United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Notes: This is a temporary Job opening.
Duration of need: up to 31 December 2015, with a possibility of extension
Estimated start date: 18 November 2015
Recruitment for this position is done on a local basis, whether or not the candidate is a resident of the duty station.
“Please note this post is pending classification and may not give rise to an SPA.”
Passing the Administrative Assessment Support Test (ASAT) in English at Headquarters, ECA, ESCWA, UNOG, UNOV, ICTR, or ICTY or the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Service category in the United Nations Secretariat.
• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.
• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
• The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.
• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English
Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) Secretariat of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the WHS Secretariat, provide administrative, research and data management support to the Secretariat; provides administrative support to the Secretariat teams.
Background on the WHS: The landscape of humanitarian action has changed since 1991, when a landmark resolution of the United Nations General Assembly established the international humanitarian response system as it is known today. Growth in the scope and diversity of humanitarian needs, and a more complex operating environment, have created new risks. There are also new opportunities: a wider range of actors and inter-operating networks are involved, and innovations to improve service delivery in each response. This is why preparations are under way for the first World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in 2016. The United Nations Secretary-General has requested that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) organize the Summit with a view to helping a changing humanitarian community work together better to serve people in need. It is a unique opportunity to take stock and adapt. The Summit will be the highlight in a process of change that begins now, but lasts well beyond the event itself. It will set the agenda for work beyond 2016 to make humanitarian action more inclusive, global and effective – and overall, fit for the future.
The Summit will focus on several core themes. Four broad categories have emerged from recent policy discussions, namely: 1) Humanitarian aid effectiveness, 2) Reducing vulnerability and managing risk, 3) Transformation through innovation, and 2) How to better serve people in conflict. Please find also the document ‘WHS at a Glance’ attached to the Terms of Reference for further details. For more information on the background to the Summit please visit: www.worldhumanitariansummit.org.
Responsibilities
Within limits of delegated authority, the Staff Assistant (GS-5) will be responsible for the following duties:
A. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT:
• Perform, under minimal supervision, a full range of office management and administrative support functions; provide direct assistance to the Chief of the Secretariat and the WHS Secretariat teams.
• Manage the Chief’s correspondence flow, including the print out of incoming emails for the Chief’s revision and attention and prioritization.
• Draft responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications including response to a variety of complex information requests and inquiries, using standard word processing packages to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports.
• Coordinate the calendar of the Chief and schedule appointments and meetings; monitor changes and communicate relevant information to appropriate staff inside and outside the Secretariat.
• Responsible for formal quality control of outgoing documents by thoroughly reviewing documents for completeness and adherence to format, grammar, punctuation and style.
• Maintain files (both paper and electronic) and databases for the Secretariat (in ODMS and/ir a shared drive); including all incoming and outgoing official correspondence.
• Serve as a focal point for administrative coordination of programmes/activities including follow-up on their implementation thereof; ensure smooth and efficient information flow within the Secretariat; prepare and process confidential information; assist in the development of administrative systems and procedures.
• Organize and coordinate the travel for the Chief and the WHS Secretariat team members;
• Maintain liaison with other units and branches regarding on-going programmes and other administrative matters; monitors processes and schedules related to the Secretariat’s outputs, products, tasks, etc.
• Coordinate service-wide activities (meetings, training, etc.) and events.
• Provide orientation to new staff on relevant administrative procedures and provide general assistance to other Secretariat staff as required.
• In charge of a variety of administrative duties such as leave monitoring, meeting organization, procurement of office supplies and equipment including preparation and/or processing administrative requests/documents in IMIS, as required, as well as travel requests, travel claims, visa applications, renewal of IDs, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief or Secretariat team leaders.
B. RESEARCH AND DATA COLLECTION
• Research, compile and summarize background information on specific topics and issues for use in preparation of reports, briefs, missions, workshops and any other meetings chaired or planned by the Chief of Branch;
• Assist in monitoring national/international developments on areas of relevance to work of the Branch by: (a) studying, selecting and compiling materials from numerous published and electronic sources including databases, news-agency reports and the Internet; (b) bringing to the attention of officers the most important current news items and developments; and (c) searching the library and other sources on issues, partly upon request from Officers on the basis of the area/subject assigned;
• Prepare a variety of reports and presentation materials using appropriate technology/software (e.g. Power Point Presentation).
Work implies frequent interaction with the following:
UN Mission and Member State personnel with responsibility for humanitarian issues and non-governmental organization representatives, delegations, government officials and partners in universities and research institutes, etc.;
Other humanitarian stakeholders, including civil society and academic/humanitarian policy organizations and private sector partners;
Staff at all levels within OCHA both in New York, Geneva and the field;
Representatives of other UN humanitarian agencies and other member organizations in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.
Competencies
• Professionalism: Good knowledge of the UN system and UN Funds and Programmes; in-depth knowledge of functioning of UN system, UN procedures, rules and regulations, particularly in human resources and travel. Knowledge of IMIS, procurement procedures are required for purchasing/procurement of office supplies; good working knowledge of humanitarian and development issues; familiarity with humanitarian and development concepts. Excellent secretarial and research skills, including drafting ability and extensive knowledge of work processing and application of software package as databases and Power Point Presentations. Incumbent is required to exercise good judgement, discretion and tact in handling sensitive issues; Motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
• Teamwork: Excellent inter-personal skills as well as ability to develop cooperative relations with other offices are important. 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.
• 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.
Education
High school diploma or equivalent.
Work Experience
A minimum of five years of experience in general office support or related area. Experience in front offices is desired.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required
Assessment Method
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations – Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS
EmoticonEmoticon