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 position is located in the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), in the Outreach and Partnership Branch. For more information, please visit our website at https://sdgs.un.org. The Staff Assistant reports to the Chief of Branch.

Responsibilities Within limits of delegated authority and under the guidance and supervision of the Chief of the Outreach and Partnership Branch (OPB) of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals, the Staff Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

- Performs, under minimal supervision, the full range of office management and administrative support functions; typically provides direct assistance to the Chief of the Outreach and Partnership Branch and Senior Officers in the Branch. - Maintains liaison with the Executive Office, senior officials in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General and other Branches and Divisions regarding on-going programmes and other administrative matters; monitors processes and schedules related to the projects of the Branch. - Prepares, processes and follows up on various administrative arrangements and forms; drafts routine electronic and paper correspondence and entries on electronic bulletin boards and Web communities as required; maintains files of rules, regulations, administrative instructions; establishes usernames and passwords for Website and updates the content as required; makes simple modifications to the Website in collaboration with the Information Systems Officer. - Ensures smooth and efficient information flow within the Branch; prepares and processes confidential information; assists in the development of office administrative systems and procedures; processing travel requests, consultancies and contracts and corresponding payments. - Researches, compiles and summarizes background materials for use in preparation of reports, briefs, speeches, etc. - Provides assistance in the coordination of Branch-wide activities (meetings, training, etc.), special projects and events. - Orients new staff to relevant administrative procedures and practices and provides general assistance to other office support staff, as required. - Responds or drafts responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications; uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports. - Carries out quality control function for outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style. - Maintains calendar/schedules; monitors changes and communicates relevant information to appropriate staff inside and outside the immediate work unit. - Performs a variety of administrative duties, including leave recording, organization of meetings, room reservations, registration of stakeholder participants, travel requests, office supply and equipment orders, and inventory updates; tracks paperwork through the entire administrative process to ensure timely completion. - Maintains files (both paper and electronic) and databases for the Branch. - Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies- Professionalism: Knowledge of relevant general office and administrative support including administrative policies, processes and procedures. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. - Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. - Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are 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.

Education High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience A minimum of five years of experience in general office support or related area is required.

Experience in administrative, office management, research and organizational function including processing travel arrangements is required.

Experience in working for senior officials in the United Nations, Permanent Missions of Member States and other counterparts is desirable.

Experience in liaising with diverse stakeholders is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

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

Special Notice 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; or the United Nations Accounting or Statistical Assistant Examination at the United Nations Headquarters may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

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.