ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – UNITAMS

Job Opening

Posting Title	ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, FS5
Job Code Title	ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Duty Station	KHARTOUM
Issuing Date	13/02/2023
Closing Date	29/03/2023

Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2524 (2020) authorizing the mandate of UNITAMS which is to assist the political transition, progress towards democratic governance, in the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable peace; support peace processes and implementation of future peace agreements; assist peacebuilding, civilian protection and rule of law, in particular in Blue Nile and South Kordofan (the Two Areas) and Darfur; and support the mobilization of economic and development assistance and coordination of humanitarian assistance.
The position is based in Khartoum and is located in the Office of the Chief of Mission Support. The incumbent will report to the Chief of Mission Support.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the CMS, the Administrative Assistant provides high quality administrative, management and secretarial support to the CMS and ensures the effective and smooth flow of work within the CMS’ office. Within the limits of delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will perform the following duties:

Coordination and Administration:
• Prepares and coordinates the daily agenda of the CMS and the tentative agenda of his/her future commitments.
• Receives and requests appointments, receives high-ranking visitors and coordinates their visits. • Follows up on invitations, changes of dates and/or venues of meetings and deadlines for scheduled appointments/meetings based on workload and protocol requirements and prepare relevant material for such appointments/meetings.
• Notifies all relevant professional staff of the daily appointments and coordinate the attendance of the necessary staff.
• Makes all internal and external calls relevant to the CMS’ programme and/or as requested by the CMS.
• Organizes all administrative requirements with respect to the CMS official travel by making travel arrangements and coordinating all administrative, logistical and security requirements, and remit relevant travel documentation to the Travel Unit upon CMS’s return.
• Ensures that all concerned parties are informed of the CMS’ scheduled activities
• Anticipates CMS’ requirements for background material and ensure compilation of briefing material for appointments, meetings, or missions are complete and up-to-date.
• Maintains an overview of the work of the CMS’ office to ensure that timely administrative support is provided in general and specialized areas.
• Prepares correspondence and justifications as required on general administrative or specialized tasks that may be of a confidential nature within assigned areas of responsibility as assigned by the CMS.
• Establishes and maintain a filing system for CMS’ correspondence and files, drafts and dispatches routine correspondence as instructed, as well as memoranda of an administrative nature.
• Coordinates the secretarial service of the office, distributes special assignments to other staff in the unit and clear correspondence for the supervisor’s signature.
• Takes dictation on a variety of subject-matters, ensuring that spelling, punctuation and format are correct, and where necessary, maintaining a high-level of confidentiality.
• Maintains policy, Coordinates mail and pouch services for UNITAMS personnel, confidential (code cables) and general management files.
• Performs any other duties that may be assigned.

Human Resources Management
• Monitors attendance, sick leave and annual leave of staff reporting to the CMS; Refer and highlight issues which require immediate attention of the CMS.
• Coordinates actions with respect to transactions related to the administration of the
office’s human resource activities, including recruitment, attendance, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures.
• Oversees the maintenance of vacancy announcement files and keeps track of status of vacancy announcements.
• Maintains records of the performance evaluation status of the office. Assists in formulating responses related to rebuttal cases.

Budget and Finance
• Provides expert assistance and coordination in the preparation and development of the office’s work plan and budget.
• Reviews, analyzes and assists in the finalization of the cost estimates and budget proposals, in terms of staff and non-staff requirements for the office, including programmatic aspects.
• Assists in the preparation of the year end budget performance report submissions.
• Assists in finalization of budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and the actual expenditures.

Competencies

Professionalism: : 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 areas of work.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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 is required. Additional technical training in secretarial or administration is highly desirable.

Work Experience

At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience within the United Nations system or the private sector in the field of administration, finance, accounting, human resources, audit, or in other related fields is required

Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools is desirable (e.g Umoja).

Experience working in East African region is desirable

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required.

Assessment

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

Special Notice

Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Maintaining high level of professional ethical standards and confidentiality are essential. This is a Position Specific Job Opening (PSJO), where successful candidates would be placed on the roster following a review by a United Nations Central Review Body.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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

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.