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 maybe 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.
This position is funded for a finite period of one year. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.
This position is located in the Finance Section of the Executive Office, Office of the Chief of Staff, Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and Department of Field Support (DFS). The incumbent reports to the Finance Officer, DPKO/DFS Executive Office.
Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:
Official Travel Operations
•Prepares, processes and follows-up on administrative arrangements and forms related to the official travel of staff and non-UN personnel funded against the departmental budget allocation and trust fund accounts.
•Processes official travel for training/workshop participants, consultants and individual contractors.
•Reviews travel claims submitted by travellers prior to submission for certification.
•Maintains statistical data on official travel and related travel claims.
•Provides advice and guidance to staff with respect to administrative procedures, processes and practices, liaising with central administrative services as necessary.
Budget and Finance
•Monitors status of expenditures and allotments through Umoja, records variations, updates budget tables.
•Consolidates data received and provides support to higher-level staff with respect to budget reviews of relevant intergovernmental and expert bodies.
•Reviews status of relevant expenditures and compares with approved budget.
•Reviews shopping carts for goods and services to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged and (b) availability of funds. Reviews Low Acquisition Value for goods and services.
•Assists in the preparation of budget performance submissions.
•Prepares statistical tables and standard financial reports.
General Administration
•Drafts routine correspondence.
•Maintains electronic files of rules, regulations, administrative instructions and other related documentation.
•Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field.
•Performs other related administrative duties, as required, e.g., monitoring accounts and payment to vendors and individual contractors for services; physical space planning; identification of office technology needs and maintenance of equipment, software and systems; organizing and coordinating administrative arrangements for seminars, conferences and translation.
•Processes requests for engagement of external consultants by reviewing documentation submitted by the substantive offices to ensure eligibility, completeness and accuracy of information.
•Performs other related administrative duties, as required.
•Professionalism: Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., travel processing, workshop/conference coordination, processing consultants contracts, budget/work programme, database management, etc. Knowledge of administrative, financial and human resources rules and regulations of an international organization and ability to apply it in work situations. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.
•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.
•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.
High school diploma or equivalent.
A minimum of five years of experience in administrative services, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required. Experience working with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is required. Experience within the UN Common system or an international organization 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 French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
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 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.