UN Resident Coordinator's Office
The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an empowered and independent UN Resident Coordinator – the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System and Representative of the UN Secretary-General at country level – support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDGs. This position is in the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Administrative Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the Senior Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning and Head of RCO. The Resident Coordinator’s Office is committed to achieving workforce diversity. Persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT:
- Initiate, review, process and follow-up on actions related to the administration of the unit’s human resource activities, e.g., recruitment of staff and consultants, placement, promotion, relocation, performance appraisal, job classification reviews, separation of staff members, training etc., ensuring consistency in the application of UN rules and procedures.
- Respond to enquiries and provide information and advice to staff regarding their entitlements, administrative procedures, processes and practices, conditions of service, duties and responsibilities, and entitlements under the Staff Rules and Regulations.
- Monitor staffing table and prepare relevant statistical data/charts, including but not limited to, gender parity and diversity.
BUDGET AND FINANCE:
- Assist in the preparation of annual budgets and workplans for the RCO.
- Assist in the preparation and review of financial and human resource proposals/requirements.
- Monitor expenditures and compares with approved budget; prepares adjustments as necessary.
- Assist managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
- Assist in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures Prepare or customize financial reports from the Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP – known as Umoja in the UN) system generated reports.
- Co-ordinate with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION:
- Draft routine correspondence to respond to enquiries on relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters.
- Coordinate extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at DCO Regional Office and Headquarters.
- Perform other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., operational travel programme; monitoring accounts and payment to vendors and individual contractors for services; physical space planning; identification of office technology needs and maintenance of equipment, software and systems; organizing and coordinating seminars, conferences and translations).
- Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
- Assists with translation, visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
- Ensure proper maintenance of the RCO offices, proactively identifying issues that need to be addressed
- Guiding, training, and supervising the work of more junior General Service staff.
- Act as a focal point for Umoja requisitioner and petty cash custodian for the Country Office.
- Provide backstopping support for the Executive Assistant, ensuring continuity of functions in the RCO front office.
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION/PROCUREMENT:
- Provide operational coordination and administrative services in Enterprise Resources
- Planning (ERP – known as Umoja in the UN), to support procurement projects and activities, following standard processes; raise requests for goods, services, and hiring of consultants/individual contractors
- Review and prepares requirements and scope of work and specifications of goods and services and necessary documentations in consultation with relevant stakeholders
- Coordinate with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external contractors for goods and services
- Maintain internal files and relevant documentations for procurement activities
- Inspect and receipt goods and services received against the purchase order, invoices provided by the contractor and perform asset management activities
- Process the payment of contractors’ invoices and monitor payments upon satisfactory receipt and performance
- Prepare and process all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff, including: UN grounds passes, property passes, swipecard access and door keys.
- Performs any other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor, based on exigencies of the office/unit.
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. 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.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
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 client.
Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required. Relevant first-level university degree may be accepted in lieu of two years of required experience.
- A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in administrative services, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced by two (2) years for candidates who possess a first level University degree.
- Work experience with an Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) system, such as Umoja or similar, is desirable.
- Work experience with the United Nations or similar international organization is desirable.
- One(1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ” Knowledge of equals a rating of’ confident” in two of the four areas.
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To apply for this job please visit careers.un.org.