Senior Project Administrative Assistant

Introduction

Libya’s prolonged political crisis and conflict have severely impacted the labour market, leading to decent work deficits and high unemployment rates, particularly among women and youth. These conditions have resulted in widespread multidimensional poverty. Within this crisis, fostering inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems emerges as a pathway to provide economic opportunities and empower marginalized groups, especially women, youth and internally displaced populations (IDPs).

In line with Recommendation 205, with the ILO Libya Country Context Study (2022) and with the objective of promoting peace and social cohesion through an inclusive and conflict sensitive approach to employment creation, the intervention will  ensure that ILO is better positioned among the UN agencies and IFIs contributing to the HDP nexus in the country in order to (i) ensure participation of constituents, through a strengthened social dialogue,  in UN led initiatives pertaining to the world of work, (ii) participate in fund raising for international responses through joint programs with the UN and IFIs, and (iii) explore ways to mobilise national resources to offer technical assistance to national authorities to support them in paving the way for a long term post crisis socio-economic recovery and development.

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The initiative will apply the ILO’s Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Development  (IEED) approach to inform the design of a tailor-made intervention strategy to develop selected entrepreneurship ecosystems holistically and inclusively, so that support services, access to markets, regulations and cultural values play together to create conducive conditions for entrepreneurs regularly communicate and exchange contacts with other businessmen/women across the country while getting involve in trades, to thrive, grow and create jobs which contribute to stabilise the country by providing concrete peace dividends in form of access to business and jobs. This will involve an in-depth conflict sensitive socio-economic assessment of one or more identified entrepreneurship ecosystems in Libya and a strategy to strengthen the capacity of business development support (BDS) providers and other institutions to support potential and existing entrepreneurs in the country. By doing so, the intervention seeks to create a more conducive ecosystem for sustainable and inclusive entrepreneurship and thereby contributing to poverty reduction, decent work, increased prosperity and overall peace and security in line with Recommendation 205 (and in particular section IV on “employment and income generation opportunities”).

The project aims to produce an action plan of interventions that are sustainable over time and endure beyond its lifespan. The sustainability of the proposed interventions will result from strategies rooted in and driven by local or regional actors, including the private sector, government agencies, and civil society organizations.  This will enable local actors to assume ownership of interventions and empower them to sustainably fulfil new or improved functions that effectively enhance the ecosystem and make it more inclusive for the target groups. The intervention design will also benefit from a separate peace and conflict analysis and a gender and conflict-sensitive assessment  on the Libyan labour market and the employment and skills ecosystem to inform an action plan to enhance the employability for young people and marginalized groups, reduce skills mismatches.

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The initiative prioritizes conflict-sensitive assessments and implementation of targeted quick interventions focusing on immediate needs, while laying the groundwork for sustainable and inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem development in Libya. These efforts will align with priorities expressed by the Libyan Ministry of Labour and other national stakeholders, as well as the ILO's global expertise in crisis settings.

The expected results are:

Output 1: Three assessments conducted and validated with stakeholders, identifying systemic constraints and opportunities, and an evidence-based intervention strategy tailored to the Libyan context designed

Output 2: Context-specific and conflict-sensitive short-term capacity-building interventions implemented to address immediate ecosystem deficits

Output 3: Potential and existing entrepreneurs in Tripoli Libya from marginalized groups benefited from improved access to BDS, enabling them to engage in income-generating activities.

Within the policy and procedural requirements established by the ILO and the project, the Senior Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the effective administrative and operational support to the project, including contract processing, travel arrangements, and workshop logistics. The role involves advising staff on administrative rules, preparing reports and correspondence, and liaising with ILO units, partners, and UN agencies. The position supports budget planning and expenditure monitoring, while also overseeing junior staff. Overall, it contributes to the smooth implementation of project activities through proactive coordination and support.

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1. Reporting lines:

The Senior Project Administrative Assistant will work under the supervision of the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) of the project. She/he will be base at Tripoli and will liaise with the Director of the ILO Algiers Office, and will receive technical guidance and support from and will collaborate with the Decent Work Team (DWT) for North Africa (DWT/CO-Cairo), the Department of Sustainable Enterprises, Productivity and Just Transition (ENTERPRISES), the ILO Bureau for Employers' Activities (ACT/EMP) and the Action Programme to promote decent work in crises and post-crisis situations (AP/CRISIS) at HQ.

Specific Duties

1. Main duties and responsibilities:

General Administration and operation

1. Ensure smooth functioning of the project administration, office management and operation support related functions, in close collaboration with other administrative and operation support staff, through the provision of management and administrative support to the project. This includes processing entitlements, issuance of contracts and maintenance of records and files.

2. Advise and assist project staff with interpretation of administrative rules, regulations and procedures. Make travel and hotel reservations, prepare travel authorizations and assemble information pertinent to the purpose of travel.

3. Participate in the organization of special meetings and coordinate all important administrative arrangements for conducting workshops/seminars and trainings, as required by the project/programme.

4. Maintain, contact and liaise with concerned technical units at Headquarters, ILO constituents, social partners’ organizations and UN agencies, to discuss planned activities and resolve sensitive matters.

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 5. Prepare on own initiative correspondence and reports, as required, on general administrative or other related tasks, including those of a confidential nature. Prepare periodic administrative statistics, reports and correspondence

6. Brief and assist international staff, experts and consultants on all aspects of administration-related matters.  Provide interpretation of administrative rules, regulations and procedures

7. Review all incoming correspondence which requires action, make recommendations regarding the appropriate action to be taken, monitor deadlines for responses, follow up with various project/programme personnel and other organizational units on the submission of reports and correspondence

8. Prepare background information, detailed cost estimates, and periodic and ad hoc reports for use in programme and budget preparations. Participate in budget analysis and projections, as required. Provide information upon request.

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9. Carry out all operations required for expenditures under development cooperation funding, ensuring the most rational use of the funds. This includes making calculations, requesting funds, checking supporting justifying documents and making payments.

10. Monitor accounts regarding allocations and expenditures and make adjustments to optimize utilization of the funds. Draft and clear administrative correspondence relative to budgetary matters to verify data, answer queries and obtain additional information.

11.Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

Education

Completion of secondary school education and formal training in relevant administrative area.

Experience

At least six years of progressively responsible administrative work with supervisory experience.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of English, and good working knowledge of Arabic.

Competencies

• Ability to prioritize work assignments, organize own schedule, perform routine work independently, meet deadlines and adapt to changing demands.
• Proficient in computer software (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe Reader) and ability to use other software packages required by the Office (e.g. IRIS),
• Ability to obtain services from other work units inside or outside the office for completion of tasks.
• Ability to lead a team and manage a heavy workload under time pressure.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of complex administrative guidelines and procedures, as well as the full range of administrative services within support areas such as HR, Finance and Procurement.
• Good knowledge of work of the project /programme and the work carried out in other work units.
• Ability to respond to requests and to deal with visitors with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to search and retrieve information from databases and compile reports.
• Ability to deal with confidential matters with discretion.

Ability to work in a multicultural environment and gender-sensitive behaviour and attitudes are also required.

The recruitment is subject to the availability of funds.