The Dakar Administrative Assistant works under the Executive Director and the Executive Intern to fulfill administrative tasks essential to the completion of their duties and ultimately to all levels of Tostan’s organizational operations.   While the majority of his/her time will be spent in the office, he/she will have the occasional opportunity, if so desired, to travel to other parts of Senegal to compile photographic and written portraits about villages who participated in Tostan’s programs or to write articles about public declarations to abandon harmful traditional practices.  

While most Tostan volunteers in Senegal are based in regional offices, the Administrative Assistant will be based in the West African Regional Office located in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.   Due to the fact that many Non-Governmental Organizations locate their West African Regional headquarters in Dakar, it is a fairly large metropolis, relative to other African capital cities, with a sizeable international community.   This position is ideal for a volunteer who prefers to live in a larger city as opposed to smaller provincial towns.  

Examples of Responsibilities Include:

1. Organize all electronic copies of Tostan program documents and post final project reports on Tostan’s server for all staff to access
2. Organize French and English news articles on Tostan and make packets for seminars
3. Create an informational bulletin board complete with pictures of programs in the field and maps of program areas for the Dakar Office
4. Reformat organization-wide documents such as the all-staff contact list
5. Organize e-mail groups for the Executive Director
6. Organize online calendar for Executive Director
7. Create systems of filing for the Executive Director
8. Document need for repairs to and materials for volunteer housing and submit to Volunteer Coordinator quarterly
9. Collaborate with the Senegalese office manager on these tasks with a view to training her/him for this position.   

Qualifications:

• 6 months—1 year of administrative experience preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts preferred
• Outstanding organizational skills
• Ability to multitask, work independently and be flexible in a fast-paced multicultural environment
• French written at an intermediate high or advanced level (i.e. 3 years of college level French or in-country equivalent)
• Knowledge of Gmail, Google Groups, Google Documents, Google Calendars, and other Internet programs
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office   

Benefits:

• Housing adjacent to office
• Lunch Monday-Friday
• Travel expenses for work-related trips
• Internet access in office during reasonable hours of the day and night
• Development of Curriculum Vitae
• Hands on experience with an internationally recognized NGO
• Opportunityto develop highly sought-after skills in project management, training, and written and oral communication in a multicultural, multilingual environment   

Trainings provided: Basic skills in national language, Use of map-making software, Use of Tostan’s server; others as needed.