Administration Associate

Contract

This is a LICA-6 contract. This kind of contract is known as Local Individual Contractor Agreements. It is normally only for nationals. It's an external contract. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about LICA-6 contracts.

Background Information - Job-specific

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat office in KSA has been working in a number of projects to support the UN-Habitat mandates and to boost the implementation of the NUA and the SDGs especially goal 11 as well as support the implementation of the Saudi Vision 2030 and its different programs that corresponds with the mandate of UN-Habitat. The Saudi Arabia Office is affiliated to The Regional Office of Arab States (ROAS), which is responsible for the implementation of the UN Habitat Work Programme at Regional and at Country level for all domains of change under the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan(2020-2023). The KSA country programmes and projects are establishing a wide program to enhance UN-Habitat's capacity of delivery at the country level.

UN-Habitat has been tasked by the Quality-of-Life Program in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide technical and advisory services for the design, development, and promotion of a global Quality of Life Index with a universal, and standardised method that will provide coherence and alignment for all development partners, including the UN system. The project is composed of three different phases over a period of 36 months.

The project is composed of three outcomes as follows:

• Enhanced Technical and institutional capacity of participating countries and cities to adapt and use the Global Quality of Life Index as a decision-support system that relies on reliable, timely, and disaggregated data.
• Enhanced understanding of local, national and global urban Quality of life trends, and challenges that hinder effective implementation of policies/ actions and formulate transformative actions.
• Enhanced capacity of local and national governments and development partners to adapt, use and report on Quality-of-Life urban trends, including through the voluntary local and national review processes using the harmonised Global Urban Monitoring framework.

Functional Responsibilities

The Administration Associate will work under the overall guidance of the Project Senior Coordinator and Project Manager of the “Technical Support to Quality of Life Index Project” in cooperation with the Quality of Life Program in Saudi Arabia. She/He will be responsible for improving the implementation of the project from the administrative side, as follows:

• Support to administrative and logistical services of the project. Ensure full compliance of administrative activities with UN-Habitat rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
• Coordinates individual work areas and coaches project personnel in execution of standard office transactions, processes and client services for work areas, ensuring full compliance with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies and knowledge of the work areas.
• Monitors project team performance against service agreements with clients, and client satisfaction
• Implements the control mechanism for designated administrative services, including maintenance of administrative control records such as commitments and expenditures.
• Reviews travel authorizations, documentation, payments. Arrangements of travel and hotel reservations, preparation of travel authorizations, processing requests for visas, identity cards and other necessary documents.
• Compiles data and researches information for planning of financial resources/administrative budget for administrative services. Advise senior management regarding general administration and management information issues and practices.
• Provision of inputs for the preparation of administrative team results-oriented work plans.
• Organisation of appointments and meetings. Compilation and preparation of briefings and presentation materials, speeches, background information and documentation for meetings and missions, minutes of meetings.
• Administrative support, organisation and delivery of training, conferences, workshops and events in and outside Saudi Arabia.
• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilise productively.
• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.
• Other tasks as requested by the reporting officer/other tasks related to UN-Habitat projects in Saudi Arabia

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above) Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Competencies

Below are some of the functionalities.

• Professionalism . Ability to apply judgement in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Ability to work independently in support of overall programme objectives and take responsibility in incorporating youth and gender perspectives and ensuring equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Knowledge of Saudi Arabia socio-economic situation as pertaining to youth and women, urbanization issues and challenges and effective liaising with the Saudi government to enhance the trust and confidence of the government in UN-Habitat.
• Planning and Organizing. Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amounts of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary Uses time efficiently.
• Teamwork Promote strong collaboration among colleagues to achieve programme goals and objectives, share credit with team members for accomplishments in the project, and accept responsibility for the team's shortcomings.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting or other related field
• 2 years' experience in administration or programme support services;
• multi-disciplinary experience is an asset and with proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Previous experience in running workshops, trainings, events and conferences will be an asset
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).
• Strong written and oral communication skills is desirable
• Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
• For this position fluency in oral and written English and Arabic language is required.

Contract type, level and duration

1. Contract type: ICA
2. Contract level: Local ICA Support, level 6
3. Contract duration: 12 Months (with possibility of extension)

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.