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 The Department of Operational Support (DOS) was established to provide end-to-end operational support, advisory services, and other solutions to operating entities across the Secretariat, including departments, offices away from headquarters, peace operations, and regional commissions.

The Regional Service Centre in Entebbe, Uganda (RSCE), was established in July 2010, following the adoption of General Assembly resolution 64/269. The Centre provides efficient, client-oriented, and scalable services with the goal of moving transactional, non-location dependent administrative functions to the Centre from its client entities. This includes transactional elements of human resources, finance, multimodal movement and control, personnel and cargo transport and information and communications technology (ICT) support.

In addition to these services, the Office of the Chief RSCE and support offices through the Deputy Chief RSCE provides overall guidance on the operations of the RSCE including strategic planning, communication, budgeting, human resources management, property management, quality assurance and business intelligence, conference services, record keeping and archive management, and audit response and risk management.

For more information, please visit https://rsce.unmissions.org.

This position is located in the Travel Service Line. The Administrative Assistant at this level reports to the Service Line Manager.

Responsibilities Under the general supervision of a Travel Service Line Team Leader, the Administrative Assistant GS-5 will carry out the following duties:

• Ensures effective and efficient functioning of the Service Line by maintaining contact with visitors and staff, make arrangement of appointments and meetings including meeting room reservation, compiling, and preparing briefing and presentation material, background information and documentation for meetings. Supports the office with leave monitoring and maintaining leave and absences.

• Make travel arrangements and hotel reservations, processing requests for visa, ID cards and other documents. Provide administrative support to conferences, workshops, retreats. Research and retrieval of statistical data from internal and external sources, preparation of statistical charts, tables, and reports. Follow up on deadlines, commitments made, action taken and coordination of collection and submission of reports to Service line managers. Assists with archiving and maintenance of the filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials.

• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of related guidelines, staff rules, HR rules and regulations, practices, and procedures, and makes recommendations to the Team Lead /Service Line Manager.

• Provides information to staff and consultants on the most direct and economical route, and plans routings, and itineraries plus the most economical airfare rates for such travel as permitted by rules and regulations.

• Provides information on rates and travel schedules for specific itineraries. Advises on travel issues. Replies to queries to clients.

• Processes entitlement travel service as requested by client missions and RSCE Staff.

• Arranges tickets for official and training travel; arranges tickets and cargo pace for repatriation of Human remains; Arranges tickets for medical evacuation.

Human Resources Management

• Enters, maintains, and certifies administrative data and records for time and attendance, performance appraisal, etc. in electronic information systems.

• Reviews entitlements-related claims and reports.

• Provides advice and guidance to staff with respect to administrative procedures, processes, and practices, liaising with central administrative services as necessary.

• Maintains and reviews organizational staffing tables; prints and reviews reports.

General Administration

• Drafts routine correspondence.

• Maintains files of rules, regulations, administrative instructions, and other related documentation.

• Maintains up-to-date work unit files (both paper and electronic).

• Coordinates extensively with service lines and liaises frequently with RSCE and client mission staff.

• Performs other related administrative duties, as required.

  Competencies Professionalism – Knowledge of United Nations administrative policies, rules, and regulations. Ability to demonstrate effective time management skills. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written and spoken form. Ability to demonstrate excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills. 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.

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.

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.

Education High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in administration, finance, budget, accounting, audit, human resources, or related area is required.

Experience working in a United Nations common system or similar international organization is desirable.

Experience in travel administration is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by Competency Based Interview.

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

• Staff Members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all Staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

• This position is temporarily available until 30 June 2023, with 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.

• 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.

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.

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.