This position is located in the Office of the Chief of Supply Chain Management, Division of Administration (DoA) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Staff Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the Chief, Supply Chain Management Section and the Administrative Assistant.

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority and depending on location, the Staff Assistant at this level will be responsible for the following duties:

• Performs, under minimal supervision, the full range of office management and administrative support functions; typically provides direct assistance to the Chief of the Section, Procurement Unit Chief and Administrative Assistant.
• Maintains liaison with the Executive Office and with senior officials in other units regarding on-going programmes and other administrative matters; monitors processes and schedules related to the unit’s outputs, products, tasks, etc.
• Ensures smooth and efficient information flow within the unit; prepares and processes confidential information; assists in the development of office administrative systems and procedures.
• Provides assistance in the coordination of service-wide activities (meetings, training, etc.), special projects and events.
• Provides general assistance to other office support staff, as required; may coordinate the work of office support staff in providing meetings servicing/administrative support to various sessions of commissions and other bodies.
• Attends meetings, prepares minutes, monitors follow-up activities.
• Responds or drafts responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications; uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports.
• Manages, updates and further develops internal databases; updates website; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases.
• Carries out quality control function for outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style.
• Responds to complex information requests and inquiries (e.g. answers requests requiring file search, etc.).
• Assists in the preparation of presentation materials using appropriate technology/software.
• May provide some specialized support to unit (e.g. technology support, editing, desktop publishing, etc.).
• Maintains calendar/schedules; monitors changes and communicate relevant information to appropriate staff inside and outside the immediate work unit.
• Performs a variety of administrative duties (e.g. leave recording, meeting organization, reservations, office supply and equipment orders, etc.), including preparing and/or processing administrative requests/documents (e.g., travel requests, expense claims, vouchers, visa applications, etc.).
• Process payment of newspapers and Individual Contractors’ on the UMOJA system
• Assist in the tender bid opening (preparation of abstracts, schedule meetings etc…)
• Maintains files (both paper and electronic) and databases for work unit.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• 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; 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 timely.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent is required. Must have passed the Global General Service Test (GGST) - refer to the Special Notice section for additional details.

Work Experience

• Five years of experience in administration or related areas is required.
• Experience in the UN Common System or an international public organization is desirable.

Languages

• For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official UN language is an advantage.

Assessment

• Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a substantive assessment which will be followed by a competency-based interview.