Cover Letter

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

In reference to the vacancy which was recently announced in the area of Technical cooperation, I’m attaching my resume for your consideration.

I worked directly with the United Nations Development Program, UNDP for two years and I have been working on UNDP projects for almost ten years, for which reason I consider to have a broad knowledge on general procedures demanded by international organizations. In one of the UNDP Projects I developed the position of Cooperation and International Affiars Agent, where I admnistered 2 UNDP projects; one for tax administration and the other for Guatemalan customs as well as a small project focused on Tax Legislation and Justice Training. Having a positive experience in managing projects and support documents as reports and oprative planning, I would like to be considered for the selection process of the above-mentioned position.

I would gladly provide detailed information about my professional experience, studies and other information you may have interest on at a personal interview at you convenience, if that might be possible.

Awaiting a positive response, I remain.

Best Regards,



Anabella Secaira Schmid de Figueroa

Europass Curriculum Vitae			Anabella Secaira Schmid http://asecaira.eurocv.eu Administrative and Support Services
PERSONAL INFORMATION
First Name, Surname			Anabella, Secaira Schmid
Email			asecaira@escueladegobierno.gob.gt
Country Code			GT
Gender			Female
WORK EXPERIENCE
Date (from - to)			16/11/2004 - 31/12/2007
Name and address of employer			Presidency and Vicepresidency Support Project-Proyecto Sistemas de Apoyo a la Presidencia y Vicepresidencia de la República
Type of business or sector			Public Sector - International Project financed by UNDP
Occupation or position held			Position 1: Assistant to the Director / Position 2: Administrative Assistant to the Government School -main project outcome-
Main activities and responsibilities			Position I: Responsible of the administration of the Director`s schedule according to the Vicepresident´s priorities, organization of special events and specific strategic meetings not only at a local level but also with international organizations and the Project Donors, funding organizations and key counterparts. I was as well in charge of organizing the general internal meetings and keep track of agreements and follow-up of responsibilities conferred to the area coordinators through a report which backs-up the important processes. Responsible of the Director´s traveling procedures –purchase of tickets, schedule arrangements, hotel and travel reservations, request of travel expenses, etc.- Support to the Administration Unit with procurement procedures and full support to the intercultural investigation which has been working with the different government entities as ministries, secretariats, presidential commissions, etc. Occasionally, was assigned to assist specific activities as Training Committees for reconstruction leaders within the most affected Guatemalan districts as a result of Stan Storm (Suchitepequez, Santa Rosa, Escuintla, Retalhuleu) and helped coordinate a local training for the same target group on leadership with motivational training and communication training focused on skills for media interviews. Position II –current position-: In charge of administrative procedures of the School as an administrative assistant in coordination with the general administrative and financial coordinator of the Project. Responsible of personnel contracts and procurement procedures (goods and services) according to UNDP and FLACSO procedures which demanded reports on evaluation of goods and services, economic and technical comparative reports, selection reports, participated on evaluation committees, submitted Terms of Reference for approval, among others. Follow up of payments to suppliers and employees. In charge of specific hiring procedures for international teachers from Spain, Mexico and Costa Rica processing travel expenses, tickets, hotel reservations, etc. In charge of short-term period contracts for international and national consultants. Financial and administrative reports requested by the Project. Responsible of two Petty Cash Funds; one of Q5,000.00 for specific expenses on food and supplies for the different courses, public conferences and trainings which integrate the superior studies program which take place in the School and a minor fund of Q1,000.00 for miscellaneous expenses. Responsible of the administration of studies fees given by the students for the different courses taken at the school (registries, deposits, elaboration of receipts, etc.)
