Administrative Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976. 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 established the Innovation Unit under the Knowledge and Innovation Branch within the External Relations, Strategy, Knowledge and Innovation (ERSKI) Division in Nairobi as a specialized unit to strengthen innovative thinking, practice and solutions both within the organization and externally for the benefit of our partners and the beneficiaries we serve. The Innovation Unit promotes an innovation culture for improved sustainable urbanization outcomes, acts as an enabler and broker for new ideas and partnerships for inclusive and at scale impacts, develops knowledge and tools to strengthen innovation, and promotes innovation in project and programme design and implementation by providing advice on tools, methodologies, technologies and partnerships. The Innovation Unit also hosts the People-Centered Smart Cities flagship programme of UN-Habitat.

This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is to backstop and support project administrative tasks in the Innovation Unit which include, but are not limited to, project administration, follow-ups, logistics and operations, contract processing, payments (vendors and consultants), note-taking and minute writing.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Knowledge and Innovation Branch, UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Performs, under minimal supervision, the full range of office management and administrative support functions. • Performs general administrative tasks: o Leave and attendance recording, o Arrangements for meetings and other events, o Preparing and/or processing administrative requests/documents (e.g. requisitions, purchase orders, travel requests, contracts, expenditure authorizations, etc.) o Follow-ups on payments, as needed, o Attends meetings, prepares minutes, and monitors follow-up activities, o Administrative and logistics support to meetings, boards, committees, conferences, etc., o Maintains unit calendar/schedules, o Prepares, processes, and follows up on administrative arrangements and forms related to the official travel of staff and consultants. • Contract Administration: o Assists with the day-to-day administration of contracts in the unit, o Prepares and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual work in the Innovation Unit, such as UN grounds passes, and others, o Processes the payment of contractors and vendors invoices/payment requests. • Takes part in and supports registration, logistics and operations of Innovation Unit events. • Ensures timekeeping of current unit tasks. • Performs other duties, as assigned.

• Accountability • Client Orientation • Commitment and Motivation • Communication • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Respect for Diversity • Working in Teams

Business Administration, Human Resources, Project Management, Finance, or a related field is required. • Prior experience working in the UN or other international organizations is desirable. • Excellent oral and written communication skills; this includes the ability to handle correspondence, and communicate effectively with individuals at various organizational levels; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; Nation-al Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate.