Executive Assistant/Board Liaison Officer

About CareCoop

Care Cooperative Savings and Credit Society Limited (hereinafter “CareCoop”) came into being in 1995 based on an agreement signed by three organizations namely, CARE International in Zambia, Plan International and PULSE Holdings Limited. CareCoop has continued to draw its membership from staff of these organizations. Following the amendments of the Cooperative By-Laws in 2004, CareCoop opened to any other interested Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). It later opened its doors to other organizations which are not in the NGO sector.

Members of NGO sector are considered Associate Members. Since its formation in 1995 CareCoop has offered various services to its members which are mainly savings and loan products. The benefits of being a CareCoop member include; loans at favorable interest rates, different types of loans, interest on savings, dividends on shares held by members, and variety of products provided to members to suite various circumstances.

From an initial 50 members in 1995, CareCoop has grown to over 4,000 active members as at 31 December 2018, with a balance sheet of over ZMW78million.

Role Summary

The Executive Assistant and Board Liaison Officer is a full-time position that reports directly to the General Manager. This position will be responsible for providing strategic administrative support to the General Manager (GM) to support optimal use of GM time and resources and effective achievement of GM goals and responsibilities (50%) and provide administrative support to the Board of Directors and Risk & Audit Committee (50%).

Role Responsibilities

1. Research, prioritize and follow up on incoming issues and concerns identified by and/or addressed to the GM, including those of a sensitive or confidential nature. Recommend appropriate course of action, referral or response.
2. Translate goals into daily/weekly action plans; confirm and support execution of plans. Manage the GM’s calendar, ensuring that GM’s schedule is handled in an efficient and professional manner.
3. Plan remote and in-person meetings by compiling agendas, coordinating logistics and materials, inviting guests, and taking minutes.
4. Work closely with the GM to keep him/her informed of and prepared for upcoming commitments and responsibilities, and to ensure her appropriate follow up.
5. Successfully complete critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including drafting acknowledgement letters, personal correspondence, and presentations, as well as other tasks that facilitate the GM’s ability to effectively lead the organization.
6. As directed by the GM, conduct research and assemble and analyze data to prepare reports and documents
7. Communicate directly, and on behalf of the GM, with Board members, members and others.
8. Monitor Board communications calendar and coordinate with assigned staff to prepare and deliver their assignments. Monitor board budget and prepare quarterly reports for the GM.
9. Create meeting(s) timeline, prepare and distribute meeting notifications, and agenda materials, managing all correspondence around meeting execution. Attend Board and working group meetings and record and circulate minutes.
10. Maintain institutional memory around Board functioning. Keep current Board documents saved on the computer. Create and maintain Board Manual and binder of relevant materials. Onboard new Board members. Send new Board members hard copy of Board binder.

Education and Experience

• Diploma in Secretarial, Business Management, Commerce. Bachelors’ Degree will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience working with a Board of Directors and/or Board appointed Committees.
• Experience using MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Experience using MS Dynamics Navision or related packages will be added advantage.

Personal Skills

• Motivated and rewarded by helping others perform at highest levels in service of the organization and its mission. Reliable, self-motivated, focused, positive attitude, flexible, and proactive.
• Ability to multi-task, with strong organizational skills and strength in developing, organizing, and implementing procedures including ability to translate goals into action steps, confirm and execute plans.
• Ability to identify creative solutions that address time, budget, quality, with demonstrated skill in negotiation. Sound judgement in decision-making and exceptional boundaries related to confidential information.
• Ability to anticipate and use intuition, judgment, business/organizational knowledge, motivational techniques and personal leadership to meet GM and Board member needs.
• Excellent communication skills (in-person, email, phone, status reports, managing documents, remote meetings). Comfort with using technology and Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and internet search tools

Years of Experience

• 5 years relevant work experience

How to Apply

Kindly send your application letter and a copy of the Curriculum Vitae, with 3 traceable referees via email only to the following address: Care Cooperative Savings and Credit Society Ltd, Plot 9696, Off Munali Road, Chudleigh, Lusaka. Email [email protected] . Deadline is 25th April 2019. The subject line for the email must be ‘Executive Assistant & Board Liaison Officer Application’.