Date (from - to)			01/04/2003 - 15/11/2004
Name and address of employer			United Nations Development Programme, UNDP-ONU (Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo)
Type of business or sector			International Organization
Occupation or position held			Position 1: Programme Assistant / Position 2: Translation and Administrative Assistant
Main activities and responsibilities			Position 1: I was assigned to assist the funds and general administration of UNDP health sector (17 projects) in the Programme Unit and was the responsible of follow-up upon any request concerning those projects. I was an advisor to the projects in the use of UNDP procedures (procurement, payments, personnel and service contracts, etc.) The requests referred to budgets (cash flows, funds availability, disbursements, budget revisions, etc.) as well as requests of payments (international and local staff, vendors, DSA´s, airway tickets). I also had the responsibility to submit to a specific committee conformed by UNDP management staff, the requests of transfer of assets to the diverse execution units within the Government, mostly to the Ministry of Public Health in the case of projects finalizing its execution period or in case of specific and large scale acquisitions for projects. I assisted the Programme Office in the elaboration of Project Documents in the case of new projects and the elaboration of revisions to modify budgetary aspects as well as substantive aspects like extensions of the period of execution, modifications on the existing procedures or inclusion of new procedures for procurement as well as any other administrative aspect. I participated in visits to the different projects located in the urban areas as well as in the countryside and in some cases we participated in the organization of important events. To give an example, on the Traditional Medicine Project, I participated in diverse meetings which purpose was to define an inclusive alternative within Guatemalan culture to the acceptance of handmade or traditional medicine in Guatemala, another example is motivational events to the handicaps from military conflicts in Guatemala administered by PRADIS Project (Proyecto de Atención para Discapacitados a Causa del Conflicto Armado) and also events to accomplish communitary consensus in the administration of water services in Guatemala in which not only UNDP participated as a Donor but also the European Community as a counterpart (Proyecto Observatorio del Agua y Saneamiento en Guatemala). Position 2: I was contracted to render translation services and translation advisory to English documents sent and received from UNSECOORD Headquarters at New York as well as documents received from the countries included within the region (Central America, Cuba and Mexico) which were sent to the Headquarters. I translated the Security Plan to the personnel of the United Nations System in Guatemala and other documents related to important security matters as the MOSS document (Minimum Operating Security Standards) which include the basic standards that security offices should consider to operate in the region. I also assisted the office in administrative procedures as payment processes, reports on security matters, security clearance for United Nations staff traveling to and from Guatemala, within other general administrative activities
Date (from - to)			01/02/1998 - 31/03/2003
Name and address of employer			National Revenue Administration Office (Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria)
Type of business or sector			Public Sector - International Project financed by UNDP and IDB
Occupation or position held			Position 1: Procurement Agent / Position 2: Cooperation and International Affairs Agent
Main activities and responsibilities			I was part of the group of assistance for the project in charge of creating the official specific procedures to conform the Decentralized Institution denominated SAT and within the inherent activities I assisted the General Manager in interviewing possible candidates for vacant secretarial positions and was responsible of procurement procedures. Once SAT started operating as an official entity, the Department of International Affairs was created within the Management and Financial Office and I was officially named as Procurement Agent and then promoted to be an International Affairs Agent assigned to develop the following activities: Responsible for the administration of Petty Cash (2 funds, $1,000.00 and $600.00) for miscellaneous expenses through UNDP funds. In charge of personnel contracts and procurement procedures (goods and services) according to UNDP procedures which demanded reports on evaluation of goods and services, economic and technical comparative reports, among others. In charge of personnel contracts, personnel selection reports for which I had to integrate the Evaluation Committees for procurement procedures as well as for hiring procedures. Follow up of payments to suppliers and project employees with UNDP personnel. Organization of official travels for local and international consultants inside and outside the country (travel expenses, tickets, hotel reservations, etc). In charge of short-term period contracts for International consultants. I was also assigned to carry out procurement procedures demanded by Inter American Development Bank, IDB, for specific equipment as electric plants, computer equipment, etc. and to carry out a project focused on Tax Legislation and Justice Training for personnel of SAT and the Supreme Court, in which I was in charge of hotel arrangements and logistical matters as well as payment procedures before UNDP.
