Senior Administrative Assistant

Senior Administrative Assistant

Job # : req34649 Organization : World Bank Sector : Administration / Office Support Grade : GD Term Duration : 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type : Local Recruitment Location : Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Required Language(s) : English, Arabic Preferred Language(s) : English, Arabic Closing Date : 11 / 9 / 2025 (MM / DD / YYYY) at 11 : 59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit

Regional Context The Middle East and North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan Region serves twenty two countries across different income groups, of which fourteen are active / potentially active IBRD / IDA borrowers (Afghanistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, West Bank and Gaza, Tunisia, and Yemen), with a total of 251 projects and over $51 bn in total commitment. Eight are users of the Region's non-lending services, mostly on a reimbursable basis (Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Malta, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). The mission of the region is to foster sustainable growth with a focus on job creation and poverty reduction, economic and social inclusion, and good governance. The region attaches importance to creating a supportive work environment based on the values of teamwork, transparency, trust, and client service, underlined by professional excellence. The region places high value on diversity. The region is organized into seven Country Departments (CMUs), the Office of the Regional Chief Economist, and the Development Effectiveness Unit (MNADE).

With an expanded regional strategy, the World Bank aims to help the region weather the current crises, move from stabilization to transformation, unlock its vast economic potential of youth and women, develop its human capital to adapt to global megatrends, and foster innovation (.).

The Regional Hub Office The World Bank is establishing a Regional Hub office for the Middle East, Northern Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP) region in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In this context, the regional senior management, including the Regional Vice President and Regional Practice Directors have moved to Riyadh. A Regional Hub Manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the Hub office which is emerging as a growing and vibrant international development platform to facilitate cross-regional knowledge and co-financing opportunities. This includes close collaboration with the World Bank teams in the GCC Country Department with ongoing programs in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, growing International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) teams in Riyadh, and across the MENAAP region. The Hub Office works closely with the Regional Development Effectiveness Unit (MNADE) in the World Bank HQ in Washington, .

Roles and Responsibilities The new Senior Administrative Assistant position at the level of GD will provide dedicated support in areas of Administration, Transaction Processing and Logistics, including performing administrative tasks for the Hub Manager, transaction processing for the Hub Office, coordination of major events / conference planning and logistical support where needed. The Senior Administrative Assistant is also expected to take on several corporate roles, such as Learning Coordinator, Transport coordinator, Travel Coordinator, Leave Coordinator, and Health Focal Point. Additional tasks include Facilities liaison, and oversight of the shared room facilities coordination and booking, including for the training facilities and cafeteria where needed.

The successful candidate is expected to work under the leadership of the Regional Hub Manager, and closely liaising with the Regional Operations Director in Washington DC, and the Regional Practice Directors based in Riyadh.

The Senior Administrative Assistant will be expected to handle a variety of concurrent activities and competing demands in a fluid and fast-paced environment, including the following duties :

Administrative Support

Ensure smooth operation of office and administrative support by maintaining and coordinating general office procedures and guidelines and ensure their dissemination across the function to enable efficiencies and consistency. Identify potential areas for improvement and develop solutions.

Perform with a high degree of efficiency, discretion and judgment to provide a wide range of administrative assistance to the Regional Hub Manager, especially in the areas of managing priorities, and work flow; staff interaction with the Hub Manager; screening of all in-coming documents; screening, prioritizing and following up on emails and phone calls and ensuring the smooth delivery of services. Ensure all documents requiring signature are of high quality and adhere to administrative operational guidelines. Routinely prepare correspondence on a range of topics on behalf of the Hub Manager and prepare minutes of meetings.

As the first point of contact for the Hub Manager, keep abreast of and maintain sufficient working knowledge of the tasks being performed in each unit with an ability to independently respond to inquiries and exercise strategic thinking and decision-making skills to address clients within and outside the Bank.

Use judgment, tact, diplomacy and discretion in answering and / or redirecting inquiries to appropriate sources and in dealing with sensitive or highly confidential matters; make decisions when multiple courses of action are possible.

Coordinate the time management and scheduling on behalf of the Hub Manager, to include effective prioritizing and resolving related conflicts and competing demands. Gather and collate materials and prepare mission briefing materials and binders for the Hub Manager’s schedule of meetings. Handle logistics of the Hub Manager’s mission travel. Handle logistical planning for meetings or equivalent events held in the office or sponsored by the office.

Support the management team of the Hub Office as well as work collaboratively with other colleagues and teams from the GCC regional team and other regional country offices in diverse work groups / teams / task forces.

Coordinate with the Administrative teams of the other Offices to ensure alignment with processes and procedures.

Transaction Support

Liaise with the Resource management (RM) staff, as needed, for information on cost object master data accuracy and budget availability.

Monitor contracts in context of the Hub Office unit budget.

Work with the RM staff to collect data necessary for various outputs from available systems and databases; maintain a database to facilitate information update and retrieval within the SAP framework.

Liaise with Task Teams, as needed, for the identification of upcoming contract needs and specifications.

