About Asylum Access
We are human rights advocates who support forcibly displaced individuals and communities as they reclaim their rights, agency and power.
Our unique combination of legal empowerment, policy advocacy and global systems change creates conditions in which refugees can live safely, move freely, work legally and go to school. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that honors refugees’ freedom, dignity and autonomy, and equips them to make choices about their own lives.
Asylum Access’ global team and family of local civil society organisations advocate to make human rights a reality for refugees throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Our national organisations are led and staffed primarily by community members in those countries, and there is strong mutual trust and respect between us and our clients. On the international stage, we work with established institutions to shift the global system to better uphold and promote refugees’ human rights. We can help catalyze and lead systemic transformation because, uniquely among NGOs in the refugee response sector, we focus exclusively on rights and governance.
Department DescriptionAAM's Policy Advocacy division drives the organisation's engagement strategies with the aim to inform and influence decision-makers in creating safe and inclusive policies for refugees in Malaysia.
Position Description
The Executive Assistant position will work directly with Asylum Access Malaysia’s Executive Director (ED) and will regularly engage with top global leadership of the organization. This is a dynamic position that requires strong attention to detail, a great sense of initiative for accomplishing work that needs to be done, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines in many different areas.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Assistance to the ED (50%)
- Completes a broad variety of administrative tasks for the ED including but not limited to:
- Managing an active calendar of appointments;
- Managing the ED’s inbox actively and responding to emails in a timely manner;
- Drafting and editing correspondence for the ED;
- Keeping the ED well-informed of upcoming commitments and responsibilities;
- Ensuring the ED’s schedule is followed and respected;
- Proactively addressing conflicts in scheduling;
- Arranging complex and detailed travel plans and itineraries;
- Compiling documents for appointments and meetings;
- Preparing briefs, reports, and presentations;
- Researching and following up on incoming issues to be addressed by the ED
- Provide a bridge for smooth communication between the ED, internal staff, and external partners.
- Elaborate and coordinate processing and payment of request for payment vouchers (RPVs) and reimbursement requests on behalf of the ED.
- When necessary, draft minutes to record meetings in a timely manner.
Shadowing and Support to the ED (30%)
- Manage ED’s correspondence with leaders, organizations and decision makers around the world, exercising strong judgment and strategic thinking to maintain and build
relationships with a wide range of contacts across many cultures. This may include ghostwriting for the ED.
- Develop preparatory materials for ED’s internal and external meetings with government and multilateral representatives, peer NGOs, donors and funders, and staff, and efficiently manage logistics and calendaring for these meetings.
- Accompany the ED in internal and external online meetings (and as resources permit, in-person meetings), and manage outreach and follow-up related to these relationships, including managing meeting notes, communication about meetings to others in Asylum Access, and development of follow-up materials such as concept notes for partnerships,
funding, or advocacy initiatives.
Special Projects (20%)
- Draft speeches and develop high-quality visual presentations; draft research briefings on individuals, entities or topics; pitch OpEds, blog posts, and other writing to support growth of Asylum Access’s profile and thought leadership; and other projects as assigned.
- Supporting evidence based research and advocacy efforts
- Other duties as assigned.
Reports to: Executive Director of AAM
Required Qualifications
- A minimum of 3 years experience working in assistance to senior staff and providing general office support.
- Proven experience and proficiency in writing meeting minutes and drafting executive correspondence.
- Strong organizational and schedule management skills;
- Fluency in English;
- Excellent writing skills, including the ability to adjust writing tone and approach to a wide variety of media and audiences;
- Solid organizational and project management skills; ability to manage multiple projects at once, to see projects through to completion, and to take initiative;
- Comfortable and skilled in communicating and managing relationships with with high profile individuals, including global leaders, influencers and philanthropists;
- Experience travelling independently and planning travel logistics, including internationally;
- Interest in international human rights and/or refugee rights and/or related topics;
- Ability to work with diverse individuals and groups; culturally sensitive;
- Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Google Apps (Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Docs).
Preferred Qualifications
- Fluency in Malay is highly desirable
- Proven experience in multitasking
- Willingness to work under pressure and with a high degree of autonomy;
Salary and Benefits
The position comes with a competitive nonprofit salary, and a robust benefits package including paid time off and professional development funds. The salary scale ranges from RM 2700 to RM 3000 per month depending on experience.
Hours and Location
This position will require approximately 40 hours of work per week. Ideally, this position will be based at Asylum Access Malayia’s office in Kuala Lumpur. Schedule and hours are somewhat flexible, but the position will require accompanying the ED at meetings outside business hours from time to time. Commitments regarding hours and work time will be formalized between the selected candidate and the position supervisor.
Asylum Access is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We value the expertise of those who have
experienced displacement, and encourage people with such lived experience to apply. For more information about our organization, visit www.asylumaccess.org