Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), duty station El Fasher. The incumbent reports to the Deputy Director of Mission Support.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant FS-5 will carry out the following duties:

General Administration

• Coordinate the provision of guidance, training and daily supervision to other staff in the Office of the Deputy Director of Mission Support. 
• Provide assistance in drafting of host country agreements, budget agreements, and contributions for grants or other activities as appropriate.
•Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial and personnel matters; schedule meetings and appointments; Control, update and maintain the unit’s filing system, (electronic and paper), maintain files and databases of correspondence and administrative documents; Assist in the management of information by screening and responding to request for information, and through overall data management; 

•Partake in meetings and drafts minutes and notes; Assist in the preparation of reports and briefing papers on issues related to the objectives of the Deputy Director of Mission Support;
• Identify and resolve diverse issues and problems as they arise, determining the appropriate actions.
• Coordinate extensively with service units and liaise frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field mission.
• Serves as liaison between the Office of the Deputy Director and other components/Sections under his direction.
• Assist in the planning and coordination of activities for mission support operations related to the mandate of the Deputy Director of Mission Support.
• Act as focal point for logistics coordination between the Deputy Director and Sections under his direction; ensuring the Office of the DDMS maintains up-to-date logistics needs and logistics plans; maintains and monitors requisitions and the progress of related procurement activities; 

Human Resource Management

• Coordinate actions with respect to transactions related to the administration of the unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment, placement, relocation, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures. Liaise with central administration/ executive services as required.
• Monitor and maintain records of human resources activities, i.e. reassignments, transfers, and movement of Office staff;
• Manage time and attendance records and leave monitoring for staff of the Office of the DDMS and Section Chiefs under the Office’s supervision

Budget 

• Provide assistance and coordination in the preparation and development of the unit’s work programme and budget.
• Assist in monitoring budget/work programme with respect to various budgets, trust funds, grants and other funds on a regular basis, suggest reallocations of resources and implement the reallocations as necessary.
• Provide assistance in the review and preparation of the medium-term plan and its revisions.
• Assist managers under the oversight of the Deputy Director of Mission Support in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
• Monitor budget implementation/expenditures and recommend reallocation of funds as necessary.
• Assist the Office of the Deputy Director and Section Chiefs under his oversight in the preparation of the year end budget performance report submissions.
• Assist in finalization of budget performance reports for Sections reporting to the Deputy Director; including tracking and analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.


• Perform other related administrative duties, as required

Competencies

Professionalism – Substantive experience in, and thorough knowledge of, administrative functions (e.g., budget/ work programme, human resources, database management, etc). Extensive knowledge, regarding the application of financial, and staff regulations and rules. The skills and ability to analyze and interpret financial data. Ability to manage processes, maintain accurate records, interpret/analyse a wide variety of data, and identify/resolve data discrepancies and activity problems. Familiarity with all of the unit’s business operations and objectives. High degree of commitment to ensure the proper use of the unit’s financial resources. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all area of work.

Planning & Organising – Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amounts 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 or equivalent diploma is required. Technical or vocational certificate in administrative services, finance, human resources, business administration or personnel management is a requirement.

Work Experience

At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience within the United Nations system or the private sector in the field of administrative services, finance, accounting, human resources, audit, or in other related fields. Experience in UN peacekeeping field operations is desirable. Experience of working in Umoja and Inspira applications is highly desirable.

Languages

French and English are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an informal interview.

Special Notice

Notes:

• 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.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

• 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

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.

• Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

United Nations Considerations

Job openings posted on the Careers Portal are taken off at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

Applications are automatically pre-screened according to the published evaluation criteria of the job opening on the basis of the information provided by applicants. Applications cannot be amended following submission and incomplete applications shall not be considered. The selected candidate will be subject to a reference checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on “The Application Process” and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” on the upper right side of the browser on Inspira.

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.

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.

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.