Documentation Associate, Office of the Secretary of the Executive Board, GS-6, New York, USA

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.

Strategic Office Context

The UNICEF Office of the Executive Board is responsible for maintaining an effective relationship between the Executive Board and the UNICEF secretariat. Under the guidance of the President and the Bureau, the Office services all aspects of the work of the Executive Board, including the formal sessions, informal consultations and briefings, Bureau meetings, and field visits by the Bureau and Executive Board members. The Office also provides editorial and technical services for all documentation related to Executive Board sessions and meetings, decisions, reports of sessions and the country programme document repository.

Purpose of the position

Under the supervision of the Strategic Planning Specialist, the Documentation Associate will provide support to the supervisor and staff of OSEB for the Executive Board sessions and other Executive Board meetings. The Documentation Associate will provide in-session support during formal Board sessions; help to monitor and expedite the flow and overall processing of Executive Board documentation, with a strong focus on accuracy, timeliness and adherence to deadlines; format documents, reports and presentations to align with standard templates; proofread and fact-check documents; help to manage document dissemination and clearance processes; maintain and retrieve final Board documents from the United Nations Official Document System (ODS), including in contribution to a digital archiving project; and maintain decision monitoring tables.

The position will enable the selected candidate to understand the workings of the UNICEF governing body, gain hands-on experience and learn from behind the scenes how United Nations high-level meetings are prepared and run, including the negotiations of draft decisions by Member States. The candidate will work on the preparation of Executive Board reports, gaining a solid understanding of UNICEF work and organizational priorities worldwide.

Main tasks and responsibilities

1. Executive Board sessions

(a) Before and during sessions

• Assist with the organization and running of the pre-session and informal briefings, and support the logistics and overall organization of the session.
• Take note of questions by Member States during the informal briefings, identifying main issues raised.
• Act as backup in taking notes during the informal negotiations on draft decisions with Member States.
• Provide updated supporting documents and presentations to the interpreters.
• Keep the document workload estimates/forecasts/status of documents up to date.
• Prepare templates for relevant Board documents.
• Format documents according to UN and UNICEF editorial guidelines; proofread and fact-check texts as needed; and submit documents for translation. Check accuracy of translations.
• Prepare corrections and revisions to documents, where necessary.
• Maintain document archive and electronic database.
• Provide divisions with templates and guidelines for PowerPoint presentations; review and format presentations in accordance with the agreed template and perform a quality check (brand coherence, content, etc.), and follow up to ensure timely receipt of required documents and presentations.
• In consultation with HR, coordinate the recruitment of UN Volunteers and/or interns to support the sessions and other related work, and manage their work.

(b) After the sessions

• Perform quality check on adopted decisions and their translations, prepare the compendium of adopted decisions in English, French and Spanish, and process the files for posting to the website.
• Update the decision monitoring table with the decisions adopted at the session and process it for posting on the website. Follow up with UNICEF to receive status updates on action taken and update the decision monitoring table.
• Format and proofread the Board report, send it for translation, and perform quality check on the language versions. Process it for posting on the website.
• Prepare the survey results’ report for the session.

2. Other tasks

• Take accurate notes during Bureau and other meetings for notes for the record during Bureau, as needed.
• Act as a backup for the other Documentation Associate in OSEB when needed.
• Undertake any other tasks assigned by the Strategic Planning Specialist or the Deputy Secretary.

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• 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)

  Qualifications of successful candidate

Education

• Completion of secondary education (e.g., High School Diploma) is a minimum requirement.
• Completion of university-level courses is highly desirable.

Experience

• Minimum six year of experience in formatting and preparing official documentation (e.g., annual reports, publications, etc.) under deadline is required.
• Advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Suite of Products (MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
• Prior experience in managing office workflows and processes.
• Experience/skills in copy-editing and proofreading and in supporting high-level meetings is an asset.
• Knowledge of IT, web-based applications, and content management system (CMS) for websites is an asset.

Language

• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of French and Spanish is an asset.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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

UNICEF is currently undergoing organizational changes; therefore, the exact location of the post has yet to be determined. Selected candidates may commence duties remotely until the location is confirmed. If reassigned or relocated to New York, candidates may be expected to relocate to a new location again during the initial contract or assignment period.

Please note that this is a fixed term post. The offer will be issued for a one-year period initially, subject to extension.