Sylvie Umuhire Biruta
Kigali,Rwanda
Summary
Commanding Communications Officer, equipped to make critical decisions and maintain order. Decisive in proactively approaching and solving problems. Reliable in rising to challenge of position and following through on issues. Tech-savvy and quick learning with technical know-how, social media expertise and sales abilities to support and drive substantial growth.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Administrative and Communcations Officer
Deputy Vice Chancellor's Office - University of Kigali
Kigali, Rwanda
10.2022 - 01.2024
- Handle incoming and outgoing emails and other forms of correspondence, and respond to inquiries as necessary
- Maintained relationships with media contacts to promote visibility in print, broadcast and online outlets.
- Collaborated with colleagues across departments to ensure consistent messaging throughout all channels.
- Plan and coordinate office events, meetings, conferences, and workshops
- Make travel arrangements for staff members, including booking flights, accommodations, and transportation
- Organize training sessions and workshops for staff development and skills improvement
- Facilitate communication within the office, including disseminating information and announcements.
- Prepared or delivered speeches to further public relations objectives.
- Ensured accuracy of content published through multiple platforms including websites, blogs and social media accounts.
- Developed marketing campaigns for environmental technologies or services.
- Developed public relations strategies to influence public opinion or promote ideas, products or services.
- Posted and updated content on company's website and social media outlets.
- Completed day-to-day duties accurately and efficiently.
- Prioritized and organized tasks to efficiently accomplish service goals.
International Students Officer
University of Kigali
Kigali
05.2021 - 10.2022
- Helped accepted incoming students with application procedures and worked with international office to provide written instructions and advice
- Offered outstanding customer service to create positive experiences for students and encourage enrollment
- Delivered tours of university's campuses to showcase facilities
- Provided administration support to international office staff to help with smooth running of day-to-day operations
- Collected contact details of international prospective students for subsequent communication by marketing department
- Complied with college policies and procedures to present positive image of college to prospective students
- Reported back promptly to supervisor on events attended for record keeping
- Worked closely with international office staff to assist and welcome prospective students or delegations to university
- Monitored and answered messages from prospective students on web and social media platforms to educate on university benefits
- Promoted university at key events by delivering advice and guidance to prospective applicants and parents
- Built and maintained good understanding of courses currently offered to accurately answer questions
- Shared interesting personal experiences about accommodation, academics and student life to influence prospective students' enrollment decisions
- Promotes intercultural awareness within the University and the local community by assisting with planning and coordination of special cultural events and activities involving international students.
Tour Consultant
Thousand Hills Africa Ltd
Kigali
06.2019 - 05.2021
- Planned and booked complex and large-scale domestic and international travel packages
- Communicated with clients to determine a budget, travel timeline, and accommodation preferences
- Drafted and updated itineraries and proactively notified travelers of any changes
- Captured travel-related information into the Wilderness Window reservation system
- Guided clients through the process of obtaining travel documents such as passports and visas, and exchanging currency
- Built rapport with hospitality and travel personnel to negotiate favorable packages
- Assisted travelers with updating or obtaining necessary documents such as passports or customs documentation
- Partnered with resorts and organizations to promote organized retreats and trips
- Provided helpful advice to increase traveler convenience, including currency exchanges and cell phone requirements
- Leveraged knowledge of travel destinations and attractions to plan tour itineraries
- Compiled and promoted travel packages to increase engagement with potential clients
- Addressed scheduling conflicts and transportation issues to maintain seamless itineraries, services, or accommodations
- Coordinated tour arrangements, including accommodations, necessary transportation and equipment, and tour amenities
- Organized recreational activities and events and guided guests through attractions
- Helped clients resolve problems before, during, and after travel
- Followed fare requirements, company rules, and international tariff requirements to build clients' packages
- Promptly responded to inquiries to promote professional-client relations
- Advised patrons about local hot spots and hidden gems for dining, shopping, and entertainment
- Supported seamless execution of travel itineraries by proactively arranging services and accommodations
- Maintained thorough knowledge of travel destinations and trends.