Date (from - to)			01/06/1997 - 31/01/1998
Name and address of employer			Program for the Modernization of the Executive Branch and Public Administration (Programa para la Modernización del Estado)
Type of business or sector			Public Sector - International Project financed by UNDP, Government of Japan, IDB and The World Bank
Occupation or position held			Assistant to the Presidential Commissioner
Main activities and responsibilities			I coordinated the Commissioners Agenda, organized special events in terms of conference rooms, food, invitations, etc. I was also in charge of communicating advances within the project in the modernization of the different governmental entities, preparation of presentations in Power Point and overhead transparencies for the Commissioner. I assisted the national and international consultants, eventual assistance to the Vice-president of the Republic in translating correspondence sent by international entities. Full assistance to the project “Encuentros para la Actualización” which consisted on meetings with representatives of diverse community groups for the discussion of state laws taking place two days a week for a period of 6 months approximately. It was necessary to elaborate summaries and distribute them to the participants (in charge of recording, transcription, collating and distribution)
Date (from - to)			01/01/1997 - 31/05/1997
Name and address of employer			Private Secretariat of State (Secretaría Privada de la Presidencia de la República)
Type of business or sector			Public Sector
Occupation or position held			Secretary to the Private Undersecretary of State
Main activities and responsibilities			In charge of coordinating the agenda of the Private Undersecretary, translation of documents, public relations with national and international entities, control of correspondence sent to the President of the Republic and distribution of the same. In charge of filling, coordinating secretarial work within the group of secretaries in assistance to the Private Undersecretary of State. (consisted in 4 secretaries).
Date (from - to)			01/05/1995 - 31/12/1995
Name and address of employer			Presidenctial commision for Human Rights (Comisión Presidencial de Derechos Humanos -COPREDEH- )
Type of business or sector			Public Sector - Human Rights
Occupation or position held			Assistant to the Chief Department of Public Affairs
Main activities and responsibilities			I was the contact with national and international means of communications to organize press conferences with the President of COPREDEH in terms of Ombudsmen, (in charge of invitations, coordination of conference rooms, food, etc.) I distributed press editorials for their reproduction. Assisted the Chief Department in communication, systems, logistic, translation of documents, filing and correspondence
Date (from - to)			01/09/1994 - 30/04/1995
Name and address of employer			Societé Generalle du Surveillance, SGS de Guatemala
Type of business or sector			Private Sector - Inspection Company with headquarters in Geneva
Occupation or position held			Coordinator of Operations
Main activities and responsibilities			Supervision of quality of specific export and import products, I was assigned in the areas of sugar and basic grains. The points of reference to be evaluated in relation to quality consisted in state of product (temperature, humidity, color, quantity, weight) and state of holds. It was necessary for the companies in charge of export and import procedures to have a quality certificate to make sure that the product was in optimum conditions. I had constant communication with clients and was in charge of coordinating the inspections assigning people to travel to the places where the inspections took place (Puerto Santo Tomás – sugar-, Aldosa Warehouses – basic grains -). I had to review reports made by inspectors with the supervision of an Engineer and as a result elaborate and issue the corresponding certificates in English and Spanish, I assisted some clients elaborating the necessary export documents and follow up of the same at Puerto Santo Tomas, constant communication with the Headquarters in Sweden, correspondence and filling.
Date (from - to)			01/10/1993 - 31/08/1994
Name and address of employer			Agency for International Development, USAID
Type of business or sector			Inernational Organization
Occupation or position held			Rover Secretary
Main activities and responsibilities			Secretarial support and assistance to various Mission departments in case of personnel absences or work increase. I also was in charge of correspondence, filling, elaboration of reports of assistance required by personnel office for international employees, communication with the different projects coordinated by every department, translation of documents. (Departments which I assisted: Office of the Director, Office of Natural Resources, Personnel Office, Economic Department, Office of Institutional Development, Contracts Office, Executive Office).
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Date (from - to)			01/11/2004 - 30/11/2004
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			CIAV (Teacher of English as a Foreing Language, TEFL)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			I gained specific knowledge and skills to teach children of different ages and adults as well as specific technics to transmit clear ideas for a better understanding. I also took some courses of grammar and phonetics which were part of the complete training.
Title of certification awarded			Teacher of English as a Foreign Language, TEFL
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			Course
Date (from - to)			15/01/2003 - 30/11/2004
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			FISICC-IDEA / Galileo University (Bussiness and System Administration)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			Prncipal Subjects: Office automatization, Bussiness, Systems, Legislation, Data Base, Economy, Finance, etc. In this university the careers offered are based on system knowledge. In this specific case the career is basically administration with orientation in systems.
