In accordance with paragraph f. of Article 44 of the General Standards, the official languages of the Organization are English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  No candidate for a position in the General Secretariat subject to the competition requirement shall be contracted until he/she has passed language proficiency exams administered by the DHR in at least two of the official languages. Nevertheless, i) Any candidate, including staff member whose native language is one of those four languages shall only be required to demonstrate proficiency on an exam in one of the others; and (ii) Persons applying for G-1 and G-2 positions at Headquarters and G-3 driver/clerk positions in those Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States where the language requirement unduly restricts the recruitment of otherwise qualified staff shall be exempt from this language proficiency requirement for as long as they occupy those positions. Subsequently, in order to be eligible to compete for a higher-level position, any staff member who has benefited from this exemption must demonstrate proficiency in a second official language of the Organization. (iii) A person selected as the best candidate may receive a fixed-term contract, which will be considered to have lapsed in case the person does not pass the required language examination within the 36 months following the appointment. 
            
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

This is a functional lead, authority type position designed to make critical impact in the Organization and is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities. (NOTE: these responsibilities and expected results are standardized, and are not necessarily performed by all staff members sharing this job title):

- Plan, organize, coordinate, and manage all meetings of the Organization’s political bodies, as well as assign meetings of other subsidiary entities, including the Summits of the Americas when requested.
- Determine a meeting’s characteristics and its needs: conference services required, such as venue selection; space allocation; interpretation and translation requirements; specialized conference staff, equipment; material; and supplies and ensuring execution of meetings in accordance with OAS standards and the directives issued by the governing bodies.
- Advise the department director on methods, policies, procedures, and the budgetary implications pertaining to conference services of such services in the various areas of the General Secretariat as well as on the progress, and gaps in the development of meetings assigned. When working in other countries advise host country and Office director on specific needs and peculiarities of the venue and meeting requirements.
- Supervise, manage, and oversee the support personnel assigned to the meetings. When managing meetings for other areas of the General Secretariat in host Member countries, authorize the hiring of temporary personnel as needed and as provided for in those budgets.
- Advise government representatives, executive secretaries, department and program directors on the necessary conference services for the assigned meetings.
- Resolve problems that may arise during execution of the meetings, including the assignment of additional resources, within the financial and budgetary guidelines of the GS/OAS.
- Negotiate, by delegation of the Assistant Secretary General on behalf of the General Secretariat, hosting Agreements with the government representatives and institutions of a host country, for all necessary conditions to hold OAS conferences and meetings in accordance with established policy and mandates a n d s t a n d a r d s
- Prepare and present briefs on the draft Agreement which specifies commitments, responsibilities, and the draft budget for the meetings to be held in host country.
- Prepare written report on meetings and where necessary, present recommendations and best practices for enhancing conference management standards.
- Execute and monitor the authorized budget of the assigned meeting and prepare the meeting’s final financial report
- Perform other related duties as assigned by the Director of the Department

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:  

Essential: First University Degree (Bachelor’s) in international relations, international law, business administration, diplomacy, or  related fields and 11 years of relevant experience in similar positions at the national or international level OR Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in one of the fields listed above and 7 years of relevant experience OR a Doctorate and 4 years of relevance experience.

Desirable: Experience or knowledge of the OAS mandate and priorities, OAS project management and oversight system as related to the area of work and/or the dynamics of the Inter-American agenda and system and well as in conference and meeting services planning, execution and logistics.

COMPUTER SKILLS: Ability to effectively work using Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Oracle, Visio, Access, and SharePoint, as well as software relevant to the area of work.

LANGUAGES:
Essential – Proficient in at least two of the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish (read, write and communicate). Language proficiency examination will be required.

Desirable – Working knowledge of other two OAS official languages

 
PERSONAL COMPETENCIES: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; tact, discretion, and diplomacy; strong presentation abilities; proven experience in teamwork and collaboration; adapt at multitasking and managing multiple projects simultaneously.

The GS/OAS embraces equality, diversity and inclusion. Thus, the GS/OAS, in accordance with its rules and regulations, is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, achieving a diverse staff, and will take into account a wide geographic representation, as well as gender equity and equality, in the selection of candidates.

Please note that the mandatory retirement age for staff members at the General Secretariat of the OAS is 65 years.