administrative assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) forms part of the United Nations Secretariat and, like the other regional commissions, operates under the supervision of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

ESCWA comprises 21 Arab countries in Western Asia and North Africa.

ESCWA provides a framework for the formulation and harmonisation of sectoral policies for member countries, a platform for congress and coordination, a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory.

ESCWA activities are coordinated with the divisions and main offices of the Headquarters of the United Nations, specialised agencies, and international and regional organizations, including the League of Arab States and its subsidiary bodies, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

This position is in the Shared Economic Prosperity Cluster of ESCWA, Cluster 3. The Administrative Assistant will report to the Cluster Leader or her/his designated Officer

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT:
1. Assists Hiring Managers with recruitment related workflows in Inspira, the UN Secretariat's human capital management platform. 2. Assists Cluster Leader/Project Manager on human resources management matters, e.g. extension of staff appointments, evaluations, processing of payments; etc. and performs related transactions in Umoja, the UN Secretariat's ERP system. 3.

Liaises with People Management Central (PMC) on the contract issuance, extension and separation of Volunteers, Consultants, Individual Contractors and Interns; and performs related transactions on Inspira, Umoja and the ESCWA applications portal.

BUDGET AND FINANCE:
1. Assists in the preparation and review of financial and human resource proposals/requirements. 2. Monitors expenditures and compares with approved budget; prepares adjustments as necessary. 3. Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions. 4.

Assists in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.

5. Prepares or customizes financial reports from the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)- UMOJA generated reports. 6.

Coordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during allocation and use of funds, and preparation of budget reports.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION:
1. Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external contractors for outsourced services. 2. Audits the contractors' invoices against the goods and services provided by the contractor and approved by the UN. 3. Processes the payment of contractors' invoices and monitor payments. 4.

Prepares and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff, including:
UN grounds passes, property passes, UN parking permits, swipe-card access and door keys

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION:
1.

Screens and prioritizes incoming correspondence; compiles relevant background documents and references; identifies issues requiring the manager's attention and refers others to relevant officer for appropriate disposition; monitors and follows-up on actions to be taken.

2. Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters. 3.

Reviews and updates ESCWA's Project Life Cycle on a regular basis to report on the status and progress of planned activities.

4. Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at headquarters and in the field. 5.

Performs other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., operational travel programme; 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 seminars, conferences and translations).

6.

Exercises quality control function for all outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style.

7. Takes on the responsibility of guiding, training, and supervising the work of junior staff and/or Individual Contractors. 8. Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., budget/work programme, human resources, database management, etc. Ability to apply knowledge of various United Nations administrative, financial and human resources rules and regulations 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 AND 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.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

At least seven (7) years of experience in administrative services, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required.

The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five (5) years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher.

At least two (2) years of experience in processing transactions in an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) is desirable. Previous work experience in a multicultural environment in an international organization is desirable.

Familiarity with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and experience supporting work programs for the attainment of the SDGs is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. In addition, Arabic is a working language at ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English is required; and fluency in Arabic is required.

Note:
"Fluency" equals a rating of 'fluent' in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of 'confident' in two of the four areas.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

• This position is available for one year from the date of appointment/assignment. Extension of the appointment/assignment is subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval, extension of the mandate, continued need for services, and satisfactory performance.
• 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. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.
• Candidates are fully responsible for all arrangements and costs for attending all assessments and interviews. All candidates shall receive the same notice period for attending the assessments and interviews.
• The candidate is fully responsible for all costs and arrangements related to travel and relocation (including visas and permits) to the duty station and for continued employment at ESCWA.
• Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any task or function in the organization. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions during their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
• The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
• Limitation of

General Service Category:
This position falls under the General Service category.

If selected and you wish to be considered for a future position in the Professional category, please note that you must first separate from the Organization and acquire the required professional skills through academic training or professional experience to be considered as an external candidate.

Alternatively, you can apply for and succeed in the YPP General Service to Professional category (G-to-P) competitive examination.

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. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c).

Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised.

This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions.

Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on "Manuals" in the "Help" tile 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.

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