Executive Assistant - MDF West Africa

MDF West Africa Limited (MDF West Africa) is a training and management consultancy firm that is registered in Ghana and commenced business on May 2009. MDF West Africa serves global and local clients in any of the West African countries and beyond. With a core staff of 28 professionals, supported by a network of 25 associated trainers/consultants, MDF WA is a multi-project organization implementing approximately 15 projects simultaneously.

MDF West Africa is a fully owned local subsidiary of MDF Training & Consultancy BV that has been building the capacity of individuals, organisations, and networks since 1984 with the mission of ‘empowering people, creating impact’. The Global MDF has offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Kenya, Ghana, D.R. Congo, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and project offices in Rwanda, Uganda and Benin. MDF offers open-subscription training courses, tailor-made training and workshops and consultancy services in multiple sectors. MDF also provides support to organisations in the design and implementation of project monitoring and evaluation and learning (MEL) processes. 

Being part of the MDF Global network and being an independent Ghana-based regional management consulting and training firm, we bring the best of both worlds. We bring over 35 years of global experience in development intervention, project design and program management enriched with our locally gained expertise. We draw upon our extensive experience in the implementation of both public and private sector initiatives in developing economies. MDF WA can draw upon expertise from other regions where MDF Global is operating. 

Job Description

MDF West Africa is looking for an executive assistant to join our team. You will be responsible for providing comprehensive support to the CEO, Board of Directors, Executive Team, and project managers, and managing the organization’s office operation. Within this role, you will have the opportunity to engage with a variety of clients and support the successful implementation of our projects and programs. You will be part of the international MDF network and therefore work with and learn from colleagues from Africa, Europe, and Asia.

MAIN TASK AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Communication with clients and partners

• You are the first point of contact for incoming emails on our general MDF WA and director’s accounts. You will screen, prioritise, answer and archive the emails in order of importance;
• You keep and update a database of contacts of our clients and partners;
• You keep a list of outstanding actions and regularly make sure these are followed up on;
• You screen emails for potential opportunities for training and consultancy services;
• You forward emails to relevant colleagues with a request for input, reply or follow-up;
• You manage and keep the agenda of the director, prioritising incoming requests for appointments, scheduling and confirming requests and (re-)scheduling internal staff meetings;
• You draft emails and documents and review the quality of other documents for grammar, spelling and formatting before they are sent out;
• You keep a list of running projects and their important dates such as invoicing, reporting and client meetings.

Office Management

• You schedule internal staff meetings, such as all staff meetings, project kick-offs, progress meetings, evaluation meetings and staff performance interviews;
• You ensure project milestones are being met. If deliverables are late, you discuss this with the relevant project managers;
• You ensure availability of items in the office (e.g. printing, kitchen, consumables) in collaboration with our finance department;
• You engage all staff for project updates for our global communication channels.

Required Skills or Experience

NEEDED COMPETENCIES

Technical Competencies and Professional Experiences

• Management expertise within projects, programmes, teams or organisations i.e. steering people, client management, financial management, knowledge management;
• Strong writing skills i.e. clear, to-the-point, in-depth, proper English, in time, understanding client needs;
• Maintaining client relationships and networking;
• You are capable to handle administrative, communication and knowledge management technologies – i.e. Microsoft Word and Excel, Email Management System, Adobe, Skype, LinkedIn, and more;
• You must be fluent in English speaking and writing; French is a plus.

Personal/social

• Service- and client-oriented;
• Pro-active/take initiative, business-driven, professional, cosmopolitan attitude;
• Team player, flexible, goes the extra mile, not a 9 to 5 mentality;
• Strong communication skills (both verbal and written) on a regional and international level via email, phone and face-to-face i.e. respectful, business-oriented, broad vocabulary, understanding of culture and customs;
• Work independently, be and take responsibility for the team and clients, practical approach;
• Can deal with productivity and turnover targets;
• You are interested to learn and improve;
• You have International and/or West African working expertise;
• You are interested in management for development.