Administrative Associate, Thailand

The Asia Foundation’s office in Thailand is seeking a part-time Administrative Associate to support the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program (Mekong Safeguards) in administrative and logistical operations to implement the programmatic activity. The position requires a broad understanding of Mekong Safeguards’ activities and relies heavily on the candidate’s resourcefulness, coordination, and organizational skills.

USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards is a multiyear project working with major banks, governments, and developers in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar on large energy and transportation infrastructure investments to strengthen environmental and social standards and adopt clean technologies in Southeast Asia’s Lower Mekong subregion. The program is an exciting opportunity to support new and improved ways governments, financiers, developers, and CSOs can invest and build sustainable energy and transportation infrastructure.

The administrative associate will report directly to the deputy chief of party and project finance specialist.

Responsibilities

• Support Mekong Safeguards and the office in administrative work, including but not limited to:
  • Proactively managing program schedule (holidays, events, meetings, staff leave, etc.) and keeping track of staff plans, including birthdays and other important days.
  • Procurement of goods and services (creating and following up purchase requests, vendor management, sourcing and requisition, and advertisements).
  • Processing reimbursements for Mekong Safeguards staff on items, business meals, and travel expenses.
  • Human resources activities (supporting Mekong Safeguards staffing requirements, recruitments, candidate applications (evaluation), benefits, social security, human resources-related reimbursements, and insurance and social security–related activities).
  • Maintain inventory of Mekong Safeguard’s assets (computers and other equipment).
  • Act as point of contact for IT issues and interaction with the Foundations Information Services personnel.
• Support Mekong Safeguards program activity implementation, including but not limited to:
  • Working closely with the event manager to organize virtual and in-person events and coordinating with other Mekong Safeguards and office staff for logistical preparations and event execution.
  • Setting up and managing the program’s document filing system with reference numbers and maintaining hard-copy and electronic versions on SharePoint.
  • Coordinating with counterparts/stakeholders to organize meetings and follow up for confirmation and information.
  • Working closely with the project finance specialist to prepare and manage expense reports, reimbursements, and cash advances, and coordinating with the Finance unit for payments.
  • Working with the senior monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) specialist to prepare MEL-related materials and collect relevant data.
• Collaborating with the administrative officer and office manager on:
  • Supporting foreign staff administrative requirements such as visas, licenses, and work permits, as well as other requirements under the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and consulates), foreign embassies, and other relevant entities.
  • Assisting other programs and departments (office supplies, maintenance, security, transport, and inventory records).
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business Administration, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Political Science, or Science-related field).
• Experience in coordination, organization, secretarial support, and logistical preparations for programs, organizations, or high-level committees, especially in Southeast Asia.
• Knowledgeable in office/productivity software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Adobe Suite, and cloud-based applications.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with challenging deadlines.
• Ability to travel for field work domestically and within the Lower Mekong countries.
• Fluent in English (speaking, listening, and writing).
• Experience working for multilateral donors such as USAID or Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a plus.