Programme Assistant

at  Commonwealth Secretariat

We have an excellent opportunity for a Programme Assistant to join the Good Offices Section within our Governance and Peace Directorate (GPD).
The successful candidate will be responsible for providing administrative and programme support on a wide range of tasks to enable the GPD, to achieve its objectives in programme delivery. S /he reports to the Head of Unit but supports the work of the Unit as a whole, assisting the professional/diplomatic officers as needed, in a team-working arrangement.
The Programme Assistant is responsible for working on financial systems, organising workshops/meetings in London and overseas, including logistical arrangements, contract management for consultants and providing budgetary information. The post holder will be required to respond to queries from across the organisation and stakeholders and will be responsible for maintaining registry, records, and documentation.

Other responsibilities entailed in this role include (but are not limited to):

• Acts as the initial contact for enquiries from Commonwealth High Commissions, international organisations and the public on the Directorate/Division’s documents and publications;
• Provides administrative support in the planning, execution, and implementation of the Directorate/Division programmes;
• Prepares financial data and reports as required, supports Directorate/Division procedures relating to purchase and expenditure transactions on CODA (in-house financial system) and processes payments, maintains documentation and monitors project expenditures;
• Provides administrative and logistic support to the Directorate/Division in relation to assigned meetings/workshops/seminars in London and overseas.

Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the responsibilities for this position.
To be considered, you will need to have qualifications to “A” Level, or equivalent vocational qualification(s). You will also need at least three years’ experience in administrative work and with financial management. You will also need to be highly experienced in the use of Microsoft Office, especially in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Candidates with a recognised qualification in public administration, business management or financial management field will have an added advantage.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 member governments and provides guidance on policy making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.
To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country and have the right to live and work in the UK.
Please apply by submitting a CV and cover letter. Covering letters should be structured to address the key criteria required in the Person Specification, giving clear examples.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.
It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 33 of our members are small states, including many island nations.
Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.
The Commonwealth’s roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth. The last two countries to join the Commonwealth were Gabon and Togo in 2022

• Acts as the initial contact for enquiries from Commonwealth High Commissions, international organisations and the public on the Directorate/Division’s documents and publications;
• Provides administrative support in the planning, execution, and implementation of the Directorate/Division programmes;
• Prepares financial data and reports as required, supports Directorate/Division procedures relating to purchase and expenditure transactions on CODA (in-house financial system) and processes payments, maintains documentation and monitors project expenditures;
• Provides administrative and logistic support to the Directorate/Division in relation to assigned meetings/workshops/seminars in London and overseas