Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. UNON supports the programme implementation of the UN Environment (UNE) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org). The post is located in the Client and Conference Support Section (CCSS) of the Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS) in UNON.

Under the general guidance of the Chief, CCSS and the direct supervision of the Chief Client Support Unit (CSU) the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

1. Manage Service Desk eMail Requests:
– Receive all incoming email and draft response to inquiries; 
– Register incoming Service Desk e-mail requests; Re-route emails to respective recipients; 
– Identify and resolve incidents/queries received; 
– Process schedules for planned jobs; 
– Monitor the trend and nature of incoming email requests and advice management on corrective action; 
– Maintain track of problems experienced and generate reports; 
– Assist in screening requests submitted for further investigation; 
– Ensure that outgoing emails are accurate and of high integrity; 
– Coordinate the registration of new equipment on Service Level Agreement; 
– Keep all helpdesk staff informed of any perceived trends, positive or negative in calls received; 
– Follow-up on pending calls with relevant team; 
– Ensure existing workflows and procedures are adhered to. 

2. Service Desk Operations and Service Delivery:
– Receive and log calls from clients; 
– Perform 1st level support and implement solutions for problems and escalate problems/tasks to appropriate parties; 
– Liaise with other areas of ICTS to facilitate completion of service requests with set bench marks; 
– Maintain a professional Service Desk image at all times; 
– Act as a problem escalation point for contractors; 
– Provide training to end-users on the use of standard systems and applications. 

3. Desktop Administration:
– Provide full range of technical assistance in the area of desktop administration and support; 
– Provide technical advice to clients when necessary; 
– Provide assistance and guidance to clients in Standard PC application software; 
– Troubleshoot application software installations and configurations, electronic mail, internet and network access problems; 
– Provide support for deployed computer application systems; 
– Install computer application systems software and hardware according to specifications; 
– Coordinate with other organizational units on issues that affect desktop administration and configuration; 
– Perform 2nd level desktop troubleshooting in conjunction with Engineers. 

4. Perform other duties as may be assigned.

Competencies

– Professionalism: Knowledge of information technology and applications, including computer system networks; Good technical skills, ability to conduct network maintenance, provide server services and user support. 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.

– 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; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

– Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; Understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

Completion of secondary education (HS diploma) is required. Supplemental training courses/technical certificate in information technology or other related field is required. Must have passed the United Nations Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) or the Global General Service Test (GGST) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally-administered test at Offices away from Headquarters.

Work Experience

A minimum of five (5) years of relevant and progressively responsible experience in the information technology field. Working experience in the administration, management and operation of a large Information Technology (IT) environment with MS servers is desirable. Relevant experience in customer services and related fields is an advantage.

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. Working knowledge of other United Nations languages is an asset.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is on a local basis. External candidates will be considered only when no suitable internal candidate from the duty station is identified. The candidate is responsible for any travel expenses incurred and visa or work-permit issues in order to take-up the appointment. 

This position is open for recruitment for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. 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. 

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. 

If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

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.