Travel Assistant G5 Job at UNEP, Nairobi Kenya

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• Job Opening ID: 275176
• 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 Environment Programme
• Date Posted : Apr 14, 2026
• Deadline : May 13, 2026

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Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Through the resolution “End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument” (UNEP/EA5/L23/REV.1), the United Nations Environment Assembly requested to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), commencing its work during second half of 2022, with the ambition of completing its work by the end of 2024. The resolution established that the INC should develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, which could include both binding and voluntary approaches, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, taking into account among other things, the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as national circumstances and capabilities, including provisions.

The position is based at the Nairobi duty station. Under the overall supervision of the Executive Secretary of the INC Secretariat, direct supervision of the Administrative Officer, and in close coordination with the Senior Administrative Assistant, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

• Organizes and administers official travel for staff, consultants, meeting participants, interpreters and report writers, in coordination with UNON travel unit and travel agencies, ensuring compliance with United Nations rules, regulations and policies.
• Prepares cost estimates for official meetings and missions, including airfare and daily subsistence allowance (DSA), and provides advice on the most direct and economical routes, fares and travel schedules.
• Initiates, reviews and amends travel authorizations and travel claims; calculates airfare, DSA, terminal expenses, excess baggage and other applicable entitlements.
• Reviews travel claims and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, reasonableness and conformity with UN financial and travel regulations.
• Provides guidance to staff and non-staff on official travel procedures, entitlements, itineraries and allowances.
• Initiates and supports visa applications for staff and non-staff members traveling on official business.
• Requests and manages index numbers for consultants, resource persons and meeting participants.
• Ensures validity of budget allotments and coding blocks, working closely with the INC Secretariat fund management officer, requests revisions or openings of allotments as required.
• Associates travel claims with relevant obligation documents and coordinates with administrative officers to resolve discrepancies, delays or complex cases.
• Maintains accurate records of travel authorizations, advances, claims and refunds of unused tickets, and prepares periodic and ad hoc reports, including updates to Secretariat travel plans.
• Liaises with substantive offices, administrative counterparts and travel agencies to ensure timely, cost-effective and well-coordinated travel arrangements.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of travel-related data and contributes to the preparation of reports, presentations and information materials, including updating web-based or printed content.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of travel-related processing requirements; ability to recognize and act in the face of conflicting priorities; ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g. conference and travel management, budget/work programme, procurement, human resources, database management. 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. Able to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

• Supplementary training in management, conference management, travel management, ticketing or related field is required.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible work experience in travel administration, including travel rate construction, routing, and travel reimbursement, or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to three (3) years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher.
• Experience working with System Analysis Program Development (SAP) or People Soft/Oracle-based, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as UMOJA and in particular the travel module is required.
• Experience in applying travel guidelines in international organizations, specifically in creating travel authorizations and in settling expense reports is required.
• At least five (3) years of experience within the United Nations Common System or any large international organization similar to the United Nations is desirable.
• Experience in organising large conferences and events 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. There are no additional desirable languages specified.
• 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 II	UN Level II	UN Level II	UN Level II

Assessment

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

A Travel Assistant (G-5) at UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya, generally receives a minimum monthly salary of approximately KES 220,213 (roughly USD 1,700+) as of 2026, according to UN Talent estimations. This is based on local salary scales, which can be adjusted based on the specific contract type and duty station.

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