Org. Setting and Reporting

Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNISDR has over 100 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNISDR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyses action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community. 

The position is located in the UNISDR Regional Office for Europe. The incumbent reports to the Deputy Chief of Office.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Office, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

– Assists the regional office in all administrative matters including travel, human resources, procurement, finance and budget. Provides advice to staff and management in the office on matters related to administration, by liaising with the Resource Planning and Management Section in Geneva, as needed. Contributes to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed by the Resource Planning and Management Section and ensures that SOPs are circulated and understood by staff members in the regional office. Liaises with internal and external partners on matters related to administration, human resources, procurement, finance and budget, as per delegated authority.

– Administration: Assists with the opening and closing of offices and presences in the region, as needed; Contributes and reviews the local contracts including MoUs with service providers, contracts for cleaning services, IT support, photocopier, printing, etc. in line with the UN rules and standard practices; Focal point for filing and records management in the regional office; Review the contract-related invoices before approval by the Chief of Office/Deputy Chief of Office and payment by the Finance and Budget unit in Geneva; Develops and maintains travel guides for the duty stations in the region including all relevant information; 

– Conference management: Assists in the organization of meetings and conferences by the regional office: requesting index numbers and creating mini masters for meeting participants in UMOJA; Collect and recording bank information in BIRD; processing travel requests and expense reports on behalf of meeting participants; contributing to the management of the event/meeting including logistics, security, visas, protocol, hospitality…etc. 

– Finance and Budget: Assists in the preparation and regular updates of the regional office’s cost plan; prepares budget updates for ongoing projects; review and analyze expenditures, in close collaboration with the Budget and Finance unit in Geneva; Identifies issues and proposes corrective action. Assists with the review of unliquidated obligations in UMOJA; 

– Procurement: Initiates low-value procurement by preparing vendor profiles in Umoja and raising the shopping carts for purchases up to 10,000 USD for the regional office and offices in the region; Prepares service entry sheets and vendor and service provider’s payments; Prepares bills to service providers and vendors, including utility bills

– Human resources: Contributes to the drafting of job descriptions for new positions; assists hiring manager with the recruitment in Inspira for regular and temporary job opening, as needed and in collaboration with the Human Resources Unit in Geneva; Focal point for the induction of new staff members at the regional level; Ensures new staff members receive the relevant equipment, phone access, intranet access, badge, etc. Assists staff members in the regional office with the issuance of UNLPs, visas, diplomatic IDs and customs clearance; Liaises with the Human Resources Unit in Geneva to provide guidance to staff members on benefits and entitlements, contractual status, performance management and staff development; Assists hiring managers with the recruitment of consultants in Inspira and raises shopping carts for consultants and individual contractors in UMOJA; Monitors the contracts of staff members and consultants in the region and liaises with the Human Resources Unit in Geneva to request extensions and/or separations, as needed. Assists staff members in the separation and clearance process, as needed; Assists with the monitoring of performance management compliance; Assists with career support and staff development through reporting training attendance for staff in the region, including the mandatory UN training courses;

– UMOJA regional super user; Provides guidance and UMOJA assistance to staff members on issues related to travel administration, finance and procurement processes; focal point for UMOJA role mapping in the region; Provides first level support to staff members in the region facing issues with logging in UMOJA or their employee self-service portal; Guides staff members to update their personal data and request their entitlements in UMOJA.

– Acts at back up to the other assistant(s) in the office; performs other duties as required.

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. 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. 

CLIENT ORIENTATION: 
Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to clients.

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.

Work Experience

At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of administrative services or other related area is required. At least two (2) years of experience in administrative functions in international organizations such as the United Nations common system is desirable. Experience working and support the work of others in ERP systems such as UMOJA is desirable. Experience supporting the organization of large events or meetings is desirable. Experience working on budgets, including for donor proposals, is desirable. Experience using Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Excel, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French and Russian is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places 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. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

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.