Divisional Coordinator

VN Category (INT / EXT / EOI):

External

Application Deadline:

01-07-2026

Grade:

Grade 6

Job Category:

Support

Contract Type:

Fixed-term

Annual Salary:

CHF83,834.00

This is an external vacancy notice open to external candidates and WTO staff. It is posted on the WTO internal as well as external career site. Eligible WTO staff on short-term, fixed-term or regular contracts and interns must apply through the Workday internal career site.

This is a Fixed-term contract funded through the regular budget. The duration will be two years with the possibility of extension, unless specified in the vacancy notice.

The WTO seeks to attract and retain staff members offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and integrity and to build an organization that is representative of the Members and People it serves. As an equal opportunity and inclusive employer, the WTO gives full regard to competence and welcome applications from qualified candidates irrespective of age, disability status, gender, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, social origin or any other characteristic. Applications from non-represented Members (link) are particularly encouraged for all positions.

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The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking to fill a position of Divisional Coordinator to work in the Council and TNC Division. The Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division is responsible for ensuring the efficient management of the Ministerial Conference, the General Council, the Dispute Settlement Body and the Trade Negotiations Committee, as well as the WTO Reform process.

General Functions

Reporting to the Director of the Division, the incumbent will be responsible for secretarial and administrative functions of the Division and supervise the secretarial team supporting the work of the Division:

1. Coordinate and supervise the work of secretaries, training and mentoring them, contributing to or undertaking the evaluation of their performance, and participating in the recruitment of these staff.

2. Perform the full range of administrative and secretarial duties as required by the work of the Division. This includes maintaining, developing and implementing office procedures to ensure the efficient and effective running of the Division, addressing administrative challenges, ensuring WTO administrative procedures are correctly applied in the Division and adapting procedures to meet changing needs as required.

3. Liaise with Secretariat staff outside the Division, including senior management, as well as with Chairpersons and senior officials of delegations (Ministers, Ambassadors) in regard to the work of the Division. Coordinate and monitor document processing to ensure that all outgoing written communications conform to WTO format and presentation standards, and provide, as necessary, editorial assistance in the context of Secretariat reports or correspondence.

4. Maintain staff records and deal with basic personnel issues in consultation with managers and HR specialists, follow up on HR-related divisional matters such as maintaining absence/leave records of divisional staff. Be the primary focal point for the hiring of interns, short-term staff members and creating vacancy announcements on the corporate HR platform. Be fully conversant with the WTO Rules and Regulations, administrative policies and procedures.

5. Provide assistance in administering and monitoring the allocated divisional budget, supporting the Director in budget planning and administration, and tracking and reporting on financial commitments. Monitor divisional travel budget, create travel requests and administer travel claims via the dedicated in-house application Mobilexpense.

6. Assist with and contribute to outreach activities as required. Manage and supervise work in conjunction with events and large functions organized by the Division.

7. Provide administrative support to divisional staff; receive telephone calls and visitors for the division and specifically the Director; prioritize and schedule appointments.

8. Assist in the monitoring and update of all information of divisional activities and carry out any other administrative duties as assigned by the Director. Organize the agenda of the Director and assist in the general work of the Division as required. Maintain and monitor divisional administrative systems; participate in the preparation of, and monitor expenditure and procurement. Maintain and improve the divisional filing system, on files and on the computer system; type general correspondence, documents and internal communications.

9. Convene, organize and service all bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral meetings and consultations called by relevant Chairpersons and Facilitators, receiving telephone calls and visitors, scheduling and screening appointments, handling correspondence, and typing and processing highly sensitive and confidential memoranda and other documents.

10. Assist in preparation of meetings of bodies and processes serviced by the Division; provide administrative support to the bodies serviced by the Division, which may include organizing meetings and conferences including formal and informal meetings at the ambassador and senior capital-based official levels, being responsible for the coordination and/or dissemination of documents including delegations' statements and Chairnotes, drafting correspondence, responding to queries from delegates, Ministries or other organizations and formatting, editing and proofreading documentation; provide support to interpreters; coordinate and monitor documents translation, reproduction and distribution.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Completion of secondary school and/or secretarial or commercial school equivalent; specialized training in the secretarial field or proven secretarial expertise.

Knowledge and Skills

Technical knowledge and skills

• Excellent knowledge of administrative and secretarial processes, including documentation and servicing meetings; appreciation of managerial processes and priorities.
• Ability to prioritize, plan and organize; multi-tasking skills.
• Thorough familiarity with applicable word processing (e.g. Microsoft Office suite) software packages.
• Interest in and effort to keep abreast of other IT tools/platforms for secretarial support purposes.
• Drafting skills to be able to write standard correspondence and notes.
• Attention to detail, ensuring accuracy of work product.
• Ability to proofread, often voluminous, documents with highest level of accuracy.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with administrative and financial rules and procedures, preferably in international organization settings.

Behavioural skills

• Ability to communicate information in a clear way and to understand information.
• Ability to cooperate with other colleagues in a diverse international setting.
• Tact and discretion.
• Ability to work under pressure and keep deadlines.
• Ability to relate to and build relationships with colleagues.
• Ability to work as a member of a team, relating to others, while working independently to achieve his/her objectives.
• Ability to supervise a group of people in their day-to-day work.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• At least eight years of administrative and secretarial experience, of which preferably at least five with international organizations or missions addressing administrative issues and procedures.

• Experience working in a multi-cultural international environment. Experience working with Missions, delegations such as WTO Members would be desirable.

LANGUAGES

Excellent knowledge of English, both spoken and written, including the ability to draft correspondence and documentation. A good working knowledge of either French or Spanish would be a distinct advantage.

Organizational Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Communicating for Results

• Effective Collaboration

• Cultivating Progressive Growth

• Professional Accountability

• Relevant Digital Proficiency

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Additional Information:
Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted.

The recruitment process will be undertaken as per Administrative Memorandum No. 976 (OFFICE(16)/15) on Staff Promotions and external recruitment through Vacancy Notices.

The initial fixed-term contract for positions up to grade 10 shall normally be two years, which shall be probationary, as per Administrative Memorandum No. 997 (OFFICE(23)/4) on Probation Policy. For Director positions, the Policy on evaluation of directors apply as per Administrative Memorandum No. 978 (OFFICE(17)/29).

The WTO may use various communication technologies such as video or teleconference for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. The recruitment process may also involve the use of various forms of testing, assessment centres, interviews and reference checks.

Applicants may be required to sit a written examination.

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview.

Candidates not selected whose performance in the selection process nevertheless shows them to be suitable for a similar position may be kept on a roster for up to 24 months, and may subsequently be called upon as and when the need arises for additional resources.

All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the closing date – Geneva (Switzerland) time – stated in the vacancy announcement.

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The WTO is a non-smoking environment.