Title of certification awarded			Bussiness and System Administration
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			2 years completed
Date (from - to)			01/10/2001 - 30/10/2001
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			Guatemalan Institute Of Public Accountants (Instituto Guatemalteco de Contadores Públicos y Auditores de Guatemala, IGCPA)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			I gained skills basically on finance and budgets and complementary knowledge about public administration.
Title of certification awarded			Training Course (Diplomado)
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			Training Course (Diplomado)
Date (from - to)			15/01/2000 - 30/11/2001
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			Escuela Profesional de Traducción e Inerpretación, EPTI (Sworn Translation-Emphasis in Finance, Business and Legal Translation)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			Principal Subjects: Finance, Business and Legal Translation I decided to expand my translation studies in the above three areas, where I obtained a specialization or emphasis degree.
Title of certification awarded			Sworn Translator/Traductora Jurada
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			The BA or equivalente to "Licenciatura"in Guatemala is being discussed at the Congress
Date (from - to)			15/01/2000 - 30/06/2000
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			Alianza Francesa
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			I learned basic knowledge of french language, mostly gramatical aspects and listening.
Title of certification awarded			Level 1
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			Level 1
Date (from - to)			15/01/1997 - 30/11/1999
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			The Optimum Professional, TOP (Sworn Translation/Traductora Jurada -english-spanish-english)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			Principal Subjects: Grammar (grammatical clasifications), Language, History, Literature, Legal Translation, Economic Translation, Bussiness Translation, Free Translation, etc.
Title of certification awarded			Sworn Translator/Traductora Jurada
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			The BA or equivalente to "Licenciatura"in Guatemala is being discussed at the Congress
Date (from - to)			15/01/1994 - 30/11/1996
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			Rafael Landívar University (International Trade)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			Prnicipal Subjects: Administration, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Mathematics, International Trade, Marketing, Systems, within others. I completed 3 years of the carrer and aproximately 5 to 8 courses are pending to obtain the technical degree.
Title of certification awarded			Aproximately 5 to 8 courses are pending to obtain the technical degree
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			University Level
Date (from - to)			15/01/1993 - 30/11/1993
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			Colegio Secretariado Gerencial Bilingüe (One year intense course to obtain the Bilingual Secretary and Management Assistant Degree)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			Secretarial Knowledge and Management Asistance skills
Title of certification awarded			Bilingual Secretary and Management Assistant Degree
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			Elementary School
Date (from - to)			15/01/1987 - 30/11/1992
Name and type of organisation providing education or training			Colegio Valle Verde (Highschool and Bachillerato en Ciencias y Letras)
Principal subjects/occupational skills covered			n/a
Title of certification awarded			Hischool and Bachillerato en Ciencias y Letras Degree
Level in national classification (if appropriate)			Elementary School
OTHER LANGUAGES
Native Language			Spanish
Self-assessment			Understanding				Speaking				Writing
European level			Listening		Reading		Spoken interaction		Spoken production
English			C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user
Spanish			C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user	C2	Proficient user
French			A1	Basic user	A1	Basic user	A1	Basic user	A1	Basic user	A1	Basic user
			Common European Framework of Reference (CEF) level
SKILLS AND COMPETENCES
PERSONAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Acquired in the course of life and career but not necessarily covered by formal certificates and diplomas.			I have acquired skills on procurement and recruitment pocedures, which has given me a broad knowledge about free markets and equal opportunities for suppliers. I really enjoy carrying on offer evaluation processes, where Evaluation Committees are integrated to evaluate the technical and economic phases, taking in consideration penalizations and other important aspects. In what recruitment processes concern, I have had the oportunity to learn about selection processes and the aspects to evaluate as well as how to carry on a fair process and back up the same with the necessary documentation that supports its fairness.
SOCIAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Living and working with other people, in multicultural environments, in positions where communication is important and situations where teamwork is essential (for example culture and sports), etc			I manage Windows Envioronment (Exel, Word, Power Point) and I know to handle the basic office equipment.
ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Coordination and administration of people, projects and budgets; at work, in voluntary work (for example culture and sports), at home, etc			I have assisted in the organization of diverse events and workshops. At one of the projects where I worked for, I organized workshops in terms of tax administration for judges in Escuintla and in the city. I also organized an event called "Encuentros de Actualización" offered by the Modernization of the State Project where different sectors of the society participated for the discussion of state laws and the proporsals of modifications. Recently, I've organized workshops during the Stan Storm about reconstruction with the Regional Reconstruction Managers assigned by the Government in Escuintla, Santa Rosa, Suchitepequez, Retalhuleu, within other districts. Currently, I'm responsible of the administrative procedures of the office and I've assisted the logistics and organization of 3 events of public debate about employment which took place at El Progreso, Quetzaltenango and in the City. which main objective is to promote a culture of discussion and obtain consensus without arguing, at a national level within diverse social sectors.
TECHNICAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCES With computers, specific kinds of equipment, machinery, etc			I manage Windows Envioronment (Exel, Word, Power Point) and I know to handle the basic office equipment.
COMPUTER SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Describe your computer skills and competences			I manage Windows Environment (Exel, Word, Power Point). My experience in procurement and recruitment processes have given me the opprtunity to manage the usage of all kinds of charts in Word and Exel since it demands the elaboration of evaluation reports, comparative charts, etc. In addition, according to the financial work as expenses reports and basic budgets, have given me the knowledge to manage exel. Eventually, I've managed Power Point.
ARTISTIC SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Music, writing, design, etc.			Since I'm a Sworn Translator, I frequently write in English but what I enjoy mostly is writing free translations (not legal, nor financial or economic, but free topics).
OTHER SKILLS AND COMPETENCES Competences not mentioned above.			I've given tutorials to children in the English Language, which I enjoy since children are so authentic and it easens the learning process. Since they easily loose attention, the class should be interactive, which makes you put in practice your initiative.
ATTACHMENTS Enter diplomas other qualifications; Testimonial of employment or work placement; Publications or research.			I have rendered translation services to CATIE on financial requests and project proposals to USAID. I've also worked with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, in the Regional Security Office where I've translated the Regional Security Plan, within other official documents.
DRIVING LICENCE(S) Specify the type of driver's license you possess and list the year it was issued			I have B Licence and I've had it 15 years ago.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION General information			I have participated in diverse courses as follows: 1. Security in the Field for UNDP staff Course on staff safety, health and welfare United Nations Development Programme, UNDP October, 2003 2. ICDL - Information & Communication Technology Development Learning Certificate approved by the Bureau of Mangement and Office of Human Resources of UNDP, New York. It proved the successful completion of training and assessments of 4 modules: Using the Computer and Managing Files, Word Processing, Information and Communication and Spreadsheets. United Nations Development Programme, UNDP June, 2003 3. ATLAS System Training –People Soft/ERP System- System used for the administration of UNDP offices throughout the world and in Guatemala it is used not only at UNDP offices but also in private organizations as a useful and reliable management tool) 2003-2004 4. Project Course (funded by UNDP) New Horizons 2003 5. Administrative Procedures for Projects financed by United Nations Program, UNDP UNDP July 18, 2002 6. Procurement Procedures through World Bank Funds Hotel Quinta Real March 6-9, 2001 7. Procurement Procedures through local funds CENSAT, Center of Studies Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria March 23, 2001 8. Group Work and Self Esteem Asociación de Gerentes de Guatemala February 5, 2000 9. Efficiency at Work Asociación de Gerentes de Guatemala August 6 and 7, 1999 10. Simultaneous Translatio The Optimum Professional (TOP) July 29, 1999 11. Course referring to Special terms on administrative -Contentious processes for translation of documents The Optimum Professional (TOP) July 15, 1999 12. Administrative Procedures for Projects Financed by United Nations Program, UNDP –UNDP- August 4- 5, 1999 13. General Concepts of Administrative Procedures United Nations Program, UNDP –UNDP- January 27, 1998 14. Computer Course in Office ´97 (Word, Excel and Power Point) INTELAF August 1997 15. Advanced English Course Agency for International Development, AID 1994