Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To perform administrative work in support of International Sales annual sales revenue targets, marketing/promotions plans and customer service objectives. To provide a coordinated, full range of normal office clerical and secretarial functions to support the department's Associate Director, Project Managers, Supervisor, Travelling Exhibitions and Project Consultants.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1. As part of the International Sales team, performs a variety of administrative duties to support annual sales revenue targets, marketing/promotions plans and customer service objectives by:

- assembling sales / promotional pieces for review based on objectives set in sales meetings with Project Consultants, Associate Director e.g. obtaining information from other departments, drafting copy, and coordinating the production of promotional collateral sales materials including brochures, direct mail campaign components, etc. This includes seeking quotes from internal/external suppliers, participating in discussions on design and production options, ensuring timelines and cost estimates are adhered to and administering established payment process.

- conducting market research with guidance from the Associate Director on potential sources, selecting information relevant to stated objectives e.g. to determine sales return on attending conferences, direct mail campaigns and other marketing / promotions initiatives; analyzing data; establishing format to produce final reports regarding sales/promotions campaigns

- interacting with customers in a professional, conscientious and courteous manner that models a commitment to customer service excellence and customer relations goals as first point of contact for International Sales' customers face-to-face, telephone, print and electronic communication i.e. cold calling prospective customers, pre-qualifying initial sales inquiries based on preset questions, responding to and / or redirecting service calls to appropriate staff member (referring only those matters that cannot be resolved or deviate from policy, procedure or protocol)

- monitoring client responses to selling effort, communications, programs, world/local issues that effect OSC and International Sales program, notifying Associate Director, Project Consultants about any observed changes in purchasing behaviour or areas of concern.

- administering and maintaining the International Sales database (FilemakerPro), overseeing integrity of the data, identifying database enhancements and working with IT specialists to modify the system, querying the database (and other electronic information sources) to produce weekly sales activity reports for Associate Director and Project Consultants and to provide timely ad-hoc and period sales reports including analyzing data and noting highlights for Associate Director.

2. Provides a coordinated, full range of office support functions for department staff including Associate Director, Project Consultants, Project Managers and Supervisor, Travelling Exhibitions by:

- organizing and making arrangements to assist Project Consultants in preparation for tradeshows, conventions, other sales opportunities and promotional events enhancing the image and awareness of International Sales and the OSC e.g. Records of Approval for travel outside N. America, travel and accommodation, freight, insurance, confirming itinerary with conference sponsors, etc.

- setting up meetings/events/training courses e.g. canvassing staff to put together agenda for department meetings, arranging travel itinerary and accommodation for Associate Director, Project Consultants, Project Mangers, conferences, symposia, tradeshows, workshops and for and the Supervisor, Travelling Exhibitions and OSC attending customer locations to set up / takedown exhibitions, etc.

- coordinating office services for the section, e.g., devising office procedures, expediting travel, seminar and other arrangements for staff, processing associated expense accounts, monitoring budget, staff attendance reporting, coordinating bulk mailing.

- preparing and collating of minutes, speeches, reports, training manuals, charts, graphs, and statistical data using MAC & PC based computer equipment and office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, e-mail including automated functions in the software such as pagination, merging, headers/footers, tables, workbooks/ formula and graphs in Excel, graphics, etc.

Knowledge :

Knowledge of OSC International Sales' marketing strategies/business objectives to determine administrative priorities and workflow, to identify needs for administrative support systems and modifications to the department's database, to assess data integrity from the International Sales database, to inform own approach and method for handling customer service and sales inquiries, for drafting and production of promotional materials and sales reports. Knowledge of other departments at the Centre to gather information for sales / marketing products and to obtain design / production quotes. General knowledge of travelling exhibition market. Detailed knowledge of the intent, terms and conditions of rental agreements to field service calls from customers. Knowledge of events to organize/coordinate arrangements International Sales' presence at Trade Shows and Conferences. Knowledge of International Sales' database capabilities to produce a variety of reports. Knowledge of office administration and software capabilities (Database programs, MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and email to develop/produce polished presentations, schedules, direct mail letters, bulletins, flyers, reports, spreadsheets, speeches, minutes, etc. Knowledge of OSC / government purchasing procedures to develop requisitions for the purchase of design / production services and various office supplies.

Skills :

Job requires research, reasoning and statistical analysis skills to identify, select and present information in a format that will help inform OSC's International Sales strategies e.g. environmental scans on industry trends, threats and opportunities; return on OSC's investment in existing sales strategies including attendance at tradeshows/conferences, direct mail, personal calls, etc. Detail oriented along with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously for various members of the department. Customer service, interpersonal and problem solving skills along with initiative, tact, and judgment to evaluate customer service issues and determine the appropriate written, verbal or in-person response. As well, written communication skills are required to draft letters and correspondence, collateral sales materials including brochures, direct mail campaign components, school flyers/packages, etc. Good organization skills are required to follow through on logistics for International Sales' participation at special events, follow through on sales process / production of marketing materials and efficiently coordinate office administration needs. Proficiency in operations, functions and capabilities of the International Sales database, word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software to devise document formats suitable for presentation to senior management, clients, etc. and/or mathematical formula to produce meaningful business data.

Freedom of Action :

Work is performed under the general supervision of the Associate Director within the framework of known sales / business objectives, administrative needs and established protocols, policies and procedures. The employee is expected to solve work related and referring only matters that deviate radically from established guidelines.

Accountability
Position is accountable for overseeing all of the administrative aspects of the International Sales Department. Work requires ongoing coordination of own activities with those of other departments and external design / production suppliers; event, trade show and conference sponsors, freight companies and insurance providers. The position contributes directly to the achievement of the department's annual sales revenue targets, marketing/promotions plans and customer service objectives in customer service and in providing efficient and coordinated administrative and clerical services. Errors could be traced and corrected but the negative impact on customer relations could affect future partnership opportunities.

Judgement
The position independently analyzes the nature of customer relations issues/problems and determines courses of action that best support International Sales' objectives and the intent of related policy/practices/protocol. Seriously dissatisfied customers demanding solutions that conflict with the intent of policies are referred to Project Consultants and/or Associate Director. Freedom exists to organize office operations/workflow, devise research methodology and data capture (including identifying needs for database system modifications) based on an understanding of overall program needs and objectives.