UN Women: Programme Assistant

Contract

This is a GS-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 GS-5 contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. UN Women Japan Liaison Office has been established in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan since April 2015. The Office works on strengthening UN Women’s partnerships in Japan and raising awareness about UN Women’s work, for example through lectures and public events. In particular, it is expected reach out to various actors, including the government, parliaments, private enterprises, academics, NGOs, media and other and to keep them informed about UN Women’s work and role with regards to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Reporting to the Director of the Japan Liaison Office, the Programme Assistant works with and provides support to the members of the Japan Liaison Office in the development and implementation of effective initiatives consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Programme Assistant provides programme, administrative, and logistical assistance to the team for the smooth programme implementation and partnership initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide administrative and logistical support to the management of the Japan Liaison Office

• Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements, including tracking the delivery of funds;
• Review incoming correspondence, draft memos and other correspondence as required, arrange appointments and meetings and ensuring timely response to all appointment requests,
• Identify matters that should be brought to the immediate attention of the Head of Office or which may be appropriately referred to the other personnel;
• Draft minutes in meetings, as delegated;
• Assemble briefing materials and other presentations, in collaboration with the Japan Liaison Office team;
• Organize and coordinate filing of documents;
• Provide coordination and administrative support in security, including dissemination of information about security issues and emergency operations;
• Update the Business Continuity Plan, in consultation with the Head of Office;

Provide administrative support to the financial management of the Japan Liaison Office

• Prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project;
• Provide administrative support in monitoring and preparation of programmes/projects budget;
• Prepare Non-Purchase Order vouchers for development projects;
• Process payment for consultants, as delegated;
• Create requisitions in Atlas for development projects.

Provide administrative procurement and assets management support to the Japan Liaison Office

• Monitor office environment and needs, coordinate maintenance and supply equipment including the ones for ICT;
• Process contracts and payments to vendors and provide relevant documentation in close consultation with the HQ Finance team;
• Act as an asset focal point for the office, ensure proper control of assets through implementation of the inventory and physical verification controls, maintain the record in close consultation with the HQ Asset Management team;
• Provide logistical, administrative, procurement and financial support in organizing meetings, workshops, events, and missions;
• Make travel arrangements for the team, including travel requisitions and claims.

Provide administrative support to resource mobilization

• Organize, compile, and process documentation and information from donors, and programme team as inputs to various databases and documents;
• Provide administrative and coordination support to reach out to Japan Liaison Office’s public and private sector partners;
• Assist with coordination of events as part of partnership development;
• Coordinate development of communication materials including flyers and promotional materials.

Provide administrative human resources support to the Japan Liaison Office

• Prepare required documentation for staff including entries of the new comers on the staff-check in system;
• Maintain attendance records as well as Mission and Leave Plans for the Japan Liaison Office team;
• In close consultation with the Head of Office, HQ Resource Mobilization and HR teams, facilitate the Japan Liaison Office staffing requirements including consultants and interns in posting advertisements, initiating preparation of requests as well as verification of funds availability in compliance with financial, human resources and procurement guidelines.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and accurate administrative and logistical support to events, workshops, and missions;
• Full compliance of administrative activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Quality maintenance and organization of internal systems and files;
• Quality and timely support to Japan Liaison Office team.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

• Knowledge of programme management;
• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats;
• Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence and reports information and workflow;
• Good financial and budgeting skills;
• Good IT skills.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women's Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Completion of secondary education required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related fields is an asset.
• Candidates who do not have a University Degree will be required to complete the Global General Service Test (GGST) or UN Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) - formerly known as the UN Clerical Test.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in administrative or programme management/support;
• Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages;
• Experience in Enterprise Resource Management System (ERP) is an asset;
• Experience in supporting a team is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Japanese is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

This position is subject to local recruitment. 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.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)