The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
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.
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, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
The Department of Safety and Security (DSS) is responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the security programmes and activities of the United Nations System. The Division of Regional Operations (DRO) serves as the safety and security focal point for the field duty stations, providing primary operational and technical support. The Division is responsible for daily security coordination with the field. This position will be reporting to the Chief of Desk.
Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Desk, and within delegated authority, the incumbent is responsible for the following duties in support of the Office:
• Performs, under minimal supervision, the full range of office support and administrative functions.
• Ensures smooth and efficient information flow within the unit; prepares and processes confidential information; assists in the continuous improvement of office administrative systems and procedures.
• Maintains files (both paper and electronic) and databases for work unit; registers incoming and outgoing records in the corporate document management and paper record keeping systems;
• Performs data entry and extraction functions; responds to complex information requests and inquiries, including those requiring file search.
• Assists in accessing, disposition, description, and database updating activities as they relate to records-related projects; liaises with records-originating offices on transfer procedures and documentation; analyzes retention schedules and precedents in support of disposition decisions.
• Participates in records management projects, assembles records and creates electronic file lists in preparation for records transfer and arranges for their transportation from offices to storage.
• Manages, updates and further develops internal databases; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases, as required.
• Compiles, organizes and/or summarizes information and background materials for use in the preparation of correspondence, reports, briefs, speeches, Departmental communications and for meetings etc. as required.
• Provides assistance in the coordination of office activities (meetings, training, etc.) and special projects.
• Attends meetings, prepares minutes, monitors follow-up activities, as required.
• Orients new staff to relevant administrative procedures and practices, provides information to other staff in support of reference and archival arrangements, and provides general administrative and office assistance to other office staff, as required.
• Performs a variety of other administrative duties such as preparing and/or processing administrative requests/documents (e.g., travel requests, expense claims, vouchers, visa applications, supply orders, meeting organization, etc.).
•Performs other duties as assigned.
• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of 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, identifies priority activities/assignments and makes adjustments as required; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
• 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.
• TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
High school diploma or equivalent.
A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in administration, office support functions or related area in a large organization is required. Experience working with an integrated information management system for staff administration such as Umoja or other similar ERP platform is required. Experience in registry and/or record-keeping systems, such as Trim/HP Records Management Software, is desirable. Experience within the UN Secretariat, UN Common System or other international organizations is desirable. Experience in the use of Microsoft Word and Excel including creation of spreadsheets is desirable.
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 an advantage.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.