Administrative Assistant

Coordinate administrative tasks and support human resources management

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UN DOS - Department of Operational Support

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Application deadline 4 years ago: Monday 25 Apr 2022 at 23:59 UTC

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Overview

Coordinate administrative tasks and support human resources management

You have:

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • A minimum of five years of experience in administrative services, finance, budget, audit, human resources or related area
  • Experience using databases such as MS Excel is required
  • Experience working with an Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) such as Umoja is desirable
  • Fluency in English is required
  • Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable

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 within the Air Transport Service (ATS), Logistics Division (LD), Office of Supply Chain Management (OSCM), Department of Operational Support (DOS).

The Department of Operational Support was established to provide end-to-end operational support, advisory services and other solutions 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, Logistics Division, the Procurement Division, the Uniformed Capabilities Support Division, Umoja Coordination Service, Global Service Centre, Aviation Safety Section and the Enabling and Outreach Service.

The Logistics Division has been mandated to implement the supply chain management vision and strategy for a well-managed and agile supply chain to support the United Nations field missions with effectiveness and efficiency through integrated 'end-to-end' processes, starting with robust planning and managing global demand, strategic sourcing, consolidated delivery and return, supported by a strong performance management framework.

The Air Transport Service provides strategic oversight of the DOS aviation programme. It provides the road map for planning, organizing, training and equipping the UN Operations with aviation assets, personnel and aviation services along with criteria for assessing and evaluating the overall DOS aviation programme.

The incumbent reports to the Head of Service or designated official.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant 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 unit's human resources activities, e.g., recruitment, placement, relocation, promotion, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of regulations and procedures. - Acts as note taker during remote or in-person interviews. - Enters, maintains and certifies administrative data and records for time and attendance, performance appraisal, etc. in electronic information systems. - Provides advice and guidance to staff with respect to administrative procedures, processes and practices, liaising with central administrative services as necessary. - Maintains, prepare and reviews organizational staffing tables; prints and reviews Umoja reports.

Budget and Finance - Monitors status of expenditures and allotments through ERP system (Umoja), records variations, updates budget tables. - Consolidates data received and provides support to higher-level staff with respect to budget reviews. - Reviews status of relevant expenditures and compares with approved budget. - Processes requirements for goods and services; (a) ensures availability of funds (b) creates shopping carts (c) correct objects of expenditure have been charged and (d) obtains approvals from the corresponding approving officer. - Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions. - Prepares statistical tables and standard financial reports.

General Administration - Drafts routine correspondence. - Maintains up-to-date work unit files (both paper and electronic). - Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field. - Performs other related administrative duties, as required, e.g., monitoring accounts and payments 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 administrative arrangements for seminars, conferences and translations; and preparing and processing UN forms.

Contract Administration - Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external contractors for outsourced services. - Audits the contractors' invoices against the goods and services provided by the contractor and approved by the UN. - Processes the service verification of contractors' invoices and monitor payments.

Competencies - Professionalism: Knowledge of policies, practices and regulations on management of supplies, purchasing and logistics and ability to apply them in an organizational environment. Ability to maintain accurate records and prepare reports using MS Office, including MS Excel on a wide variety of data. 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.

  • 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.

  • Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

    Education High school diploma or equivalent.

    Work Experience - A minimum of five years of experience in administrative services, finance, budget, audit, human resources or related area is required.

    • Experience using databases such as MS Excel is required.

    • Experience working with an Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) such as Umoja is desirable.

    • Experience in sourcing, cleaning and preparing data, selection 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 post 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 - This position is temporarily available as soon as possible through 30 June 2022, with a possibility of an extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

  • This temporary job opening is advertised to fill a temporarily vacant position during the absence of the regular incumbent. The regular incumbent is entitled to return to this position at the expiry of the temporary vacancy period. If the regular incumbent exercises the right to return, the appointment or temporary assignment or promotion of the candidate selected for this job opening will not be renewed or extended.

  • A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. In accordance with ST/AI/1999/17 section 2.3, a Special Post Allowance (SPA) may only be granted to one level higher than the personal level of the staff member assigned to higherlevel functions in his or her own category, whether the higher-level functions are one or several levels higher than the personal level of the staff member.

  • As per section 2.2 of ST/AI/1999/17, payment of an SPA is a discretionary grant for which staff members may be considered when they meet the conditions set out in Staff Rule 3.10. The granting of SPA will be done in accordance with section 5 of the aforementioned instruction which includes review and approval by the SPA panel.

  • For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17.

  • A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 of ST/AI/2010/4 Rev. 1. below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments.

  • For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

  • 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 position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

  • Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test [in English] at the United Nations headquarters, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, International criminal tribunal for Rwanda or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.

  • The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English

  • 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.

  • 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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.

Potential interview questions

Can you describe a time when you had to manage multiple administrative tasks simultaneously? This assesses your organizational skills and ability to prioritize effectively. Provide a specific example and explain how you organized the tasks and managed your time.
How do you ensure accuracy in your financial reporting? This question evaluates your attention to detail and knowledge of financial processes. Pro members can see the explanation.
What steps do you take to maintain effective communication with clients? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Describe your experience with the ERP system and how you used it in your previous roles. Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Can you provide an example of how you adapted to a new technology in the workplace? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org