Org. Setting and Reporting

Established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions, ECA’s mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development. Made up of 54 member States, and playing a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape, ECA is well positioned to make unique contributions to address the Continent’s development challenges. The strategic objective of ECA is framed around delivering ideas and actions for an empowered, inclusive and transformed Africa in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 of the African Union through its three core functions, namely, its function as a think tank, its convening function and its operational function.

This position is located in the Facilities Management Section (FMS) of the Division of Administration (DoA), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA). The Staff Assistant reports to the Chief of FMS.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Staff Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

– Performs, under minimal supervision, the full range of office management and administrative support functions; typically provides direct assistance to a senior officer or manager responsible for the Section;

– Establishes and maintains a document/work assignment tracking system including receiving, screening, logging and routing as well as maintaining a system for follow-up and retrieval;

– Maintains liaison with the Executive Office and with senior officials in other Sections regarding on-going programmes and other administrative matters; monitors processes and schedules related to the Section’s outputs, products, tasks, etc.;

– Ensures smooth and efficient information flow within the Section; prepares and processes confidential information; assists in the development of office administrative systems and procedures;

– Researches, compiles and summarizes background materials for use in preparation of reports, briefs, speeches, etc.;

– Provides assistance in the coordination of service-wide activities (meetings, training, etc.), special projects and events;

– Orients new staff to relevant administrative procedures and practices and provides general assistance to other office support staff, as required; may coordinate the work of office support staff in providing meetings, servicing/administrative support to various sessions of commissions and other bodies;

– Attends meetings, prepares minutes, and monitors follow-up activities;

– Responds or drafts responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications; uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports;

– Manages, updates and further develops internal databases; updates website; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases;

– Actively participates and following up the implementation of unite doc, SharePoint and ineed service systems within the section;

– Carries out quality control function for outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style;

– Responds to complex information requests and inquiries (e.g. answers requests requiring file search, etc.);

– Assists in the preparation of presentation materials using appropriate technology/software;

– May provide some specialized support to unit (e.g. technology support, editing, desktop publishing, etc.);

– Maintains calendar/schedules; monitors changes and communicates relevant information to appropriate staff inside and outside the Section;

– Performs a variety of administrative duties (e.g. meeting organization, reservations, office supply and equipment orders, etc.), including preparing and/or processing administrative requests/documents (e.g., travel requests, expense claims, vouchers, visa applications, etc.);

– Maintains files (both paper and electronic) and databases for work unit;

– Liaise with FMS Team Assistants in coordinating and attending Help Desk requests on electromechanical, civil and architectural, coming from ECA, UN agencies and five SROs and following up their completion;

– Prepares monthly reports of Help Desk Support Services of the Section and distribute to respective Unit Heads;

– In the absence of the Section’s Administrative Assistant, the incumbent will act in that capacity;

– Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of general office and administrative support including administrative policies, processes and procedures. 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.


• 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.


• PLANNING AND 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 is required. Must have passed the United Nations Global General Service Test (GGST) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally administered test at Offices Away.

Work Experience

Five years of experience in general office support or related area is required.
Experience in Front Office services (customer Handling)
Experience in electronic record keeping (filing system)

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. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Or otherwise will be managed by desk review.

Special Notice

Recruitment for this position is done on a local basis, whether or not the candidate is a resident at the duty station. Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services category in the United Nations. External candidates will be responsible for any travel expenses incurred in order to take the GGST examination and, in the event of an employment offer, any cost related to travel and relocation to the duty station on appointment and separation. The candidate will also be responsible to obtain any visas and work permits in order to take up the appointment. If selected, external candidates will be recruited on a local basis and would not be entitled to international benefits. Candidates who are short-listed for this position will be scheduled to sit for the GGST at a later date.

The United Nations is Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

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, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, 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. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

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.