Operations Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

UN Women East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) is seeking services of an operations Assistant to strengthen the operations capacity and support the, procurement finance, administrative, and security compliance functions of the Regional Office to ensure that UN Women achieves its commitments. The volunteer will support the Operations Unit by performing a variety of standard procurement, finance and administrative processes, ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Operations Assistant will promote a client, quality and results-oriented approach.

Under the direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the UN Volunteer will provide support to UN Women Regional Office in the administration and implementation of regulations, rules, policies, strategies and guidelines regarding procurement, ensuring effectiveness and efficiency, integrity, transparency and quality of service.

The scope of the assignment is to provide finance and administration support for the UN Women Regional Office focusing on following tasks:

• Support travel management and office logistics;
• Maintain a database on travel costs and expenses for the different office missions undertaken to assist finance in budgeting for travel; • Arrange the logistics of the Operations Unit’s oversight or monthly meetings, including booking conference rooms, and recording minutes of the meetings and monitor follow up activities, as requested; • Database and record management – Organize physical files, regularly upload, manage, and track travel and admin documents in the SharePoint, • Analyse performance data, track, and report on operations service delivery; • Support the Operations Manager in the management, updating and implementation of the BCP (Business Continuity Plan); • Provide administrative support in collecting, updating, and communicating information regarding UN security compliance; • Maintain the office security plans, including updating security staff lists; • Assist the Operations Manager in implementing security measures as per the UN Safety and Security guidelines; • Monitor and maintain office stationery supplies including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery and keeping a log of distribution; • Coordinate assets management in the office, prepare and submit periodic inventory reports, coordinate physical verification of inventory items; • Provide administrative support to the Operations Manager in coordinating meetings with country office Operations Managers, planning of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on administrative related matters; • Any other operations-related tasks as requested by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Core Competencies: • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues • Accountability • Creative Problem Solving • Effective Communication • Inclusive Collaboration • Stakeholder Engagement • Integrity • Professionalism

Functional Competencies: • Ability to perform a broad range of administrative activities related to operations resources management and services • Ability to extract, analyse data and resolve operational problems • Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback • Good organizational and writing skills • Ability to research, select relevant information and maintain accurate records and data base • Knowledge of administrative rules and regulations; • Good application skills of IT tools and management systems • Knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages

providing general operations and administrative support with a national / international organization • Solid experience in travel / logistical arrangements at the National or International level • Knowledge of UN financial rules and regulations would be preferable • Excellent computer skills in MS Word and Excel. Demonstratable knowledge and experience working with web-based systems such as ATLAS will be an added advantage

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate.