Background

This position is located in the Office of the Director, Division of Administration (DoA) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Senior Administrative Assistant works under the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer, and overall supervision of the Director of Administration.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority and in the operating context of the front office of the Division of Administration, the Senior Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

Human Recourses Service Section:

In consultation with Human Recourses Service Section:

• Coordinates activities related to the front office’s human resource activities, including for consultants and independent contractors;
• Oversees the maintenance of vacancy announcements and keeps track of status of vacancy announcements;
• Reviews and processes personnel actions through Umoja;
• Advises staff on visa matters;
• Provides advice on classification procedures and processes;
• Provides information and advice to staff/consultants with respect to conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and privileges and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations;
• Monitors the office’s staffing table for a variety of human resource activities, e.g., appointments, retirement, expiration of appointments, reassignments, transfer and movement of staff;
• Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts for external contractors, including compound access and equipment. Reviews invoices against goods and services provided, processes payment of contractors' invoices, and monitors payments against contract terms.

Operational Support and Service Provisioning

• Facilitates questions/requests from UN agencies and offices that are Division of Administration clients/partners;
• Helps coordinate updates/maintenance to service information (reference documents, service catalogues, pricing information, etc.) and ensures availability of information through internal and client-facing service website/SharePoint;
• Assists in reviews and customization of new/revised service agreements, in coordination with clients/partners;
• Coordinates extensively with service units;
• Monitors client satisfaction (via surveys, emails, and other feedback), and helps identify service improvements.

General Administration

• Monitors the Director’s incoming emails ensuring confidentiality of sensitive information; replies to routine emails and tasking, to relevant staff members; follows up on task completion and provides updates to Director as requested;
• Monitors work of junior staff;
• Assists in drafting official correspondence, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), policies, and other agreements;
• Identifies, determines appropriate actions for and resolves issues as these arise;
• Performs other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., travel, space planning, office equipment needs and maintenance);
• Ensures distribution and recording of policy, management directives, changes in processes/procedures, administrative rules etc. to DoA staff, ensures such changes are properly communicated to Agencies, Funds and Programmes etc. if relevant;
• Supports Director in internal and external meetings, including, scheduling, assistance with agendas, capturing minutes and action points and follow-up on action points;
• Brings sensitive and urgent matters to the attention of the Director in a timely manner;
• Processing financial documents, including ensuring utilization of proper cost centres, processing shopping carts, service entry sheets, travel authorization and travel expense reports, fund commitment, requisitioning etc.;
• Assists the Director in reviewing and updating the constitution of committees in ECA in consultation with relevant offices and the Administrative officer;
• Supervises the information management of the Office of the Director, DoA to ensure compliance with the relevant policy and procedure, that information is available to key users, and is updated in a timely manner;
• Performs other duties as required.

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.
• 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.

Job Requirement

High school diploma or equivalent. Additional education in business administration, management, public administration or related field is desirable. Must have passed the United Nations Global General Service Test (GGST) administered by the Headquarters.

Work Experience

Ten years of experience in administrative services, finance, human resources or related area is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

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.

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.