AFRICAN VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY PROJECT ASSISTANT

The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization established by charter with the mandate of significantly increasing access to quality higher education and training through the innovative use of information communication technologies.

A Charter, establishing the AVU as an Intergovernmental Organization, has been signed so far by eight (8) African Governments: Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania Mozambique, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a Regional office in
Dakar Senegal with Host-Country Agreements and Diplomatic Status with the two governments.

The AVU Business Plan 2009-2014 has two main thrusts:
(a) Educational and support services provided on a fee basis; and
(b) Not-for-profit development services.

The Not-for-profit development services aims at building the capacity of AVU Partner Institutions (PIs) with an objective of increasing access to quality education through the following activities:
    updating and developing content;
    Open Educational Resources (OER) Development;
    AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP);
    set up/upgrade ODeL centers;
    developing professional networks through Communities of Practices;
    Research and Development and
    Quality Evaluation and Benchmarking.

Some of the Not-for-profit development services were delivered from 2005 to 2011 through the AVU Multinational Project I funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and implemented in 10 African countries.

The AfDB is funding a second phase of the Multinational Project which will build on the first phase and will extend its benefits to more countries.

The overall objective of the AVU Multinational Project II is to strengthen the capacity of the AVU and a network of 27 institutions to deliver and manage quality ICT integrated education and training opportunities in 22 African countries.

The project has the following activities:
(1) Establishment of new Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Centres and/or upgrading of exiting AVU Learning Centres as well as Internet connectivity provision at AVU Partner Institutions;
(2) Development and/or improvement, and delivery of four ICT integrated Programs: AVU Capacity Enhancement Program (ACEP); Teacher Education, Computer Science, and Peace and Conflict Resolution;
(3) Gender Mainstreaming;
(4) Research and Development;
(5) Promotion and development of Open Education Resources (OERs); and
(6) Enhancement of AVU Capacity .

The AVU Multinational project II will be implemented in 27 AVU Partner Institutions in the following 22 countries: nine (9) Francophone African Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal; four (4) Lusophone African Countries: Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique; and eight (9) Anglophone African Countries: Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, and Tanzania.

To successfully implement these project activities the AVU wishes to engage a Project Assistant Anglophone to provide support to the Project Manager in Nairobi, Kenya

Scope of Work
The Project Assistant Anglophone will report to the Project Manager in Nairobi office.
The main duties of the Project Assistant are as follow:
    Assisting in developing project documents as instructed by the supervisor, which include:
    Quarterly Reports
    Disbursement requests
    Direct payment Requests
    Annual Reports
    Assisting in the organization of project meetings and workshops
    Taking minutes of project meetings
    Drafting general internal correspondence for the project
    Monitoring correspondence with the Anglophone Participating Institutions
    Compiling donor reporting data for quarterly and annual reports
    Assist in monitoring timelines for immediate activities of project staff
    Managing the filing (electronic and manual) system of the project
    Making travel and accommodation arrangements for project staff and visitors.
    Establishing reconciliation of travel and accommodation fees for project staff and visitors
    Timely processing of stationery and other requirements for project implementation
    Efficient handling of the Project Manager/Program Coordinator schedules.
    Any other duties as may be assigned form time to time.

Expected Deliverables
    All project files are up to date and kept in the right format;
    Project Manager supported in and project team in Nairobi team supported;
    Bi-Data from Anglophone partner institutions and from AVU compiled for the donor quarterly reports
    Files of all communications with donors maintained

Qualifications
    Degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Economics, Commerce, Law or Development Studies, Accounting, Econometrics, Economics of Education/ Education and Economics or a relevant Social Science degree;
    A qualification in accounting, secretarial studies, office management would be an added advantage;
    Be conversant with the use of the full MS Office package (particularly Ms Excel) in business planning, Ms Project or other relevant modeling software;
    At least 2 years’ relevant work experience in an International Organization, IGO or NGO;
    Demonstrated skills and experience in project management;
    Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills;
    Demonstrated ability to work under pressure;
    Attention to details;
    Strong team and interpersonal skills;
    Ability to interact at all levels ;
    Must demonstrate strong coordination skills; and
    Ability to work in French will be an added advantage.

Modalities of Work
The Project Assistant Anglophone will work full time dedicating 8 hours a day, for 5 days a week.

Duration: 2 years
Reporting: The officer will work under the supervision of the Project Manager
Payment: The salary will be commensurate with the qualification and experience of the successful candidate

How to apply
The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is an equal opportunity employer.
The successful candidate will be appointed on a 2 year contract (renewable).
Application must include a cover letter and detailed curriculum vitae with: a telephone number; email and residential addresses; and names with contact addresses of three professional references.

Applications should be sent to job@avu.org and must have Project Assistant Anglophone as the email subject.

In case of any inquiries, these should be sent to avuhr@avu.org.
The successful candidate will be based at the AVU Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
The closing date for this application is March 29th 2012 at 18:00 East African Time (UTC/GMT + 3).
Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.