ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Contract

This is a G-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about G-5 contracts.

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Human Resources Management, Capacity Development Programme Management Office (CDPMO) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). CDPMO supports the Under-Secretary-General and DESA's divisions in the implementation of the Department's capacity development approach and promotes coherence as well as integrated delivery of the Department's capacity development activities. In addition, CDPMO provides full financial and administrative support with respect to the management of DESA's capacity development programmes and projects, including the Regular Programme of Technical Cooperation, the Development Account and all extra-budgetary funding. CDPMO also provides financial and administrative support to the Junior Professional Officers Programme and the Training and Fellowship Programme of the UN Secretariat. The incumbent reports directly to the Programme Management Officer and under the overall supervision of the Chief of Human Resources Management.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant, under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer and the overall guidance of the Chief of Human Resources Management, will be responsible for the following duties: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: •Initiates, processes, monitors, reviews and follows-up on actions related to the administration of the Department’s capacity development training activities including conferences, workshops, seminars, and symposia; Incumbent will also handle the administration of fellows, as requested by the workload of the office. Collects from the Department’s Substantive Divisions the time and attendance records of all trainees participating in DESA’s capacity development conferences, workshops, and seminars; Takes retroactive action, if necessary, to make appropriate travel adjustments. •Calculates and determines the entitlements of trainees and reflects them in financial authorizations to UNDP country offices and offices away from Headquarters; •Reviews and processes the Expense Reports of the trainees; •Provides advice and guidance to trainees and other stakeholders with respect to the United Nations policies, procedures, processes and practices governing the administration of fellowships, study tours and group training events;. •Uploads, maintains and updates training event files and trainee files in the newly established platform UniteDoc. BUDGET AND FINANCE: •With a relative degree of independence, the incumbent monitors the actual status of expenditure and allotments for each participant against obligated amounts and adjusts obligations accordingly in line with IPSAS requirements; Reviews and determines the closing of obligations provided by Finance on a quarterly basis in accordance with IPSAS actual and prospected deadlines; •Seeks clarification from UNDP field offices on all charges which exceed authorized amounts, and adjusts obligations as necessary; Plays a crucial and direct role in cost recovery cases when participants obtain the DSA and do not travel or travel for a shorter duration. Incumbent must calculate the amount to be recovered, prepare a cost-recovery plans and makes every effort to recover the money in accordance with the UN financial and personnel rules and regulations; •Reviews invoices submitted by vendors for goods and services provided for training events to ensure that expenditures have been correctly charged and the funds are available. Processes the payment of vendor invoices and monitors payments; •Prepares shopping carts and Service entry Sheets for approval by Approving Officer; •Certifies travel requests and Expense report on behalf of trainees; •Prepares financial authorizations to UNDP country offices and to Offices away from Headquarters and adjusts financial authorizations as necessary; •Prepares statistical tables for each training event and shares them with the respective Substantive Divisions. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION: •Prepares, processes and follows-up on administrative arrangements and forms related to the official travel of trainees and participants in capacity development events; With transparency and fairness, reviews the documentation and identifies trainees who may not be eligible for participation in training activities due to frequency of nominations (one nomination within six months for group meeting participants and once a year for study tour participants.) •Drafts routine correspondence, particularly to trainees and UNDP country offices; •Maintains files of rules, regulations, administrative instructions and other related documentation; •Maintains up-to-date work unit electronic files in Unite Docs; •Coordinates extensively with staff from substantive divisions and liaises frequently with counterparts in the Travel Unit, Accounts Divisions and UNDP field offices. •Performs other related administrative duties, as required.

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. Knowledge of UN Travel policies. Knowledge of processing visa application in line with host country regulations. Knowledge of Excel and other databases. 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. 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. 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 is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of experience in administrative services, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required. Experience in reviewing and processing travel documents including visa applications in line with host country regulations is required. Experience in using the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system such as Umoja for travel administration is required. Experience in building personnel data in an integrated information management system including banking information is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

This is an Extrabudgetary-funded post. Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. The appointment or assignment and renewal are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively 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.

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.