Administrative and Support Services
Nationality: Guatemalan
asecaira@escueladegobierno.gob.gt
Position 1: Assistant to the Director / Position 2: Administrative Assistant to the Government School -main project outcome-
Presidency and Vicepresidency Support Project-Proyecto Sistemas de Apoyo a la Presidencia y Vicepresidencia de la República
Public Sector - International Project financed by UNDP
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.)
Position 1: Programme Assistant / Position 2: Translation and Administrative Assistant
United Nations Development Programme, UNDP-ONU (Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo)
International Organization
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
Position 1: Procurement Agent / Position 2: Cooperation and International Affairs Agent
National Revenue Administration Office (Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria)
Public Sector - International Project financed by UNDP and IDB
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.
Assistant to the Presidential Commissioner
Program for the Modernization of the Executive Branch and Public Administration (Programa para la Modernización del Estado)
Public Sector - International Project financed by UNDP, Government of Japan, IDB and The World Bank
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)
Secretary to the Private Undersecretary of State
Private Secretariat of State (Secretaría Privada de la Presidencia de la República)
Public Sector
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).
Assistant to the Chief Department of Public Affairs
Presidenctial commision for Human Rights (Comisión Presidencial de Derechos Humanos -COPREDEH- )
Public Sector - Human Rights
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
Coordinator of Operations
Societé Generalle du Surveillance, SGS de Guatemala
Private Sector - Inspection Company with headquarters in Geneva
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.
Rover Secretary
Agency for International Development, USAID
Inernational Organization
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).
Teacher of English as a Foreign Language, TEFL
CIAV (Teacher of English as a Foreing Language, TEFL)
Course
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.
Bussiness and System Administration
FISICC-IDEA / Galileo University (Bussiness and System Administration)
2 years completed
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.
Training Course (Diplomado)
Guatemalan Institute Of Public Accountants (Instituto Guatemalteco de Contadores Públicos y Auditores de Guatemala, IGCPA)
Training Course (Diplomado)
I gained skills basically on finance and budgets and complementary knowledge about public administration.
Sworn Translator/Traductora Jurada
Escuela Profesional de Traducción e Inerpretación, EPTI (Sworn Translation-Emphasis in Finance, Business and Legal Translation)
The BA or equivalente to "Licenciatura"in Guatemala is being discussed at the Congress
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.
Level 1
Alianza Francesa
Level 1
I learned basic knowledge of french language, mostly gramatical aspects and listening.
Sworn Translator/Traductora Jurada
The Optimum Professional, TOP (Sworn Translation/Traductora Jurada -english-spanish-english)
The BA or equivalente to "Licenciatura"in Guatemala is being discussed at the Congress
Principal Subjects:
Grammar (grammatical clasifications), Language, History, Literature, Legal Translation, Economic Translation, Bussiness Translation, Free Translation, etc.
Aproximately 5 to 8 courses are pending to obtain the technical degree
Rafael Landívar University (International Trade)
University Level
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.
Bilingual Secretary and Management Assistant Degree
Colegio Secretariado Gerencial Bilingüe (One year intense course to obtain the Bilingual Secretary and Management Assistant Degree)
Elementary School
Secretarial Knowledge and Management Asistance skills
Hischool and Bachillerato en Ciencias y Letras Degree
Colegio Valle Verde (Highschool and Bachillerato en Ciencias y Letras)
Elementary School
n/a