Finance and Administrative Assistant, SABAH

International Labour Organization; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The International Labour Organization seeks a Finance and Administrative Assistant (FAA) based in Kuala Lumpur. The FAA will provide vital financial support, manage procurement, and assist with budget analysis for the ILO's Sabah project. Candidates should have extensive administrative and financial experience, proficiency in English and Bahasa Malaysia, and a solid understanding of ILO procedures is preferred. This role offers the chance to contribute significantly to the project's success in enhancing educational opportunities for children on plantations in Malaysia.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in English and Bahasa Malaysia, with good drafting skills.
• Minimum five years of project/admin/finance support experience; familiarity with ILO procedures preferred.

Responsibilities

• Maintain project financial records and monitoring systems.
• Process contracts for financial clearance and payments, ensuring correctness and proper documentation.
• Prepare routine correspondence, verify data, and follow up with project staff and counterparts.
• Manage financial transactions in IRIS, including contracts, travel requests, and purchase orders.
• Arrange procurement, shipment, receipt of supplies, equipment, and household effects, including customs clearance.
• Classify and verify claims for payment, process vouchers, and check invoices.
• Provide administrative and financial support to project staff and consultants.
• Consult with the Finance Unit on rules and procedures, and inform staff of updates.
• Prepare reports for donors, budgets, and audits.
• Assist in budget analysis and projections.
• Support project workshops and meetings in Malaysia.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the National Project Coordinator and the Finance Unit.

Skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office

Analytical thinking

Interpersonal skills

Cultural sensitivity

Education

Secondary school education with commercial training

Job description

Introduction

In Sabah, children’s involvement in oil palm plantation work is widespread and traditionally perceived as informal assistance to their parents, even though such work is highly risky and detrimental to children’s safety, development, health, and education. Factors such as economic vulnerability, low wages, limited access to education, and lack of childcare contribute to child labour. Young persons aged 16 and above from the plantation community often face barriers to employment and education, risking remaining in low-paid, high-risk sectors.

The EU-funded Promoting socio-economic inclusion through enhanced access to education and training opportunities for children on plantations in Sabah (SABAH), implemented by the ILO and UNICEF since 2024, aims to eliminate child labour by supporting the Malaysian Government’s efforts under the National Action Plan on Forced Labour (NAPFL) 2021–2025 and enhancing enforcement of the Sabah Labour Ordinance.

Reporting lines

The Finance and Administrative Assistant (FAA) will be based in Kuala Lumpur, working under the supervision of the National Project Coordinator for the Sabah Project, with guidance from the Chief of Regional Administration Services for the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The FAA will collaborate closely with other ILO staff.

Description of Duties

1. Maintain project financial records and monitoring systems.
2. Process contracts for financial clearance and payments, ensuring correctness and proper documentation.
3. Prepare routine correspondence, verify data, and follow up with project staff and counterparts.
4. Manage financial transactions in IRIS, including contracts, travel requests, and purchase orders.
5. Arrange procurement, shipment, receipt of supplies, equipment, and household effects, including customs clearance.
6. Classify and verify claims for payment, process vouchers, and check invoices.
7. Provide administrative and financial support to project staff and consultants.
8. Consult with the Finance Unit on rules and procedures, and inform staff of updates.
9. Prepare reports for donors, budgets, and audits.
10. Assist in budget analysis and projections.
11. Support project workshops and meetings in Malaysia.
12. Perform other duties as assigned by the National Project Coordinator and the Finance Unit.

Required qualifications

Education

Secondary school education with commercial training or equivalent experience.

Experience

Minimum five years of project/admin/finance support experience; familiarity with ILO procedures preferred.

Languages

Proficiency in English and Bahasa Malaysia, with good drafting skills.

Competencies

Knowledge of office support, awareness of ILO activities, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and skills in meeting organization, information retrieval, software adaptability, drafting, analytical thinking, discretion, interpersonal skills, and cultural sensitivity.

Recruitment process

Applicants must complete an online application via the ILO Jobs website. Instructions are provided there.

Fraud warning

The ILO does not charge fees at any recruitment stage. Beware of messages from non-ILO email addresses and do not share bank details.