Create and maintain contracts and payment requests within the SAP framework using Epayables and AdminPortal.

Communicate with the Hub Manager to gather all required information pertaining to all contract creation and ensure requirements are clear.

Adhere to ex ante and ex post controls related to various commitment items including travel, the procurement of goods and administrative services.

Adhere to record retention policies regarding commitment items procured within the unit.

Check status of specific contracts.

Flag and troubleshoot project specific discrepancies and problems identified by RM staff.

Monitor e‑mail and SAP workflow and take immediate action on any rejected payment requests in SAP.

Liaise with Appointments (HR), Accounting, GSD as needed to ensure contracts and associated payments are processed quickly and accurately.

Check goods and services payment status.

Office Procurement

Assist with procurement of office goods and services in collaboration with other staff.

Assist the Resource Management Officer with day-to-day procurement by identifying potential suppliers and requesting quotes.

Work with Administrative colleagues in the office liaisons to be assured the procedures and processes are respected on procurement and assist them with all administrative issues.

Identify and update periodically the list of vendors.

Assure the secretariat of the Administrative Procurement Review Committee (APRC) for the Regional Hub office by preparing report for the review of members and the approval of manager.

Establish the manual purchase order and have them approved and provide to suppliers.

Request goods (via SAP and GSD) and services (via SAP and eServices).

Logistics and Event Management

Provide leadership in the coordination and preparation of large events. S / he will supervise the office Event Coordinator and support the Regional Hub Manager and event implementing staff in large forums, large meetings, or special seminars, including marketing, identifying vendors, negotiating and processing contracts, travel arrangements of participants and speakers.

Oversee the preparation of materials and follow up registration for events managed by the administrative team.

Travel Coordinator

Provide support to staff, visiting missions, STC / STTs on matters related to travel.

Liaise with the Relocation Focal Point in the office regarding support needed to office staff members, new staff moving to Riyadh, other country offices staff, consultants and visiting missions with all visa related issues.

Act as focal point for the travel agency contract, travel queries / issues.

Verify travel Agent bills and collect all information for payment processing.

Enter trip requests and trip cost statements (for consultants, WBI participants and other external partners).

Other Support

Supervise and coordinate the day-to-day operations of the drivers and messengers.

Play an HR proxy role in coordination with the HR business partner.

Take up the role of Leave and Attendance Record System (LARS) for CMU staff mapped to Riyadh Country Office.

Serve as Health Focal Point, liaising with the regional Health & Safety Department team.

Serve as Facilities liaison for any logistical matters involving the new Regional Hub facilities, including provision of oversight of the shared room facilities coordination and booking.

Inspire trust by keeping others informed via timely dissemination of relevant information, reports, etc.

Perform other tasks assigned by Management (Supervisor) with respect to the Country Office.

Selection Criteria

Bachelor’s degree with at least seven years of relevant experience, preferably with international development organizations.

Ability to process, handle, and communicate matters of a sensitive and confidential nature with a high degree of judgement and maturity.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to speak articulately and to write clearly, precisely and concisely for various audiences, and strong ability to work within a team environment.

Excellent organizational, administrative, and time management skills with proven ability to work promptly and efficiently under pressure and meet tight deadlines. Ability to shift gears at short notice to work on a wide range of assignments, remaining flexible and effective with a clear understanding of objectives to be achieved.

Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to reorganize, edit and draft a variety of documents.

Strong interpersonal skills and ability to deal tactfully, diplomatically, and effectively with internal / external contacts at all levels in a multicultural environment. Demonstrated ability to independently respond to extensive and diverse inquiries and make decisions when multiple courses of action are possible.

Establish and maintain an effective network of contacts both within the World Bank Group office and throughout the Bank Group to ensure effective liaison in support of business needs.

Required Competencies

Technology and systems knowledge - Has advanced proficiency of latest technology relevant to assigned responsibilities. Demonstrates initiative in learning and / or supporting implementation of emerging technology and systems relevant to effective work of the unit.

Project and task management - Able to organize, coordinate, monitor and implement tasks and projects. Demonstrates ownership and accountability for results. Demonstrates innovation and creativity in promoting effectiveness.

Institutional policies, processes, and procedures - Demonstrates in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of administrative and policy guidelines, practices, products and services in area of assigned functional responsibility; can guide others in complex situations.

Versatility and adaptability - Able to anticipate, facilitate and catalyze change in the business environment and accurately assess the need for new skills and knowledge. Demonstrates continued learning attitude, supporting others in their learning and change management efforts.

Office Administration - Able to take responsibility for all aspects of planning, organization, coordination, and improvement of the office’s administrative work distribution in support of the implementation of the office’s work program.

Fluency in English and Arabic.

Preference will be given to local talent, that is, applicants who are authorized to work in the duty station for any employer. Internal applicants may apply per existing guidelines.

WBG Culture Attributes

Sense of urgency : Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.

Thoughtful risk‑taking : Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.

Empowerment and accountability : Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

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.

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