Affiliate Contractor - Administrative Assistant (Protocol and Legal Support)

The Affiliate Contractor provides administrative support to the IOM Ethiopia country office and special liaison office on protocol and legal matters, including contract review, compliance verification, and coordination with legal and government entities. The role involves managing legal documentation, assisting with immigration formalities, and supporting import/export clearance processes.

Responsibilities

• Assist in reviewing contracts of the CO and SLO (with IOM’s donors, implementing partners, service providers, contractors and other partners) and verifying compliance with applicable Framework Agreements and IOM internal legal requirements.
• Coordinate/liaise in all applicable instances with the Office of Legal Affairs as required.
• Support CO and SLO in work concerning relevant legal and contractual issues, including terminating agreements, contracts and contractual disputes.
• Conduct preliminary checkup for accuracy and compliance of a variety of legal documentation, instruments and publication and related correspondences and report any discrepancies to the supervisor.
• Liaise with the Office of Legal Affairs as needed.
• Liaise and follow up with government entities on legal and protocol issues, in coordination with the Office of Legal Affairs.
• Maintain confidential records of legal-related work and assist in developing a contract retrieval and reference system.
• Participate in due diligence processes, including verification of business licenses, tax documentation and other documents with relevant authorities prior to contracting.
• Assist with the issuance and the renewal of residency permit for International Staff as well as their Dependents upon request.
• Provide guidance to staff members, eligible dependents and conference delegates on immigration formalities and visa-related matters.
• Follow operating procedures related to protocol and Ethiopian visas and support timely handling of immigration formalities.
• Assist with the tracking of passports/travel documents sent to the various Government Ministries, Department of Immigration and Embassies.
• Attend to the visa status of CO and SLO visitors and maintain a separate file for request of visa on arrival for conference participants, consultants, fellows, Interns and other guests of IOM.
• Assist import and export clearance from various Government Ministries and assist on new registration and transfer of vehicles upon request from logistic team.
• Regularly brief the concerned unit with respect to changes in national protocol rules and regulations that could affect IOM programming in Ethiopia and the Region.
• Perform such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned.

Requirements

• University degree in Law, Social and/or Political Science, International Relations or a related field from an accredited academic institution, with two years of relevant professional experience.
• Or completed High school diploma from an accredited academic institution, with four years of relevant professional experience.
• Proven experience and knowledge in all matters of law related to the field of work, which can range from corporate companies to non-government organizations.
• Proven experience and knowledge in various national laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders and agency rules.
• Proven good negotiation and communication skills.
• Proven experience in reviewing legal documents, papers and developed research skills and knowledge of business and/or private international law is an advantage.
• Prior work experience with international humanitarian organizations, non-government or government institutions/organization in a multi-cultural setting is an advantage.
• Experience in administrative services or related areas.
• Experience in preparing clear and concise communications and coordination of administrative activities.
• Experience in working in a multilateral system, preferably UN context, with deep familiarity of the UN system, its secretariat, agencies, funds, programmes and organizations; working also closely with international agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders, and governments; and,
• Experience in enterprise resource planning systems, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.), and web-based collaborative platforms like SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
• Proven experience in English drafting skills
• Attention to detail, ability to organize paperwork in a methodical way.
• Discreet, details and clients-oriented, patient and willingness to learn.
• Good communication skills, especially in a multilingual setting; good writing skills.
• Knowledge of IOM/UN regulations, policies and procedures.
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously within a team of colleagues from varied cultures and professional backgrounds.
• High sense of responsibility and motivation; and,
• Ability to work with minimum supervision against tight deadlines.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Fluency in English (oral and written) and local/national working language.
• Working knowledge of local area languages is desirable.

Skills

• Legal Document Review
• Corporate Law Knowledge
• National Law Knowledge
• Court Procedures
• Government Regulations
• Negotiation Skills
• Legal Research
• Business Law
• Private International Law
• Administrative Services
• Communications Skills
• Coordination of Administrative Activities
• UN System Familiarity
• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Microsoft Office Suite
• SharePoint Development
• MS Teams
• English Drafting
• IOM UN Regulations Knowledge
• Confidentiality Management
• Contract Review
• Compliance Verification
• Immigration Formalities
• Import Export Clearance

Languages

English