Travel 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 The position is located in the Executive Office of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York. OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention, and facilitate sustainable solutions. The Travel Unit is responsible for Official Travel for OCHA offices in New York and Geneva, and also for Non-Commercial Travel for OCHA offices in the field around the world.

The incumbent reports to the Chief of Travel Unit within the Executive Office.

Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Chief Travel Unit, the incumbent:

1. Processes the Travel Requests the OCHA New York and Geneva offices, and approves Non-Commercial Travel requests for OCHA field offices around the world:

•Reviews the Umoja travel inbox daily and certifies the travel requests timely. •Coordinates with the travelers, the Travel Processing Officer (TPO), and the travel agency to finalize the Travel Requests as expeditiously as possible. •Coordinates with the Budget Officer to resolve the funding issues. •Ensures the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) and Terminal Expense are correctly established in line with the UN Travel policies. •Reviews submissions, provides guidance and drafts correspondence for the Adhoc Daily DSA and submits the requests to the Executive Officer for timely approval before the travel commences. •Reviews submissions for the Exception to Standards of Accommodation for Air Travel for accuracy and compliance with the UN Travel policy, and submits the quarterly and annual reports. •Ensures the cost assignment is correctly input. •Ensures the financial authorization to UNDP for payment of DSA or local travel agency in the field offices are properly processed. •Ensures amendments are processed expeditiously •Ensures cancellations are approved timely by the TPO to return the funds back to OCHA’s accounts. •Monitors the outstanding Travel Requests through the Umoja Travel reports and sends reminders to parties responsible for action. •Provide guidance to the Offices planning the group/event travel activities efficiently and provides reports on these travels upon completion.

2. Processes the Expense Reports for OCHA New York and Geneva offices:

•Reviews the Umoja travel inbox daily to ensure the Expense Reports are processed timely. •Reviews the Expense Reports and the supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, reasonableness, validity and conformity with UN Rules and Regulations before certifying. •Certifies and monitors the approval of the Expense Reports timely to avoid automatic recovery from the travelers. •Monitors timely submission of the Expense Reports through the Umoja Travel report and sends follow-up emails to the travelers and/or the Admin support staff for a timely and accurate submission of the expense reports. •Advises the clients of the impending recovery, and coordinates with the Account Division and Payroll to cancel or postpone the recovery in situations of technical or system errors.

3. Troubleshooting travel and payment issues in the traveler's bank account, coordinates with the Treasury Office to resolve the issues, and updates the clients on the actions taken and expected outcome on a regular basis:

•Analyzes the root cause of the non-receipt of payment. •Creates iNeed ticket and follows up with Umoja for systemic issues identified. Keeps the client abreast of the development of problem resolution.

4. Other related activities:

•Creates the Business Partner ID and the banking information for the meeting participants. •Reviews the Unliquidated Obligations received bi-weekly from Finance, coordinates the closing of the obligations with the travellers and/or the Admin Officers, submits the lists of obligations to be closed to the Finance Section for action. •Downloads reports on pending submission of Expense Reports on the monthly basis, and sends the follow-up emails to the Travellers and the field Admin Officers for the timely submission, in particular before the end of the year closing of account. •Provides training and guidance to the clients in the HQ on processing travel requests and expense reports. •Assists in preparing the internal guidelines and tips for official business travel. •Performs other administrative functions as needed.

Competencies Professionalism: Knowledge of travel related processing requirements; ability to recognize and act in the face of conflicting priorities. 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.

Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience A minimum of five years of experience in administration, including at least three years in travel administration with the United Nations or similar international organization is required.

Experience in processing official travel using an Enterprise Resource Planning systems such as SAP Umoja or similar is required.

Experience in the provision of advice and guidance on the official travel of the United Nations or similar international organization is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. 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 - Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. The appointment or assignment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the funds.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

  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.