Academic and Communications Assistant
Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School
Kigali, Rwanda
10.2018 - 05.2019
- Planning meetings and taking detailed minutes
- Created surveys or questionnaires designed to collect feedback from current or former students.
- Organized workshops to help educate students about career development opportunities.
- Developed materials that could be used in orientation sessions for incoming students.
- Manage workflow by assigning tasks to other administrative employees daily, ensuring that deadlines are met and work is completed correctly
- Assist in training staff members and new hires
- Implement and monitor programs as directed by management, and see the programs through to completion
- Generate memos, emails and reports when appropriate
- Assume responsibility for maintenance of office equipment, including computers, copy machines and fax machines
- Maintain office supplies by checking inventory and order items
- Respond to questions and requests for information
- Answer incoming calls and assume other receptionist duties when needed
- Managing all social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter).
Communications Officer for Transform Africa Summit
Cube Communications
Kigali, Rwanda
05.2018 - 07.2018
- Wrote notes during conferences
- Recorded the consensus of the room
- Summarized and integrated the ideas of the speakers
- Provided quotes for live tweeting
- Developing relevant content topics/activities to reach the company's target customers
- Generated ideas for promotional campaigns to drive traffic to company websites or social media accounts.
- Conferred with other managers to identify trends or key group interests or concerns.
- Collaborated with PR team to drive successful launches, announcements and other awareness opportunities.
- Brainstormed topics with subject matter experts that aligned with media interests.
- Drafted social media posts and created videos with eye for viral content strategies.
- Creating, curating, and managing all published content (images, video and written)
- Picked up additional tasks to aid team success.
- Developed and maintained close working relationships with members of press.
- Collaborated with graphic design and marketing teams to devise effective branding strategies.
- Supported social media accounts by writing and posting content.
Secretary
SIXBEES Logistics Ltd.
Kigali, Rwanda
07.2017 - 09.2017
- Maintained the general filing system and file all correspondences
- Received, recorded and dispatched the incoming and outgoing correspondences
- Received, recorded the incoming vendor invoices
- Typed, scan and photocopy documents as needed
- Maintained and updated the contacts list of all partners
- Helped to coordinate outgoing telephone calls.
Assistant to the Dean of Students
Transylvania University
Lexington, Kentucky
03.2014 - 06.2017
- Assisted the Dean in organizing various activities that were going to take place in August Term (a First - Year engagement program to help freshmen familiarize themselves with the University)
- Organized meetings, and researched programs to provide entertainment to students
- Acquired organizational and communication skills mainly from scheduling appointments
- Generated reports on ideas presented in meetings, and analyzed them to determine if the objectives and goals of particular projects were reached.
Phonathon Caller
Transylvania University
Lexington, Kentucky
03.2015 - 06.2016
- Called donors, persuaded them to donate to school programs and advancements
- Collaborated with team members to achieve target results.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration and Management, Hospitality Management
Transylvania University
12-2017
Skills
- Social Media Marketing
- Product and Service Promotion
- Public Relations Strategies
- Organization Time Management
- Attention to Detail Multi-Tasking
- Client Relations Research
- Collaboration
- Work Coordination
- Internal Communications
- Marketing Communications
- Web Content Management
- Photography
Languages
- Kinyarwanda, Native
- English, Native
- French, Proficient
- Spanish, Beginner
Timeline
Administrative and Communcations Officer
Deputy Vice Chancellor's Office - University of Kigali
10.2022 - 01.2024
International Students Officer
University of Kigali
05.2021 - 10.2022
Tour Consultant
Thousand Hills Africa Ltd
06.2019 - 05.2021
Academic and Communications Assistant
Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School
10.2018 - 05.2019
Communications Officer for Transform Africa Summit
Cube Communications
05.2018 - 07.2018
Secretary
SIXBEES Logistics Ltd.
07.2017 - 09.2017
Phonathon Caller
Transylvania University
03.2015 - 06.2016
Assistant to the Dean of Students
Transylvania University
03.2014 - 06.2017
Bachelor of Arts - Business Administration and Management, Hospitality Management
Transylvania University
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