Vacancy: Programmes Administrator

Job title: Programmes Administrator

Reporting to: Programmes Manager

Supervisory responsibility: N/A

Key relationships: Programme Managers, Programme Officers, Head of Programmes, Communications Officer

Term: 1-year Fixed Term contract (with possibility of extension)

Salary: £28,455 per annum (inclusive of London Weighting)

Purpose of role:

Led by the Head of Programmes, the CPA Programmes team is the largest division within the CPA Headquarters Secretariat. The CPA Programmes Team is divided into two spheres: Multilateral Engagement and Bilateral Engagement.

The first sphere focuses heavily on the CPA's network coordination (Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, CPA Small Branches, Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities and Youth Engagement) with the second sphere, Bilateral Engagement, focusing on in-country institutional strengthening programmes including the CPA Parliamentary Academy. The CPA Programmes Team oversees the delivery of all CPA programmes, projects, and seminars.

Under the direction of a Programmes Manager, the Programmes Administrator provides operational and administrative support to Programmes Managers and delivery teams during the life-cycle of a project and takes a supporting role in the coordination of specific work streams within projects and programmes. The work involved with be varied and rewarding, and the role-holder will play an important part in strengthening parliamentary institutions and enhancing the capacity of parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to increase good governance processes across the Commonwealth.

Enthusiasm, commitment, and drive are key characteristics we are looking for in this role-holder.

Primary Duties or Responsibilities

Operational and Administrative Support

• Providing general project and programme delivery support, around the planning and delivery of workshops, seminars, diplomacy outreach visits, conferences and other technical assistance activities (virtual and physical).
• Development and maintenance of the CPA Secretariat’s database on Dynamics 365.
• Monitoring and evaluation support through tracking of participant/attendee responses in relation to the various programmes and events delivered by the Programmes Team.
• Organising webinars, team meetings, and conference calls/video conferences, often across multiple different time zones, including the preparation and distribution of meeting documents.
• Maintaining and updating the CPA HQ website, as and when required by colleagues.
• Supporting Programme Managers on related CPA network activities and governance arrangements.
• Support the maintenance of the CPA Parliamentary Academy learning management system (LMS), registering and processing of users, and updating online courses.
• Production of key project outputs including reports, presentations, exercises, outcome reports, etc.
• Proofreading/editing of documents, and drafting correspondence/letters/emails and speeches, where necessary/appropriate as instructed by the Programmes Manager.

Travel Management and coordination

• Provide support to staff and participants preparing for deployment, including (but not limited to) updating travel plans and itineraries.
• Communicate with travel agencies to obtain estimated airfares and hotel accommodation quotes.
• Reconciles travel expenditures for programme participants and submits claims for authorisation and payment.

Essential:

• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage own time, prioritise activities, and plan projects or groups of activities, within specific timeframes.
• Previous experience in managing general administrative tasks.
• Excellent accuracy, attention to detail and effective time management.
• Good organisational and prioritising skills to manage conflicting demands from various stakeholders internally and externally.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• A proactive, driven, engaged, professional attitude and ability to remain calm in a busy high-pressure environment.
• Excellent working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite and, in particular, Microsoft Excel.
• Experience in working effectively as part of a small team with people from different geographical regions, backgrounds, and cultures.
• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the organisation i.e. cover for annual leave, sickness and training, work outside of normal business hours.
• Willingness and ability to travel and/or occasionally work unsociable hours.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Desirable:

• Project/programme qualification
• Database management and expansion using Dynamics 365.
• Knowledge and experience of using the Creative Cloud and, in particular, Adobe InDesign and Premiere Pro.
• Experience in CMS website editing (for example Umbraco)
• Video and audio recording and editing skills.
• Experience in public speaking and delivering presentations.
• Experience of working with parliamentarians and parliaments and/or related governance institutions
• Knowledge of, or a passion for, democratic institutions and/or the Commonwealth.

Minimum Qualifications required:

• Relevant National Diploma or Degree
• 2 years’ relevant experience

Our Mission:

"To promote knowledge of the constitutional, legislative, economic, social and cultural aspects of parliamentary democracy, with particular reference to the countries of the Commonwealth."

About Us:

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is a membership-based association that brings together Parliamentarians, irrespective of gender, race, religion or culture, who are united by a community of interest, respect for the rule of law and individual rights and freedoms, and by the pursuit of the positive ideals of parliamentary democracy. The Association is made up of over 180 legislatures (or Branches) divided up between nine geographic regions of the Commonwealth. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practices.

If you are committed to progressing parliamentary democracy, highly self-motivated, hard-working and an organised individual who is willing to take on responsibility, then please apply for this role.

To apply, please submit a copy of your CV and a covering letter of no more than two A4 pages, stating how you fulfill the requirements of the role. 

All applications should be sent via email to sharon.moses@cpahq.org.

Deadline: Midnight, 4 June 2023 (GMT+1)

Interviews: 29 June 2023

For informal enquiries please contact Sharon Moses [email above].

NOTE: All posts are subject to UK Border Agency requirements for those who already have the right to work in the UK.