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Wednesday 21 October 2015

Program Assistant

Program Assistant – Academics Unit
 
Introduction: The African Virtual University (AVU) is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization established by charter with the mandate of significantly increasing access to quality higher education and training through the innovative use of information communication technologies. 

A Charter, establishing the AVU as an Intergovernmental Organization, has been signed so far by eighteen (19) African Governments - Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Democratic Republic
of Congo, Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria and Cape Verde. 


The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a Regional office in Dakar Senegal with Host-Country Agreements and Diplomatic Status with the two governments.

The AVU Business Plan has two main thrusts: (a) Educational and support services provided on a fee basis; and (b) development services. 

The development services, aims at building the capacity of AVU Partner Institutions (PIs) with an objective of increasing access to quality education through the following activities: updating and developing content; Open Educational Resources (OER) Development; Open, Distance and eLearning Professional Development (ODeLPD); setup/upgrade ODeL centers; developing professional networks through Communities of Practices; Research and Development; and Quality Evaluation and Benchmarking.
 
The AfDB is funding a second phase of the Multinational Project which will build on the first phase and will extend its benefits to more countries. 

The overall objective of the AVU Multinational Project II is to strengthen the capacity of the AVU and a network of 27 institutions to deliver and manage quality ICT integrated education and training opportunities in 21 African countries. 

The project has the following activities:

(1) Establishment of new Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Centers and/or upgrading of exiting AVU Learning Centers as well as Internet connectivity provision at AVU Partner Institutions; 

(2) Development and/or improvement, and delivery of four ICT integrated Programs: ODeL Profession Development (ODeLPD); Teacher Education (TE), Applied Computer Science (ACS), and Peace Management and Conflict Resolution;

(3) Gender Mainstreaming 

(4) Research and Development; 

(5) Promotion and development of Open Education Resources (OERs); and 

(6) Enhancement of AVU Capacity

To successfully implement activities of the Academic Programs Unit the AVU wishes to engage an Academic Programs Assistant to undertake administrative activities of the Unit

Scope of Work & Deliverables:
 
The Programs Assistant will assist the Manager Academic Program Unit and will support the activities of the unit. More specifically, the Assistant will:
  • Support efficiently the organization of unit’s meetings and activities, will take minutes and follow up on items.
  • Support general internal correspondence of the unit
  • Assist in monitoring correspondence with the Lusophone and Anglophone countries and Institutions
  • Follow up and compile information on the Scholarship fund
  • Assist in monitoring timelines for immediate activities of the Unit
  • Responsible for the filing (electronic and manual) documents of the Unit
  • Making travel and accommodation arrangements for consultants working under the responsibility of the Unit
  • Perform any other duties that the supervisor may assign from time to time
Expected Deliverables
  • Organization of unit’s meetings efficiently supported minutes taken and items followed up followed up
  • General internal correspondence supported
  • Monitoring of correspondence with Lusophone and Anglophone countries and Institutions assisted;
  • Information on Scholarship’s Fund followed up and compiled
  • Monitoring of timelines for immediate activities of the Unit assisted
  • Documents of the Units filled (electronic and manual) appropriately
  • Travel and accommodation arrangements for consultants working under the responsibility of the Unit made;
 Qualifications
  • Degree in Business Administration, Economics, Commerce, Law or Development Studies, Accounting, Econometrics, Economics of Education/ Education and Economics or a relevant Social Science degree;
  • A qualification in accounting , secretarial studies , office management would be an added advantage;
  • Be conversant with the use of the full MS Office package (particularly Ms Excel) in business planning, MS Project or other relevant modeling software;
  • At least two years relevant work experience in an International Organization, IGO or NGO;
Competencies, Skills and Attributes:
  • Demonstrated skills and experience in project management;
  • Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills;
  • Demonstrated ability to work under pressure;
  • Attention to details;
  • Strong team and interpersonal skills;
  • Ability to interact at all levels ;
  • Must demonstrate strong coordination skills; and
  • Language skills of English as the working language but the ability to work in French and/or Portuguese will be an added advantage.
Modalities of Work: The Assistant will work full time dedicating 8 hours in a day for 5 days a week.
 
Duration: 14 Months
 
Reporting: The Assistant will work under the supervision of the Manager, Academic Programs or such other person as the client may designate from time to time in writing.

How to Apply

The successful candidate will be appointed for 14 months.

Application must include an application letter and a detailed curriculum vitae with: a telephone number; email address; and names with contact addresses of three professional references. 

Applications should be sent to job@avu.org and must have Program Assistant – Academic Unit as the email subject 

The successful candidate will be based at the AVU Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

The closing date for this application is October 28th 2015 at 18:00 East African Time (UTC/GMT + 3)

The African Virtual University (AVU) is an equal opportunity employer.
 
Note: ONLY shortlisted candidates will be contacted.