Staff 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 This temporary position is located in the Registry of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal of the Office of Administration of Justice (New York). The Registry is part of the independent Office of Administration of Justice (OAJ) and supports the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) in New York. The incumbent will report to the UNAT Registrar as the First Reporting Officer and the Principal Registrar as the Second Reporting Officer.

The UNAT is the revision tribunal of the internal justice system and hears and decides appeals filed by or on behalf of current and former staff members and respondent Organization appealing judgments or orders of the UN Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) or specialized agencies falling under Article 2 (10) of the UNAT Statute. UNAT meets in sessions, may conduct hearings, issues orders, and renders binding and final judgments.

The position is available as a result of maternity leave and is available from 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022.

Responsibilities Under the overall supervision of the Registrar of the United Nations Appeals Tribunal, the incumbent will provide a wide range of general office support, meetings servicing and other administrative support to the Judges and the Registry.

• Draft responses to routine correspondence, notes and any other communications, as required. Handle, or refer to the Registrar and Legal Officer(s), as appropriate, a variety of verbal and written inquiries from internal and external parties;
• Create, as necessary, and maintain files and databases;
• Create Adobe binders with page numbers and table of contents, download files, combine documents, etc.;
• Print and assemble case files, and ship them to the Judges;
• Maintain Microsoft Teams channels (uploading documents, creating tracking tables, providing technical support to Judges);
• Format judgments and orders, in accordance with the Registry's editorial guide;
• Update UNAT's landing page and judgments/orders page on the OAJ website in coordination with the IT specialists;
• Assist in the maintenance of a body of reference files;
• Perform a variety of administrative duties, including raising travel requests and processing related documents, preparing travel claims, requesting office supplies, equipment and office space, etc.;

• Perform other duties as assigned.

  Competencies Professionalism: Knowledge of general office and administrative support, including administrative policies and procedures; pride in work and achievements; professional competency and mastery of subject matter; conscientiousness and efficiency in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; motivation by professional rather than personal concerns; persistency when faced with complex problems or challenges; remaining calm in stressful situations; commitment in implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language tone, style and format to match the audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Education High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience A minimum of five years of experience in administrative services, paralegal/legal work, conference servicing, library work, or related areas.

Experience using Adobe Pro DC, Excel, Microsoft Teams, iTrack, SAP or similar applications is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice - This position is temporarily available for a period of three months. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• Applicants for this position should be advised that recruitment is subject to classification, approval by the Compensation and Classification Section, OHR/DMSPC. Internal applicants should note that the granting of SPA is contingent upon classification of the position.

• A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 of ST/AI/2010/4 Rev. 1. below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments.

• For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

• 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 position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

• Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test [in English] at the United Nations headquarters, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, International criminal tribunal for Rwanda or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.

• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English

• 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.

• Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. 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.

• At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application.

  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.