The Administrative Assistant will provide administrative support to the Unit, including drafting routine correspondence, scheduling meetings, maintaining records, and supporting communication flow. This role requires a detail-oriented professional who can coordinate unit administration, document management, inventory coordination, procurement support, and laboratory operations coordination.

• Job Location: Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria
• Employment Type: Full-Time (2-year renewable contract)
• Salary: Highly competitive (not stated)
• Application Deadline: 26 May 2026

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a leading research institution focused on agricultural development. The Institute seeks suitable Nigeria nationals for administrative positions at its Headquarters in Ibadan, offering a pleasant campus environment and excellent working conditions.

Administrative and Secretarial Support

• Provide administrative support to the Unit, including drafting routine correspondence, scheduling meetings, maintaining records, and supporting communication flow.
• Coordinate meetings by scheduling appointments, preparing agendas, taking minutes, and tracking agreed action points to closure.
• Maintain calendars for key unit activities, deadlines, and administrative deliverables.
• Support the preparation, formatting, filing, and retrieval of routine administrative documents.

Unit Administration and Document Management

• Maintain organized and up-to-date filing systems, both electronic and physical, for administrative, operational, and reference documents.
• Ensure that key administrative records, trackers, and registers are complete, current, and easily retrievable.
• Handle confidential information with discretion and in compliance with institutional policies.
• Support document control for routine laboratory administrative records, including version control, filing, and archiving.

Inventory and Supplies Coordination

• Maintain accurate inventory records for office supplies, laboratory consumables, and other routinely used unit materials, as assigned.
• Monitor stock levels and support timely replenishment of approved supplies to avoid stock-outs or unnecessary overstocking.
• Maintain simple stock trackers and issue records for routine supplies and consumables.
• Support verification and documentation of received items against requests and delivery records.

Procurement, Finance, and Travel Support

• Prepare and process administrative requests related to procurement, travel advances, retirements, and other unit support needs in a timely manner.
• Enter and track Oracle system requests and follow up on approvals to support timely completion.
• Maintain trackers for pending requests, approvals, retirements, and other administrative transactions.
• Liaise with relevant support units to ensure completeness of documentation and compliance with institutional procedures.
• Support the organization of travel, workshops, meetings, and related logistics for staff and unit activities.

Laboratory Operations Coordination Support

• Support routine coordination of laboratory administrative workflows, including tracking requests, schedules, and operational follow-up as assigned by the Supervisor.
• Maintain simple logs and trackers for sample receipt, internal movement, status updates, and related administrative records, where applicable.
• Support coordination of shared laboratory activities by following up on timelines, documentation, and routine operational needs.
• Assist with onboarding and administrative orientation of interns, temporary staff, and other new team members as assigned.

Equipment and Service Record Support

• Maintain administrative records related to equipment servicing, calibration, maintenance schedules, and service reports, as assigned.
• Track service dates, pending maintenance actions, and documentation for key laboratory equipment.
• Support filing and retrieval of equipment-related documents for operational planning and audit readiness.

Reporting and Other Duties

• Prepare simple routine summaries and status updates on administrative trackers, inventory status, pending requests, and follow-up actions.
• Flag delays, missing documentation, stock risks, and other routine administrative issues to the Supervisor in a timely manner.
• Perform other administrative and operational support duties assigned by the Supervisor.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Office Management, Public Administration, or a related course.
• Minimum of two (2) years' experience performing a similar role in a well-structured environment, preferably in a laboratory, research, technical, or international development setting.
• Experience maintaining trackers, filing systems, and routine administrative records with a high level of accuracy.
• Experience with ERP systems such as Oracle is an added advantage.
• Prior experience supporting procurement, travel, inventory, or operations-related processes is an added advantage.
• Ability to manage multiple administrative tasks, maintain orderly systems, and follow through on priorities.
• High level of accuracy in documentation, data entry, filing, and record-keeping.
• Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to engage professionally with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong ability to track pending items, follow up consistently, and close routine actions on time.
• Ability to identify routine administrative bottlenecks and escalate issues appropriately.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Ability to manage competing deadlines and routine operational demands.
• Flexibility to support evolving unit needs and additional assignments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should Apply here through the official application page.

Why this job might be a good fit

This role is suitable for an experienced administrative professional who thrives in a structured, multidisciplinary research environment, enjoys coordinating complex workflows, and seeks a stable 2-year renewable contract with competitive benefits at a reputable international institute.

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