Administrative Assistant Job at UN-Habitat – UN Jobs

  • Job Opening ID: 220319
  • Job Family : Administration
  • Duty Station : NAIROBI
  • Department/Office : United Nations Human Settlements Programme
  • Date Posted : Nov 14, 2023
  • Deadline : Dec 13, 2023

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Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

The Global Solutions Division (GSD) is responsible for providing programmatic direction for UN-Habitat and is responsible and accountable for the programmatic delivery of the Strategic Plan. The Division leads the tools and methodology production and the integration of the various substantive competencies towards effective delivery of the Strategic Plan and the mandate of UN-Habitat. It provides substantive training to staff members and supports capacity development of Member States and partners.

The Urban Practices Branch (UPB) is the tools and methodology production and skills centre of the UN-Habitat, that develops normative guidance and cutting-edge tools through communities of urban practice. It provides technical and policy advice approaches and methodologies to MCOs/CO, government and partners and mainstreams them throughout the programme portfolio. It also ensures that the cross-cutting area of safety and the social inclusion issues of human rights; gender; children, youth and older persons; and disability are developed and mainstreamed across the Agency.

The Land, Housing & Shelter Section aims to develop, document, pilot/test and disseminate norms, standards, tools, methodologies, regulatory frameworks, operating procedures and practices at global, regional, national and sub-national levels in support of

  • a) the equitable supply of serviced land at scale;
  • b) efficient and effective land management systems;
  • c) freedom from arbitrary or forced eviction and the protection of security of tenure for all;
  • d) the progressive achievement of universal access to housing meeting the requirements for an adequate standard of living;
  • e) participatory urban regeneration and slum upgrading.

The staff member will carry out duties to support the Land, Housing and Shelter Section in Human Resource Management, Budget and Finance and General Administration.

The position is located in the Land, Housing & Shelter Section of the Urban Practices Branch (UPB) with the Global Solutions Division in Nairobi. The incumbent will report to the Programme Management Officer and will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

Human Resources Management

  • Initiates, reviews, processes and follows-up on actions related to the administration of the unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment of staff and consultants, placement, promotion, relocation, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training, ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures.
  • Responds to enquiries and provides information and advice to staff regarding their entitlements, administrative procedures, processes and practices, conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations.
  • Oversees the maintenance of vacancy announcement files and keeps track of status of vacancy announcements. Reviews and processes personnel actions through UMOJA.
  • Monitors staffing table and prepare relevant statistical data/charts.

Budget and Finance

  • Assists in the preparation and review of financial and human resource proposals/requirements. Consolidates budget/work programme with respect to Headquarters’ budget, trust funds, grants and procurement.
  • Monitors expenditures and compares with approved budget; prepares adjustments as necessary.
  • Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
  • Assists in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures
  • Prepares or customizes financial reports from IMIS system generated reports.
  • Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.

Contract Administration

  • Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external contractors for outsourced services.
  • Audits the contractors’ invoices against the goods and services provided by the contractor and approved by the UN.
  • Processes the payment of contractors’ invoices and monitor payments.
  • 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.
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General Administration

  • Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters.
  • Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field.
  • 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).
  • May be responsible for guiding, training, and supervising the work of more junior General Service staff.
  • Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
  • Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., budget/work programme, human resources, database management. 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.

PLANNING & 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.

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

  • High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

  • Supplementary training in the areas of administration or related fields is desirable.

Work Experience

  • A minimum of 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.
  • Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems 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 the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another United Nations Official language is desirable.
  • NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, 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 competency-based interview.

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