Administrative Assistant Job at United Nations Office at Nairobi

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• Job Opening ID: 273498
• Job Network : Management and Administration
• Job Family : Administration
• Category and Level : General Service and Related Categories, G-5
• Duty Station : NAIROBI
• Department/Office : United Nations Office at Nairobi
• Date Posted : Mar 13, 2026
• Deadline : Mar 26, 2026

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Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the Director-General of UNON is the representative of the Secretary-General in Kenya. UNON supports programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Resident Coordination System (RCS) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, security, conference and information services (www.unon.org). The Administrative Assistant will be located in the Programme Management Section and will report to the Chief, Programme Management Section for the UNON Conference Facilities Capital Project, Division of Administrative Services, UNON.

The project will be executed in line with the established project scope and key performance indicators, which includes large-scale relocation of the existing conference functions of the organization, while ensuring business continuity of conference operations for major UN Secretariat clients including United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) running conferences at the UN Nairobi complex throughout the construction. The incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

Human Resources Management:

• Assist the Chief in all recruitment processes, initiates, processes, monitors, reviews and follows-up on actions related to the administration of the unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment, job classifications, separation, training etc, ensuring consistency in the application of regulations and procedures. Supports all interns/contractor/consultants’ recruitments, monitors activities/deliverables, processes payments.

Budget and Finance:

• Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure (a) correct objects of expenditure have been charged and (b) availability of funds.

General Administration:

• Undertakes general administrative functions in Umoja such as requisitioning, processing payments, etc.
• Drafts routine correspondence.
• Draft reports and minutes.
• Ensures updated documents in Shared Teams folders.
• Maintains up-to-date electronic records.
• Coordinates with internal project management team members, Division team members and other project stakeholders as required. Serves as back up and alternate to other staff on all administrative matters.
• Performs other related administrative duties, as required, e.g., Travel Plan; 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 events such as retreats, meetings etc.
• Assist in preparation and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff, including UN grounds passes, property passes, swipe-card access and door keys.
• Liaise with the project consultants and stakeholders.
• Supports all workshops and retreats and official visits preparation and logistics.
• Supports updates on all project related information platforms such as UNON website, intranet with visualizations and updating information material such as brochures.
• Perform any other assigned duties.

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. The ability to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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.

Education

• Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required. Supplementary courses or additional training in administration is desirable.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in administrative services or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced by two years for candidates who possess a first level University degree.
• Experience with the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System (known as UMOJA within the United Nations) is required.
• Experience in providing assistance in UN HR recruiting process is desirable.
• Experience in writing reports and minutes of meetings is desirable.
• Experience in providing administrative support in conjunction with construction or renovation project is desirable.
• Experience in an administrative function within the UN Secretariat is desirable.
• One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required.
• The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Required Languages

Language	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
English	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III

Assessment

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

An Administrative Assistant G5 in UNON (Nairobi) earns a minimum starting salary of approximately 220,213 KES per month, which equates to around $1,700–$1,712 USD. This salary is an estimation based on standard UN Kenya Common Roster roles, and actual earnings can vary depending on experience and specific contract details. 

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