society networks within a same or similar role. Experience in liaising with international structures, donors and partners.
Computer skills:
Essential: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Google online suite, Zoom, online meetings/webinars.
Desirable: WordPress
Communication Skills: Well-developed written and oral communication and listening skills in English; additional languages spoken in HIC advantageous, able to communicate clearly, confidently with internal and external structures and partners
Personal skills: High service delivery orientation, exceptional ability to build and maintain organisational relationships, proactive and takes initiative, highly organised, exceptional attention to detail, good time management and ability to prioritise tasks, strong interpersonal communication abilities, respectful and tolerant. High integrity, maintaining ethical and organisational norms, exceptional problem solving ability.
Work Conditions and Location
The Senior Office Coordinator will be based in Cape Town. We particularly encourage applications from people currently based within South Africa.
The work will be on a full-time position for 6 months (ending 31 December 2021) with a possibility of extension. The working environment will be a hybrid between in-person (with the incumbent sharing an office with the Secretary General in Cape Town) and online work (with GS and HIC staff or members located in other countries). The post holder is expected to work across different time zones.
Salary commensurate with applicant’s experience and includes benefits (which will need to be organised by the post holder).
Application Details
Applicants are invited to send a (1) cover letter elaborating on their suitability, motivation to apply for the above position and salary expectation; a (2) CV outlining relevant experience and skills; and (3) the contact details of at least one reference (two are desiderable).
Application must be submitted by Wednesday 14 July 2021 (midnight) to Riki Viljoen – HR Consultant riki@thcc.co.za
Please e-mail applications in Word or PDF format, with ‘HIC Senior Office Coordinator Recruitment’ in the subject line.
Important note: only qualified applicants will be shortlisted and contacted.
