Individual Contract, Administrative Assistant, Boa Vista, Brazil

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Emergency context

The Brazilian Federal Police estimates that, since 2017, more than 400,000 Venezuelans entered Brazil and that around 210,000 of them have remained in the country. Roraima is the State with highest concentration of Venezulans today (around 25,000), around 30% of them is composed by children and adolescents. Since March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian Government has decided to close all terrestrial borders, which had an impact on the influx of Venezuelans entering via Pacaraima. However, the pandemic has increased migrants’ vulnerabilities , leaving them in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Among them, there is a considerable number of the indigenous people of the Warao and E’ñepá.

To respond to the migration crisis, in February 2018 the Brazilian Federal Government passed two decrees, 9.285/2018 and 9.286/2018, as well as a provisional measure (820/2018) to provide emergency assistance for the affected population. The Government, therefore, recognized the humanitarian emergency resulting from the migration flow and coordinated the framework on how the Federal Committee on Emergency Assistance should function. The Government has also announced measures to support migrants in other cities so called “interiorization” process.

The impact of this sudden increase on the influx of migrants, which in the majority of cases come in near destitution, is being felt at all levels of Government (Federal, State and Municipal), with the administrations attempting to provide services through institutions and programmes that were meant to cater only to Brazilian citizens.

The situation of children on the move is particularly delicate, with thousands of them exposed to violence on the streets or in the shelters where they live with their caregivers. Despite the efforts made by the education authorities, school attendance is limited as more than 90% of children who are in shelters are out of school. The situation of adolescents is especially alarming that after months of not attending school, they are at risk of dropping out. Pregnancy rates in general (teenage pregnancies in particular) are alarming, notably among the indigenous migrant groups.

UNICEF´S Response

UNICEF aims at ensuring all the basic needs of children on the move currently living in Roraima are fully covered. Having the programmatic guideline of the Core Commitments for Children (CCC), UNICEF is working closely with the Federal, State and Municipal Governments, other UN agencies, religious groups and civil society organizations in building a comprehensive multi-sectoral programme for children on the move. This includes their needs in nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, education and child protection and will address the needs of each group of children at the different stages of their migration process.

During the migration, from the time children leave Venezuela until the time their caregivers find an income source to sustain their lives in Brazil, is the period when children can be more vulnerable. They are more exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation, their health may deteriorate rapidly due to malnutrition, they can be in precarious living conditions and have no access to the basic services due to the lack of documentation, such as CPF (social security number), and the overwhelmed public services.

Considering each group’s different needs based on their specific situation, UNICEF aims to ensure that migrant children and their caregivers are better integrated into the Brazilian society, with increased access to the existing services and programmes.

Purpose

Under the general guidance of the Boa Vista Chief Field Office, and with the technical support of the Programme Assistant, the individual contractor will support the administrative and logistic duties in the context of UNICEF’s office to response to the migrant crisis in the northern region of Brazil.

Main Activities

The individual contractor will support the UNICEF office in all related administrative activities in collaboration with programme areas, operational areas in Brasilia and local partners.

Human Resources:

• Records and maintains recruitment files, ensuring all necessary documentation has been prepared.
• Monitors life-cycle of recruitment process to update supervisor as necessary.
• Monitors ICs contracts and reports to the supervisors when extensions are needed. Assists new staff with vendor form.
• Liaises with the ICT team to guarantee e-mail and system access to all the staff
• Prepares ICs monthly payments and travel related authorisations and payments

Finance and Procurement:

• Act as custodian of petty cash and supports the monitoring of the utilization of all financial input requisitions, reporting to the supervisor for necessary adjustments (over-utilization, shortage of funds, etc.)
• 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 including assessing market opportunities for local procurement of supplies, liaising and following up on all procurement related matters with Brasilia supply team.
• Maintains up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters.
• Monitors payments in vision.
• Assists the vendor and United Nations Global Marketplace processing
• Does the necessary market research and purchases for the office and programmatic areas.
• Is responsible for the office maintenance monthly payments

Communications & Workflow:

• Facilitates the communications and workflow of the Boa Vista Office to enhance the efficiency and timeliness of operations and outputs.
• Manages incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails and telephone calls.
• Communicates routine and some non-routine information pertaining to the work of the team.
• With the support of the programme assistant, establishes and maintains the office filing and reference systems, both traditional and digital; and ensures the inter/intra-net websites are up to date and accurate.

Calendar/Meetings/Correspondence Management:

• Maintains office calendar and arranges meetings.
• Takes minutes of meetings, ensuring accuracy, attention to detail and coherence.
• Keeping the correspondence of the team well organized.

Events/Logistics:

• Supports capacity development activities and conferences by making the 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 work group commitments.

Travel:

• Provides assistance 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 travel requirements, security clearance, and documentation procedures.
• Extracts, inputs, maintains, and verifies 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.
• Make Travel authorizations in Vision for other Individual consultants
• Before a trip, makes sure that all the travelers have the UNDSS security clearance.
• Send all the necessary documentation to the travel and operations team in Brasilia Office

Invoice Processing:

• Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval and, thereafter processing in VISION.
• Uploads and updates electronic files in Share Point
• 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 supplies, including donations to implementing partners and ensures that all supporting and certification documents are duly completed and filed.

Attendance:

• Maintaining hard and electronic files and update data base systems ensuring timely and appropriate recording, safekeeping and disposal of confidential information

Security:

• Act as a UNDSS security warden
• Guarantees that all the office staff has an updated profile in UNDSS
• Keep track and guarantees the maintenance of the satellite phones, making sure they are taken in all staff travels to Pacaraima.

Expected results:

• Deliverables: Technical report on the activities carried out monthly.
• Deadline: end of each month from the date of contract signature.
• Monthly Fee: 5,700.00

Duty Station: Boa Vista, RR

Performance Indicators

• Supplies receipt/distribution and office services available and on time;
• Office and petty cash expenses weekly reconciled and controlled;
• Premises and equipment maintained operational in the office;
• Documents prepared for staff, consultants, UNVs in a timely basis and per UNICEF rules and procedures;
• Delivery, collection, registry, reproduction of correspondences and pouch preparation supervised accordingly twice a week;
• Infrastructure and line of internet (Wi-Fi) established and functional;
• Weekly meeting minutes finalized and filed;
• Electronic and physical filing system maintained and available to staff;
• All trips arranged on time and in accordance with the SOP (two weeks in advance and with security clearance).
• Meetings with all the needed arrangements prepared as demanded and with no registration of problems;

Key competences, technical background, and experience required

Education:

• University degree, preferably in the fields of business administration or related field, would be a considerable asset

Work Experience:

• 1 to 3 years of administrative work experience is required.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills is required.

Languages:

• Fluency Portuguese. Minimum working knowledge of English. Proficiency in Spanish and will be considered as an asset.

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

General Conditions: Procedures and Logistics

• UNICEF will provide the individual contractor all required core equipment and material for fulfilling his duty, including computer.
• No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the Individual contractor or Contractor
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.
• Consultants shall be responsible for any mobilization costs, including transportation, subsistence, accommodation, etc. Any duty travel needed, shall be requested, authorized and funded by the UNICEF

Insurance and health coverage

• The contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expenses, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of the contract as he or she considers appropriate.
• The contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

Payment of fee (individual contractor)

• The payment will be based on submission of agreed deliverables.

• UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

  Restrictions

• Consultants and individual contractors may not receive training at the expense of UNICEF. Notwithstanding, consultants and individual contracts must complete the applicable mandatory trainings.

• In case of government officials, the contract cannot be issued without prior written clearance by the Government​, or unless on leave without pay.

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.

Remarks:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.