ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Contract

This is a FS-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Field Service. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about FS-4 contracts and their salaries.

Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the Front Office of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen. The incumbent will be based in Amman, Jordan and will report to the Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Staff, and within the limits of delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will perform the following duties:

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION:

• Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters; • Coordinates extensively with service sections/units and liaises frequently with internal team members in the field mission; • Performs other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., operational travel programme; monitoring accounts and payment to vendors and individual contractors for services; physical space planning; identification of office technology needs and maintenance of equipment, software and systems; organizing and coordinating seminars, conferences and translations); • May be responsible for guiding, training, and supervising the work of more junior General Service staff. • Performs other duties that fall within the competency and responsibility of the position.

HUMAN RESOURCES & TRAVEL MANAGEMENT:

• Coordinates and follows up with the Human Resources Section on actions related to the administration of the section’s/unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment of staff and consultants, placement, promotion, relocation, separation of staff members, training etc. • Review travel claims and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and validity; ensure that entitlements are in conformity with Staff Rules. Evaluate the effect of personal deviations on the cost of the official itinerary and entitlement. Calculate cost differentials brought about by enforced changes in the official itinerary as a result of routing difficulties or other reasons. • Provide estimates of travel-related entitlements • Advise substantive offices, travellers, plus mission personnel and movement control staff of arrival information, requesting arrangements to be made accordingly for traveller. • Coordinate all official travel initiated via United Nations aircraft.

BUDGET AND FINANCE:

• Assists the supervisor when required in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions; • Assists with the preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures; • Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports; • Handles petty cash requests, coordinates with the mission support for approval process and records entries in the petty cash journal.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION:

• Assists with the day-to-day administration of contracts between the section/unit and external contractors for outsourced services; • Audits the contractors' invoices against the goods and services provided by the contractor as and when required; • Processes the payment of contractors' invoices and monitor payments; • Prepares and processes all forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service staff, including UN grounds passes, property passes, UN parking permits, swipe-card access and door keys; • Performs other duties, as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Ability and experience across a broad range of administrative functions, which should include budget/work programme, human resources and database management; Knowledge and application of the UN systems and Staff Regulations and Rules; A high degree of commitment to ensure the proper use of the Organization's resources; Proven capability to put all the above knowledge to work, working, independently with a high degree of responsibility; Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; Is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments and adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount 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.

Education

A high school or equivalent diploma is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of finance, accounting, human resources, audit, administrative services or other related fields is required.

Experience within the United Nations Common System or other comparable international organizations is desirable.

Proficiency and in-depth knowledge of UN system's operation ‘UMOJA’ (SAP) and in the use of Umoja Travel and Shipment Module is required.

Proficiency in creation/ processing of Travel Requests, Travel Expense Reports, banking details and other related actions in Umoja for non-UN participants of UN organized events/conferences is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by an informal interview.

Special Notice

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

• This position is temporarily available for an initial period of 364 days. Any extension of assignment / appointment is subject to extension of funding / mandate. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

This temporary job opening may be limited to "internal candidates," who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.

Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions: and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions.

Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.