LOCATION: Geneva, Switzerland
DURATION: 1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016 (preceded by ten days preparation in UK from mid-August 2015)
This is an opportunity for a person with an interest in international affairs and in international organizations to experience a range of international work, while working primarily as an assistant to QUNO’s Representative for Food & Sustainability in her work relating to agricultural trade and investment and on intellectual property of plants. The work also includes a support role to QUNO’s Bonn-based Representative for Climate Change, maintaining strong linkages between QUNO’s work in Geneva and in Bonn, contributing to programme outreach, and acting as a Geneva-based presence in meetings where appropriate.
Duties and Responsibilities
The post will comprise two sets of responsibilities as follows:
1) Programme work (approximately 60% of time. 70% of the programme work is estimated to be on food and sustainability and 30% on climate change)
Assisting the Representatives Food and Sustainability and Climate Change. This might include assisting with and supporting QUNO's work relating to agricultural trade; assisting with and supporting QUNO's work relating to innovation and intellectual property in agriculture; acting as active link person between the Representative for Climate Change in Bonn and Geneva based staff, including: facilitating her participation in virtual meetings; making arrangements for her presence at in-person meetings and generally supporting a high level of integration; contributing to programme outreach; and participating in Geneva-based meetings where appropriate; attending UN, NGO and other meetings; representing QUNO at such meetings, as appropriate; assisting in setting up and participating in meetings at Quaker House; writing internal notes and reports and external communications; collecting, reading, analysing, sorting and filing documents; helping to prepare submissions to the UN, and other materials; responding to enquiries by letter, email and telephone.
2) Administrative tasks providing support to QUNO as a whole (approximately 40% of time) assisting with the organization and the logistics of QUNO’s Geneva Summer School assisting in the arrangements for lunches and other events which take place at Quaker House, including cooking and clearing up and other tasks around the House; working with members of staff on general routine clerical duties including minute taking, dealing with filing, the post, photocopying, and all aspects of hospitality; assisting with the maintenance of the QUNO database and other tasks related to QUNO outreach activities; assisting with managing and editing QUNO’s Geneva Reporter.
Closing date for completed applications: 30 March 2015
Interviews: Expected in London on 13 May 2015
Starting date: 1 September 2015, with a mandatory preparation period in the UK expected to be of ten days and to begin 18 August, for which a small allowance will be paid. The successful candidate will also be encouraged to participate in the QUNO Geneva Summer School (5-16 July 2015) at QUNO’s expense.
TO APPLY
All applications must be made on the QUNO Programme Assistant application form for this position that is available on-line on the QUNO webpage. Your completed form should be sent by email to qunojob2@quno.ch with "Programme Assistant, Food and Sustainability/Climate Change" in the subject line. If you decide to apply for both Programme Assistant positions, you must apply for each one separately using the relevant form.
All applications will be treated in confidence. Your application will be automatically acknowledged by the email system. While we are grateful for all applications, we regret that beyond this acknowledgement, we can only respond to shortlisted candidates. If you have not been invited to interview by 1 May 2015 please consider that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
View the full job posting here.