Administrative Assistant, G-5, Education Outcomes Fund, London, United Kingdom (Open ONLY to UK Citizens/Holders of UK Work Permit) REQ

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.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, education . . .

The Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) supports improvements in the quality of education and skills programs, with a special focus on underserved populations, including the hardest to reach; rural populations, girls, children with disabilities, and refugees. It measures (and pays for) what matters – both core skills like literacy and numeracy, but also critical 21st Century skills such as socio-emotional skills, ICT skills, and other broader fundamentals of quality education. It helps close the persistent gap between the skills needed by employers and those attained by today's youth by paying for employment and retention outcomes.

For all the above, EOF pays primarily on the basis of the results achieved, ensuring that taxpayer-funded domestic resources, aid, and philanthropic funds are only used to pay for what works. This is a game-changing way to finance results in education, that focuses attention and realigns systems on the most challenging but important measure of performance of programs and systems – whether they are actually improving lives.

EOF is hosted by UNICEF. The Fund is administered under UNICEF’s financial, human resources and administrative rules and regulations, while operations are run by the Fund’s own independent governance structure that provides strategic guidance and oversight to its investments. EOF’s day-to-day activities are carried out by a Secretariat under the direction of the EOF CEO.

The Administrative Assistant will be reporting to the Operation Specialist at the Education Outcomes Fund.

How can you make a difference?

The EOF Operations team plays a vital role in delivering EOF’s mission, supporting the launch and implementation of our programs around the world; enabling partnerships across the public and private sectors; and creating a strong central foundation for all other work.

Operations staff aim to ensure efficient and cost-effective administrative and financial support services and are responsible for expenditure monitoring, operations, procedural administrative services and specialized functions related to budget monitoring and human resources.

Under the supervision and guidance of the supervisor, the Administrative Assistant is responsible for executing a broad variety of routine tasks and some specialized for the EOF team, requiring a thorough knowledge of UNICEF administrative procedures, processes and policies.

Travel

• Provides travel assistance to staff members in the section for travel arrangements and entitlements based on the organization’s rules and policies. Liaises with relevant travel focal points to ensure that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel.
• Briefs/de-briefs staff members on issues relating to related administrative matters such as visas, security clearance, and documentation procedures.
• Extracts, inputs, maintains and verifies the correctness of travel records in the organization’s travel system to ensure accurate transactions related to travel costs and staff travel.
• Assists in the preparation of budgets on travel costs and maintain travel plan and budgetary control records.
• Monitors travel certification and report back to the team.

Procurement

• Guides managers in the process of procurement of goods and services, in line with the policies and guidance issued by supply division and DHR.
• Facilitates the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners that provide a service to the section. This includes preparing and filing documents, completing necessary forms and templates, uploading TOR’s in VISION, and making necessary logistical arrangements.
• Maintains up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters.

Budget Monitoring

• Monitors budgets and financial expenditures of section, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, keeping supervisor informed and advised on actions for decision/follow up.
• Provides support on budget revision/preparation, implementation status, determination position of funding utilization, operational, and financial closure.
• Prepares and maintains records, documents and control plans for the budget monitoring of project/programme implementation.
• Carries out transactions in VISION pertaining to grants for his/her section such as registering grant allotments and tracking expiring programme grants.

Human Resources

• Drafts vacancy announcements for positions within his/her office for review by the supervisor to help attract ideal candidates.
• Ensures timely and efficient screening of applications for minimum eligibility, taking into account qualifications, competencies, and post requirements.
• Liaises with candidates in the various stages of the recruitment process.
• Coordinates the scheduling of interviews and technical assessments.
• Records and maintains recruitment files, ensuring all necessary documentation has been prepared.
• Monitors life-cycle of the recruitment process to update the supervisor as necessary.

Invoice Processing

• Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval and, thereafter submitting to GSSC for processing in VISION.
• Uploads electronic files and verifies results to destination system.
• Responds to client transaction status and other inquiries.

Supplies/Equipment

• Supports management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating inventory of items.
• Monitors and supervises adequate and appropriate use of supplies. Ensures that services and maintenance of premises are in accordance with organizational standards.
• Arranges for the purchase and timely distribution of office supplies.

Calendar/Meetings/Correspondence Management

• Maintains office calendar and arranges team meetings as required
• Takes minutes of meetings, ensuring accuracy, attention to detail and coherence.
• Arranges meetings and logistics for Secretariat staff as required

Events/Logistics

• Supports capacity development activities and conferences by making logistical arrangements, through engaging with facilitators, caterers and hosts.
• Arranges times through liaising with participants over availability.
• Liaises with budget focal points and section over costs and needs.
• Prepares background materials for participants and uploads cleared materials on the intranet.
• Prepares and maintains agendas on meetings and events related to the workgroup commitments.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required.
• Experience working with UNICEF or other UN agency preferable.
• Training and experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint; knowledge of integrated management information systems required; experience working with ERP systems (preferable SAP)
• Knowledge of UNICEF administrative policies and procedures is an asset.
• Organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities.
• High sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.
• Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to work in a team environment to achieve common goals and to provide guidance to more junior support staff
• Fluency in English is required. French or Arabic is a strong asset. Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Special Notice:

• THIS POSITION IS ONLY OPEN TO UK NATIONALS and/or HOLDERS OF UK WORK PERMIT - duty station London, with remote work being an option.
• Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. The appointment or assignment and renewal thereof are subject to satisfactory performance and the availability of the funds.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Your appointment is limited to EOF, a UNICEF hosted fund. While UN staff regulations and rules, as well as UNICEF policies and procedures, apply to you during your appointment, certain provisions therein may apply to you differently due to the limited scope of your appointment. In particular, during your appointment in EOF, you will not be considered eligible for conversion to a Continuing Appointment as per UNICEF Administrative Instruction on Continuing Appointment (CF/AI/2017-002) or any revision thereof. In the event that your post is abolished, the priority granted and other support provided to staff on abolished posts in staff selection processes will only be extended to posts within EOF not to other posts in UNICEF.

To secure a UNICEF appointment outside EOF, you will need to be selected in a competitive recruitment exercise. Upon selection for a UNICEF post outside of UNICEF hosted funds, the period you have served with the UNICEF hosted fund will count towards eligibility for a continuing appointment.

To return to a UNICEF appointment outside EOF, you will need to be selected in a competitive recruitment exercise. Upon selection for a UNICEF post outside of UNICEF hosted funds, the period you have served with the UNICEF hosted fund will count towards eligibility for a continuing appointment.