Administrative Assistant

Contract

This is a G-6 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about G-6 contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Movement Control Section (MCS) within the Logistics Division (LD), Office of Supply Chain Management (OSCM), Department of Operational Support (DOS) at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. The Department of Operational Support was established to provide operational advisory services to operating entities across the Secretariat, including other departments, Offices Away from Headquarters, field missions, and Regional Commissions. The Office of Supply Chain Management includes the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Supply Chain Management, the Logistics Division, the Procurement Division, the Uniformed Capabilities Support Division, Global Service Centre, Aviation Safety Section and the Enabling and Outreach Service. The Logistics Division performs a central role in the implementation of end-to-end supply chain management across the United Nations operations. The Division provides direction and advice on logistical matters, monitors and assesses the delivery of strategic transportation and support services, and directs the delivery of transportation and specialist support services in the functional areas of air transport, ground transport, engineering, medical and supply, inclusive of fuel, rations and general supplies and security equipment. The incumbent reports directly to the Chief of Section or designated official.

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: Human Resources Management • Initiates, reviews, processes and follows-up on actions related to the administration of the Unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment of staff and consultants, placement, promotion, relocation, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures. • Responds to enquiries and provides information and advice to staff regarding their entitlements, administrative procedures, processes and practices, conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations. • Oversees the maintenance of job opening files and keeps track of the status of job openings. • Receives and coordinates staff leave requests as well as requests for telecommuting. Budget and Finance • Assists in the preparation and review of financial and human resource proposals/requirements, including training, subscriptions and publications, translations, consultancies, and others as applicable. Consolidates budget/work programme with LD Front Office for justification and funding. • Monitors expenditures and compares with approved budget; prepares adjustments as necessary. • Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions. • Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures. • Prepares or customizes financial reports from Umoja generated reports. • Raises Shopping Carts, Sales Orders and Service Entry Sheets in Umoja in support of MCS activities. • Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports. General Administration • Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries with respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters. • Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field. • Assists the Chief with scheduling and monitoring project activities, filtering commitments and engagements to ensure timely project deliverables. • 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 as well as for new recruits at all levels. • Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making. Contract Administration • Assists with day-to-day administration of MCS contracts between the UN and external contractors for outsourced services. • Processes the payment of MCS contractors' invoices and monitor payments. • Prepares and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff, including UN grounds passes, property passes, UN parking permits, swipe-card access and door keys.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., budget/work programme, human resources, database management, etc. Ability to apply knowledge of various United Nations administrative, financial and human resources rules and regulations in work situations. Ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent.

Job - Specific Qualification

Certification in Project/Programme Management methodology by an accredited body (e.g., PMP, PGMP, PRINCE 2 Foundation Project Management certification or practitioner level) or equivalent is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in administrative services, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. • Experience in the provision of support to senior management in the United Nations Common System, or comparable public sector institution, is required. • Experience in preparing meeting notes, memoranda, talking points, drafting presentations or equivalent is desirable. • Experience in compiling and summarizing information from reference documents and background materials, or equivalent is desirable. • Experience in the use of Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Share Point and Microsoft Teams is desirable. • Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP or similar system is desirable. • Experience in sourcing, cleaning and preparing data, and developing visualization/metrics that enable easy communication/interpretation by the user, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

• The position is available for six (6) months, with a possibility of extension. 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. • For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev. • 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. • Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. 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. • This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to Staff Role 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for General Service and related positions must be authorized to work in the country where the position is located. A staff member subject to local recruitment is not eligible for the allowances or benefits applicable to international recruitment. • At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

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.