Senior Executive Assistant

The World Bank; Johannesburg; On-site; USD 25,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The World Bank seeks a highly organized Executive Assistant for its Johannesburg office to support the Director for Southern Africa. This role involves coordinating the Director’s calendar, managing communications, and providing high-level administrative support. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience, with strong communication skills and discretion in handling sensitive information.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Retirement plan

Medical, life and disability insurance

Paid parental leave

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to manage complexity and multitask.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Director.
• Coordinate the Director's calendar and travel arrangements.
• Ensure timely delivery of tasks needed by the Director.

Skills

Communication

Resourcefulness

Interpersonal Skills

Discretion

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

MS Office

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Job # : req33452 Organization : IFC Sector : Administration / Office Support Grade : GD Term Duration : 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type : Local Recruitment Location : Johannesburg,South Africa Required Language(s) : English Preferred Language(s) : Closing Date : 6 / 23 / 2025 (MM / DD / YYYY) at 11 : 59pm UTC

Description

IFC—a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. In fiscal year 2018, we delivered more than $23 billion in long-term financing for developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity.

IFC’s Sub-Saharan Africa Department is seeking to recruit a highly motivated and well-organized Executive Assistant to support the Director for Southern Africa & Nigeria. This role will contribute to the effective operation and administrative coordination of the Director’s front office and the broader Sub-Saharan Africa Department.

The position is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Duties and Accountabilities :

• Provide high-level administrative and organizational support to the Director
• Effectively communicate with all members of the Front Office to ensure coordination of efforts and efficiency
• Coordinate the Director's calendar, schedule and travel arrangements; Make sure the Director is fully prepared for each meeting / presentation / event
• Maintain a strong overview of the Department’s work program, ensuring timely delivery of tasks / actions needed by the Director and the management team. Help ensure that the Director action list is consistently current
• Provide quality control by monitoring documents for accuracy, ensuring adherence to unit and Bank guidelines and procedures, and assisting in editing, formatting, and production of documents and correspondence
• Proactively handle incoming emails. Delegating these to the relevant staff members and following up to make sure that they are handled on time. Independently prepare answers to queries
• Follow up to ensure that management decisions and assignments are properly carried out
• File, retrieve and track information for the Director's office
• Manage special departmental projects and other ad hoc duties as assigned by the Director toward the attainment of departmental goals
• Act as a liaison for the Director with external clients, Department's management team, HQ colleagues, including senior management, other Directors, and Executive Directors - handling sensitive matters with finesse and discretion

Selection Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree with minimum 5 years of relevant experience
• Advanced knowledge of office productivity tools (including MS Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Excellent communication skills – written and oral in English
• Demonstrated maturity, discretion and good judgement; absolute integrity in handling confidential information
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with a range of contacts both internal and external.
• Ability to handle complexity and ambiguity, to prioritize and multitask and to handle a diverse range of situations with tact and diplomacy
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team oriented, multi-cultural environment, and function as an effective team member in various groups
• High degree of resourcefulness with the ability to anticipate and solve problems and demonstrated willingness to go the extra mile
• Ability to influence others, excellent team building, collaboration and partnering skills. Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor support staff is an advantage
• Highly developed personal integrity, strong values and personal ethics, role modeling tact and discretion
• Passion, drive and commitment to the World Bank's development agenda and mission and ability to inspire.

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.