Employment

FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION:

Under the general guidance of the Chief of Staff, the incumbent is responsible for coordinating and providing professional and logistical support for the Secretariat's external engagements, strategic partnerships, and special initiatives. The incumbent supports stakeholder engagement, diplomatic communications, and the coordination of follow-up actions, ensuring that strategic outreach and collaborative initiatives are effectively planned, documented, and implemented in line with the mandates and priorities of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

A. Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement 

• Support the development and implementation of the ACS strategic partnerships approach, in alignment with the ACS Strategic Plan and relevant mandates of the Association.
• Identify, map and assess prospective strategic partners and opportunities for collaboration, including with regional and international organisations, the United Nations system, international financial institutions, development partners, the private sector, academia, civil society organisations, foundations, Social Actors and other relevant stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of prospective and existing partnerships, identifying opportunities for technical cooperation, joint initiatives, knowledge exchange, resource mobilisation, advocacy and other forms of collaboration.
• Develop partnership concepts, proposals and value propositions that identify areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration between the ACS and prospective partners.
• Facilitate engagement with prospective and existing partners, including the preparation and follow-up of meetings and consultations related to partnership development.
• Support the development and follow-up of cooperation frameworks, Memoranda of Understanding and other partnership instruments, ensuring appropriate internal consultation and coordination.
• Identify opportunities to expand, deepen or diversify existing partnerships in support of the priorities established in the ACS Strategic Plan.

B.  Advocacy and Strategic Outreach

• Support the development and implementation of advocacy and strategic outreach efforts aimed at advancing the priorities of the ACS Strategic Plan and relevant mandates of the Association, strengthening the Association’s positioning, and building support among relevant regional and international stakeholders 
• Identify and assess regional and international advocacy opportunities, key stakeholders, platforms and multilateral processes where ACS priorities and initiatives can be strategically promoted.
• Prepare advocacy and engagement materials including briefing notes, key messages, engagement notes, talking points & post-meeting summaries for interactions with external partners, and Social Actors and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Prepare, as required, engagement materials for interactions with Member States and Associate Members when directly related to partnership development, advocacy initiatives or specific collaborative opportunities.
• Development of stakeholder-specific messaging and engagement approaches tailored to different audiences and partnership objectives.
• Monitor relevant regional and international developments and identify opportunities for the ACS to strengthen its visibility, convening role, strategic alliances and influence around priority issues for the Greater Caribbean.

C. Partnership Follow-up and Institutional Memory

• Maintain systematic information on existing and prospective strategic partnerships, including partner profiles, areas of collaboration, commitments, opportunities and relevant institutional contacts.
• Maintain and update tracking tools for external engagements and partnership follow-up (e.g., contact lists, engagement logs, action trackers), ensuring institutional memory and continuity across engagement cycles.
• Monitor commitments and agreed actions arising from partnership engagements and facilitate timely follow-up with relevant internal and external counterparts.
• Track the development and progress of strategic partnerships, drawing on relevant information and inputs from across the Secretariat, as appropriate.
• Identify opportunities, challenges and emerging issues affecting existing partnerships and bring them to the attention of the Chief of Staff, as appropriate.
• Prepare periodic partnership updates and strategic summaries for the Chief of Staff and senior management, including the status of key partnerships, emerging opportunities, pending commitments and areas requiring attention.

D. Support to Special ACS Initiatives

• Provide partnership development, advocacy and stakeholder engagement support to strategic or special ACS initiatives as assigned, including but not limited to stakeholder outreach, engagement planning, follow-up on commitments, and progress summaries).
• Undertake stakeholder mapping and outreach for such initiatives, identifying potential partners and opportunities for collaboration.
• Facilitate engagement with relevant external stakeholders and follow up on partnership-related commitments and agreed actions.
• Prepare initiative-specific engagement notes, tracking tools, and periodic updates for senior management. 
• Ensure coherence between partnerships and advocacy activities undertaken under special initiatives and the broader strategic partnership and advocacy efforts of the ACS.

E. Other Duties

• Provide coordination and logistical support, as required, for meetings, missions and events directly related to partnerships, advocacy, strategic outreach and special initiatives within the scope of the position.
• Support the preparation and coordination of external engagements of the Office of the Secretary-General when directly related to the functions of the position.
• Provide support, as required, in the preparation and review of multilingual correspondence and engagement materials related to the functions of the position.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Secretary-General or the Chief of Staff, consistent with the scope and level of the position.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

• Master’s degree (or equivalent postgraduate qualification) in International Relations, Political Science, Diplomacy, Public Administration, International Politics, International Economics, Law, or a related field. In the absence of a Master’s degree, relevant work experience will be evaluated and considered.
• Approximately 3 to 5 years of progressively responsible experience in political affairs, diplomacy, international relations, multilateral engagement, or related functions within a governmental, regional or international organisation environment.
• Demonstrated experience in drafting high-quality documentation for senior officials and/or official processes.
• Experience supporting the organisation, coordination and servicing of statutory, ministerial, or high-level Inter-Governmental meetings, including logistical and documentation support.
• Demonstrated capacity to work with diverse stakeholders in a multicultural environment and to deliver under tight deadlines.

COMPETENCIES:

• Strong political judgement, analytical capability and sound discretion in handling sensitive matters.
• Professionalism and integrity in a multicultural environment and ability manage competing priorities.
• Confidentiality and trustworthiness.
• Excellent organisational, planning and time management skills.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Communication & Interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated ability to use tracking tools and dashboards to monitor key metrics, action items, and implementation progress, and to produce accurate management reports.
• Excellent drafting skills with the ability to tailor written communication for different audiences and levels of seniority.
• Demonstrated ability to use decision-tracking tools and follow-up matrices for ministerial mandates and meeting outcomes, including periodic implementation status updates and action reminders as required.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and or Google Workspace applications.
• Calendar management and executive office workflow coordination.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent may be required to assist in coordinating, managing, and overseeing the work of assigned support staff and, as required, provide guidance and support to interns, volunteers, consultants, and other temporary personnel assigned to the Office.

TRAVEL:

The incumbent may be required to travel in the course of his/her duties.

REMUNERATION PACKAGE:

• Monthly Remuneration: US$3,100.00 (tax exempted);
• Group Health Insurance for the Professional and dependants (if applicable);
• Annual paid vacation entitlement of 25 working days (2.08 per month);
• Gratuity payment of fourteen (14) percent of annual salary, payable at the end of the contractual period. 

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Candidates must present the following documents for consideration:

1. Full Curriculum vitae;
2. University degree certificate;
3. Language Proficiency certificates (not native tongue);
4. Names and contact information of three (3) referees.

Applicants must complete the Applicant Job Profile Summary Form included with the website vacancy. Failure to complete the Applicant Job Profile Summary Form will result in automatic rejection of the application. This form must be completed using either Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Do not attempt to complete this document using any web browser. 

Applications must be addressed to:  

H.E. Noemí Espinoza Madrid

Secretary-General

Association of Caribbean States

5-7 Sweet Briar Road, St. Clair

PO Box 660, PORT OF SPAIN

Tel: 868-622-9575

Fax: 868-622-1653

And be submitted via the ACS’ website www.acs-aec.org or by email to: [email protected]

The details stated above outline the nature and level of the tasks normally assigned to this position. It does not constitute an exhaustive list of these tasks. Additional related duties may be assigned as necessary for the effective functioning of the Association.

Only electronic applications will be acknowledged. All your submissions via email must not exceed 5MB in size. 

Due to the high volume of applications received, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. These candidates will also receive notice of the outcome of the selection process.