UNICEF

Position: Administrative Assistant

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: ***, Ethiopia

Posted date: 4 days ago

Application Deadline: Nov, 30/2021 (8 days left)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, an advocate

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy, and operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision and guidance of the supervisor, the Administrative Assistant is responsible for executing a broad variety of routine tasks and some specialized for the respective section, requiring a thorough knowledge of UNICEF administrative procedures, processes, and policies. Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks include:

Effective & Efficient Office Management

• Follow up on office maintenance to ensure office functionality.
• Responsible for maintenance, repair of office and guesthouse furniture and equipment and UNICEF premises and ensure office functionality.
• Manage the office lease and ancillary agreements and advise contract extension before its end date.
• Manage the relation of UNICEF suppliers i.e. Landlords, ancillary companies, Municipality, electricity, and Ethio-telecommunication companies, and ensure a regular and reliable supply of office utilities including electricity and water and processing of payments.
• Ensure the availability of the office stationery and cleaning materials and other supplies with timely replenishment.
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of all UNICEF expendable and non-expendable properties and prepare annual inventory reports for the office. Ensure proper utilization of UNICEF property, prepare and support the local PSB for subsequent disposal of any office equipment and others as per stipulated procedures.
• Distribute laptops and other necessary equipment to designated staff by replacing the obsolete laptops according to user acceptance.

Procurement

• Guides managers in the process of PCA/SSAs in line with the policies and guidance issued by FRG, supply division, and DHR.
• Facilitates the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners that provide a service to the section. This includes preparing and filing documents, completing necessary forms and templates, uploading TOR’s in VISION, and making necessary logistical arrangements.
• Maintains up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters.

Communications & Workflow

• Facilitates the communications and workflow of the organizational unit to enhance the efficiency and timeliness of operations and outputs.
• Manages incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails, and telephone calls.
• Communicate routine and some non-routine information about the work of the team.
• Establishes and maintains the office filing and reference systems, both traditional and digital; and ensures the inter/intra-net websites are up to date and accurate.

Calendar/Meetings/Correspondence Management

• Maintains office calendar and arranges meetings
• Takes minutes of meetings, ensuring accuracy, attention to detail, and coherence.

Events/Logistics

• Supports capacity development activities and conferences by making logistical arrangements, through engaging with facilitators, caterers, and hosts.
• Arranges times through liaising with participants over availability.
• Liaises with budget focal points and section over costs and needs.
• Prepares background materials for participants and uploads cleared materials on the intranet.
• Prepares and maintains agendas on meetings and events related to the workgroup commitments.

Travel

• Provides travel assistance to staff members in the section for travel arrangements and entitlements based on the organization’s rules and policies. Liaises with relevant travel focal points to ensure that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel.
• Briefs/de-briefs staff members on issues relating to related administrative matters such as visas, security clearance, and documentation procedures. 
• Extracts, inputs, maintains, and verifies the correctness of travel records in the organization’s travel system to ensure accurate transactions related to travel costs and staff travel.
• Assists in the preparation of budgets on travel costs and maintain travel plan and budgetary control records.
• Monitors travel certification and report back to the team.
• In addition to general administration responsibilities, this role may also supervise directly or indirectly, activities concerned with transport services. 

Invoice Processing

• Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval and, thereafter processing in VISION.
• Uploads electronic files and verifies results to the destination system.
• Responds to client transaction status and other inquiries.

Supplies/Equipment

• Supports management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating the inventory of items.
• Monitors and supervises adequate and appropriate use of supplies. Ensures that services and maintenance of premises are following organizational standards.
• Arranges for the purchase and timely distribution of office supplies.

Attendance

• Maintains and updates a system that monitors the absence of staff.

Guest House Management

• Manage UNICEF guest house and ensure the quality of services are provided to residential staff and guests.
• Manage guest house ancillary staff and ensure that they report on time and provide standard quality services.
• Coordinate the accommodation of staff and book through humanitarian booking Hub for residential and guest colleagues for official missions and ensure that guest’s invoices are ready, and payment is made before departure.
• Arrangement for conferences, meetings, and workshops in-house and outside the office.
• Coordinate with hotels and vendors on the new opportunities to hold conferences and events.
• Coordinate the quotations and offers from the vendors and follow up on reservations.
• Rooms booked, coffee and refreshments ordered within the respective deadline for each event
• Substantive feedback was gathered from the colleagues after each conference.

HR Attendance management and ICT support for Somali field office

• Support and arrange video conferences during all-staff meetings.
• Support on Internet/Wi-Fi for office guests and staff
• Support another ICT request i.e. updates and Password changes

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA). The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

How to Apply

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.  We particularly encourage qualified female candidates to apply.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.