Assistant (part time – 50/50)

Org. Setting and Reporting

This is a vacancy in the General Service category for which local recruitment procedures shall apply, in accordance with the Staff Regulations of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union. Candidates shall be solely responsible for any travel or other expenses incurred in order to participate in the recruitment process or, upon selection, take up the appointment. Staff members subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances and benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Moreover, this General Service vacancy is being advertised as a part-time (50%) position; therefore, it shall in principle be restricted to Swiss nationals and individuals legally domiciled and entitled to work in Switzerland. The recruitment of non-Swiss nationals from abroad for such a vacancy may only take place on an exceptional basis, subject to prior assessment and authorization as well as a written undertaking whereby such individuals shall: i) not engage in any other gainful activity in Switzerland; and ii) certify that they have sufficient financial resources to meet their needs. In this regard, family members of non-Swiss nationals recruited from abroad on a part-time basis shall not be allowed to enter Switzerland on the grounds of family reunification. With its 192 member countries, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized agency of the United Nations, is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Quality of Service Management and Compliance Coordinator, the incumbent is responsible for providing direct administrative, operational and logistical support, includ¬ing cross-functional management support to the secretariat of the Quality of Service Group (QSG) of the Postal Operations Council (POC), as well as the secretariats of other POC and Council of Administration (CA) groups where applicable. 1. Management and secretarial support to POC groups and subgroups – Coordinates and manages with the Logistics Directorate the organization of physical and remote/online meetings, including room reservation, equipment and recording. – Prepares, sends and processes meeting invitations, registration and participation, including responding to questions from POC members. – Drafts agenda for relevant POC group meetings and circulates them to the co-chairs for approval and manages requests from the co-chairs or steering committees of the relevant groups. – Researches, compiles and summarizes background materials for use in preparing reports, briefs, speeches and presentations, etc. related to the meetings, including managing input from external stakeholders and circulating such documents for internal and external stakeholders’ review. – Assists in the drafting of meeting documents for the POC working groups attached to the programme and monitors the development of meeting documents/PowerPoint presentations; ensures the quality of documents in terms of completeness and alignment with International Bureau (IB) procedures; and manages the translation and publication of meeting documents, including responding to questions from the translation services. – Ensures timeliness and completeness of visa processes with external stakeholders (QSG Steering Committee, Integrated Quality of Service Plan (IQP) Chair/Steering Committee, and the Co-Chairs of the Operations and Accounting Review Group and the Compliance Group), as well as internal stakeholders (IB directorates/POC secretariat/ Executive Management). 2. Administrative support – Assists in the overall administration of DOP.QSC by providing substantive and administrative support in managing priorities and workflows for the Coordinator and the programme. – Coordinates and monitors diverse activities and work processes to ensure that management directives and decisions are implemented properly, and outcomes are delivered in a timely manner. – Maintains the Coordinator’s calendar and resolves any conflicts and competing demands, monitoring changes and communicating relevant information accordingly. – Escalates sensitive cases for the attention of the Coordinator, providing background materials as reference for follow-up action. – Independently handles a wide range of complex information requests and inquiries (e.g. requests requiring administrative handling or tailored research), responds – or drafts responses – to a diverse range of correspondence and external stakeholder communications, and carries out quality control for outgoing documents/ correspondence. – Manages the timely submissions of various filings, including monthly reports or the submission of information for any purpose, and develops and maintains checklists and templates for relevant processes. – Organizes travel arrangements to ensure compliance with internal rules and procedures (authorization, tickets, bookings, visas, trip planning, mission reports and documentation). – Organizes regular DOP.QSC team meetings, prepares summaries of discussions, and follows up with respective programmes on the status of work items. – Coordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during the preparation of budget reports and liaises with the offices of various senior officials in other units/directorates regarding ongoing projects and other administrative matters, where applicable. 3. Administrative coordination of projects relating to DOP.QSC – Drafts memoranda to management for the recruitment of consultants, for review by the Coordinator or programme managers, and consults with the Legal Affairs Directorate regarding management of consultants’ agreements. – Monitors expenditure on projects against the approved budget and prepares adjust-ments as necessary. – Consolidates the budget/work programme with respect to the Union budget, Quality of Service Fund (QSF) budget, and extrabudgetary funds. – Processes invoices submitted by contractors for payment according to UPU financial rules and procedures, and monitors payments. – Assists the Coordinator in establishing resource requirements for budget submission including updating and maintenance of large distribution lists and the preparation and distribution of various materials and reports.

Competencies

Professionalism: Takes responsibility for own actions and decisions, and for the consequences of these. Produces and delivers high-quality results. Drives change and improvement, continually searching for new ways to position the organization for success. Ensures that knowledge and learning is shared across the organization and encourages staff to learn from each other. Ethics: Ensures that personal views and convictions do not compromise ethical principles. Understands and behaves in accordance with the UPU’s professional, ethical and legal framework. Does not abuse power or authority vested by functions. Respects commitments and promises made to internal and external partners. Promptly confronts unprofessional or unethical behaviours and takes immediate appropriate action. Maintains confidentiality and treats sensitive information with discretion. Teamwork: Works collaboratively with team members to achieve results. Shows respect to other members of the team, regardless of gender or of cultural, educational or religious background. Seeks help when needed in order to achieve set goals. Shares information on issues that may affect the team and respects confidentiality. Accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings. Focus on results: Seeks to achieve expected outputs within the agreed timeframe. Ensures competent delivery with minimal supervision, even under pressure and with constantly changing priorities. Keeps supervisors informed of challenges encountered and solutions found. Job-related competencies: Strong attention to detail and accuracy, especially when dealing with figures and documents. Responsible and practical-minded, with an ability to work independently in a well-organized manner according to priorities (in relation to instructions to be followed). Results-oriented, particularly in terms of meeting objectives within set deadlines. Flexibility in terms of tasks and time, ability to work under stress, and adaptability to work longer hours/outside of office hours when required to prepare for meetings and other events. Courageous yet tactful communication skills, both oral and written. Ability to work in an international environment with people of different backgrounds and cultures. Team player both within the programme and directorate and across the IB.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent.

Job - Specific Qualification

Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g. budget/work programme, database management, etc. is required. Ability to apply knowledge of various UPU administrative and financial regulations is required. Good knowledge of quality management skills and a conscientious and efficient approach to handling meeting commitments, deadlines and results is required. Very good knowledge of the procedures to be followed in preparing and distributing meeting and conference documents, including knowledge of document formatting. Knowledge of IB document standards is desirable. Good command of at least two of UPU languages, preferably French and English (for taking notes, preparing reports, and reviewing and editing documents) is required. General knowledge of the UPU and the IB, including the organization’s structures and processes is desirable. General knowledge of the Internet, e-services environment and emerging social media technologies is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of six years of experience in administrative/secretarial/sub-management work at the international level is required.

Languages

Proficiency in English or French.

Assessment

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for a written test. Additional testing/interviewing may be used as a form of screening.

Special Notice

Annual salary:(Net of tax): 43,118 CHF Type of contract: Fixed-term (Core) Appointment Duration: Three years Scheduled date for taking up appointment: As soon as possible French is the official language of the UPU. English and French are the working languages of the UPU International Bureau. Priority shall be given for an internal promotion. The UPU is committed to encouraging diversity within its workforce. Interested candidates from minority groups and/or with disabilities are encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated equally and in the strictest confidence. Candidates might be considered for other similar posts (for a period not exceeding one year). Candidates must ensure that they provide relevant contact details so that they can be contacted at any time, to prevent them from being excluded from the selection process.

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. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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.