Vumelana Advisory Fund: Front desk administration intern

Vumelana Advisory Fund invites South African unemployed youth to apply for Internship Programme for a period of 11 months.

Position: Front desk administration intern
Department: Operations
Report to: Operations Manager
Location: Sandton, Gauteng
Job type: Internship
Duration: 11 months

The organisation

Vumelana Advisory Fund is a non-profit, public-benefit organisation that was established in 2012 to support land reform beneficiary communities who acquired land under South Africa’s Land Reform Programme put their land to effective economic use and create long-term benefits for these communities in a way that will contribute to economic growth.

The organisation has a core staff comprising the Chief Executive, Programmes and Projects Managers, Finance Manager, Operations Manager, Office and Programmes Administrator and Office Assistant. Teams of service providers are contracted to support the core staff compliment.

Key purpose of the job

Support Management is to ensure organisational and operational effectiveness and efficiency. This includes:

• acting as first point of contact for visitors and callers by managing the front office, reception area and switchboard; and
• providing a range of administrative / secretarial and office support to staff.

Minimum requirements

Required Education and Experience

• Matric or post-matric certificate or diploma in secretarial support, office administration, project management or similar will be advantageous
• Basic knowledge of MS Office (especially Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
• Interested candidates should note the following additional criteria:
  • Must be between 18-34 years.
  • Must be a South African Citizen.
  • Must be unemployed, with no full-time work before, or only of part-time / casual nature
  • Must not have participated in the FirstJob Programme before

Competencies

• Very good interpersonal skills
• Very good verbal skills
• Bilingual (English and at least one other official South African language – speak, read and write)
• Basic MS office skills (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)
• Accurate typing skills
• Good written communication skills
• Numerate
• Good time management
• Ability to deal with pressure

Attributes

• High integrity, professional and client-oriented approach
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Ability to exercise good problem solving and to make decisions within defined procedures and practices to determine the best action
• Well organised, methodical and thorough approach to work
• Self-motivated, able to work with minimal supervision and follow through on tasks
• Ability to perform multiple tasks, to meet deadlines and balance competing priorities and to effectively communicate with Management

Key responsibilities (KPA’s) of the job

Front desk

• Manage the front desk and reception area
• Keep the reception area and front desk tidy
• Receive and welcome all visitors in a professional and competent manner
• Answer and operate the switchboard (screen calls, answer enquiries, take messages, refer callers to relevant others)
• Ensure workstation responsibilities are covered at all times during the work day

Secretarial and administrative support

• Provide basic administrative support
• Manage diaries and contacts of CE and other staff
• Send out daily staff attendance register
• Manage meeting logistics
  • Book venues
  • Coordinate catering
  • Set out meeting equipment and prepare meeting documents if required
  • Prepare catering requisitions and work closely with the Office Assistant in meeting preparation
• Perform general administrative duties. This includes but are not limited to:
  • Filing, faxing, typing, printing, photocopying, binding etc.
  • Maintain the filing systems as required (hard copy and electronic).
  • Arrange couriers and hand deliveries
• Support the Office and Programmes Administrator with the travel logistics for staff in line with the relevant policies
  • Liaise with travel agent to book flights, accommodation, car hire etc.
• Support the Office and Programmes Administrator with updating the Excel Stakeholder Database as agreed with the Operations Manager and in accordance with agreed rules and guidelines
• Maintain the Vumelana publications register and archive
  • Keep track of numbers of publication
  • Notify the relevant manager re reprint required
  • Ensure that 5 copies of all publications are archived
• Provide logistical support on events. This includes:
  • Sourcing contact detail
  • Following up with key invitees
  • Preparing event collateral
  • Arranging travel, transfer and accommodation as required
  • Arranging deliveries and assisting with registration and other ad hoc activities on the day of the event.

Attributes

• High integrity, professional and client-oriented approach
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team
• Ability to exercise good problem solving and to make decisions within defined procedures and practices to determine the best action
• Well organised, methodical and thorough approach to work
• Self-motivated, able to work with minimal supervision and follow through on tasks
• Ability to perform multiple tasks, to meet deadlines and balance competing priorities and to effectively communicate with Management

Office management support

• Support the Operations Manager in managing office functions and ensuring effective management of office space
• Work closely with the Office Assistant to ensure availability of materials, equipment and supplies
• Obtain quotations for all services, office supplies and equipment in line with the relevant policies
• Place orders, follow up with suppliers, check invoices

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume, a cover letter explaining their interest in the internship and how they meet the person specification and contact details for two references to info@vumelana.org.za by 12:00 pm Wednesday, 10 July 2024.