Executive Support Officer

Background

Interpeace is an international organisation for peacebuilding. Interpeace tailors its in-country approach to each society and ensures that its work is locally designed and driven. Through local partners and its own local teams, Interpeace jointly develops peacebuilding programmes based on extensive consultation and research. Interpeace helps establish processes of change that promote sustainable peace, social cohesion, and resilience. The organisation’s work is designed to connect and promote understanding between local communities, civil society, governments, and the international community.

Interpeace also assists the international community – especially the United Nations – to play a more effective role in peacebuilding. This is achieved primarily through contributing thought leadership and insights into contemporary peacebuilding policy, and also through Interpeace’s ‘peace responsiveness’ work – providing advice and practical support to development and humanitarian sector actors in particular so that their own work strengthens peace.

Interpeace is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has offices around the world.

For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org

Position in the Organisation and General Overview

The Executive Support Officer is a member of the Executive Management Unit which oversees and provides direction for all of Interpeace’s activities, spanning policy, programming, and operations. The Executive Management Unit is based in Geneva. The Unit is expanding in response to additional demands in areas of governance in particular, commensurate with the overall growth trajectory of the organization.

The Executive Support Officer provides a range of substantive support to the Senior Executive Officer in support of the work of the President and Vice-President. It works in close coordination with the Executive Assistant on administrative matters. This includes contributing practically to the delivery of a full range of logistical and substantive support to the President and Vice-President, especially in helping to prepare the full schedule of external and internal engagements; contributing actively to the effective preparation and delivery of events and activities associated with the organisation’s various governance entities including the Governing Board and its subsidiary bodies; and enabling the effective coordination and communication around such engagements and processes with internal and external stakeholders. The Executive Support Officer also provides some dedicated support to the Vice-President.

The Executive Support Officer works under the direction of the Senior Executive Officer and may be required to undertake some overseas travel.

Duties and responsibilities

Support to external and internal engagements

• Compile background materials, prepare messaging, and draft inputs on topics related to Interpeace’s programmatic and policy work to inform external engagements
• Undertake research and monitor publications and other information sources relating to peacebuilding generally and the work of Interpeace specifically in order to provide reviews, analysis, and synthesis
• Help to ensure that all relevant information, briefs, and other materials for the President and Vice-President are prepared, completed, and ready on time, liaising with other Interpeace staff and drafting/editing contributions
• Coordinate and monitor follow-up from meetings and other engagements
• Attend meetings with the Senior Executive Officer and Vice-President and prepare draft meeting records, notes for file, and other documents

Governance entities

• Maintain an overview of governance requirements and processes across various entities including a schedule of activities, requirements, and meetings
• Support the organisation and the effective convening of the semi-annual meetings of the Governing Board in addition to its subsidiary bodies, including supporting the preparation of content, materials, and logistics for the meetings
• Support the effective convening of other ad hoc Board-related meetings (such as the Bureau and committees) including teleconferences as required
• Support, facilitate, and provide advice on timely implementation of decisions and follow-up actions from governance-related meetings

Coordination and communication

• Contribute to fostering coordination and information exchange across the organisation in liaison with the Senior Executive Officer and the Vice-President
• Draft correspondences as required on behalf of the Senior Executive Officer and the Vice-President
• Monitor and ensure implementation/follow-up of decisions taken by the Vice-President
• Contribute to the Office’s external and internal communications including drafting (messages, notes social media content, etc) and leading monthly internal staff call preparations (agenda, speakers, teleconferencing), in coordination with the Communications team

Special initiatives

• Support various special projects, including conceptualising and developing concepts and organising events

General

• Build and maintain a network of relationships with external interlocutors at different levels to support the effectiveness and impact of the President and Vice-Presidents’ work and networks
• Undertake other assignments as determined by the Senior Executive Officer or Vice-President from time to time
• Incorporate and promote gender perspectives and diversity to the fullest extent possible in the responsibilities above

Qualifications:

Candidates with relevant qualifications, experience, and fluency in English and French, are invited to apply. Relevant experience and qualifications may include:

Education

• A qualification in office administration, support, or business administration.
• A qualification in international relations, social sciences, peace/conflict studies or a related field.

Experience

• 3-4 years of related full-time work experience; a combination of headquarters and field experience desired.
• Policy and/or administrative support roles.
• Employment in international organisations or international non-governmental organisations.

Competencies

• Excellent spoken and written English and French
• Excellent skills to organise and coordinate in complex multi-stakeholder and multi-cultural environments
• Knowledge of peacebuilding and conflict prevention issues
• Demonstrated ability to manage many tasks at once and to work within short deadlines whilst remaining focused
• Close attention to detail
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office package; knowledge of Sharepoint and Microsoft Teams
• Sensitivity in dealing with sensitive and/or confidential information and issues, using discretion

Interpeace Competencies

• Collaboration and Weaving
• Communication
• Drive for results
• Adaptability and Continuous Learning
• Respect for Diversity