Personal Assistant to the Executive Director: National Gallery of Zimbabwe

Deadline: 31 July 2021

About

The National Gallery has set itself as a center for national culture, which may inject various influences into the mainstreams of life and change the way people appreciate art and culture in their various societies through stone, metal and wooden sculptures, paintings, drawings, print works and installations. The Gallery is responsible for circulating exhibitions throughout Zimbabwe and is a focal and distributing point for art in the country. Its core business is also to preserve, conserve, research and publish the artworks collections for the education of present and future generations of Zimbabwe. The Gallery provides education through the National Gallery Visual Arts Studios (NGVAS) and also holds educational workshops, films and lectures within the Gallery as a way of promoting and educating the public about visual arts. The Gallery offers the corporate community and other civic organizations the opportunity to hire artworks from the Permanent Collection for decoration of their premises. These institutions can also hire space for private functions, exhibitions and shows. Interested people are welcome to use the Thomas Meikles Library to provide research and interest facilities.

Position summary

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is seeking a highly skilled, adaptable, and reliable Personal Assistant to the Executive Director. The ideal individual must be even tempered and must have previous experience with a high pressure environment, Must be proactive, resourceful and have a sharp memory with strong writing and communication skills.

Job description

• The Personal Assistant to the Executive Director reports to the Executive Director and will be responsible for the following among other duties: Providing all related secretarial services to the Executive Director;
• Handling highly confidential information and typing confidential documents;
• Photocopying confidential documents;
• Arranging meetings for the Executive Director;
• Working with stakeholders and senior management team on their day to day operations through intimate involvement in strategic projects, policy reviews, capacity building and service delivery;
• Devising and maintaining office systems, including data management and filing; Arranging travel, visas and accommodation and, occasionally, travelling with the Executive Director to take notes or dictation at meetings or to provide general assistance during presentations;
• Screening phone calls, enquiries and requests;
• Meeting and greeting visitors at all levels of seniority;
• Organising and maintaining the Executive Director’s diary and making appointments;
• Dealing with incoming emails and posts, often corresponding on behalf of the Executive Director;
• Taking dictation and minutes during meetings; Serving as focal point for communication with the Board on administrative issues on behalf of the Director and preparation and distribution of Board Papers;
• Assisting in the development and implementation of best practice strategic initiatives for the Gallery;
• Drafting speeches and writing reports for the Executive Director;
• Preparing presentations on power-point for the Executive Director and being computer savvy;
• Dealing with customers including incident and complaint management;
• Organising and attending meetings and ensuring the Executive Director is well prepared for meetings; Planning, organising and managing events;
• Ordering and distribution of office stationery and other supplies;
• Coordinating the weekly work plan with Heads of Departments and preparing monthly reports;
• Acting as the communication link between Harare Gallery and Regional Galleries;
• Building and maintaining Gallery Database for corporate sector, embassies, FOG, Artists, movers and shakers;
• Supervising the Receptionist and Messenger.

Qualifications

• The successful candidate should be in possession of the following: Higher National diploma or an Executive diploma in Secretarial Studies; A degree in Business Management or Administration is an added advantage; must have 2-3 years' experience in a similar or related position.