Executive Associate

Background
 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
 

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) consists of its presence across 16 Country Offices, the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP), the Amman Regional Hub, and its Headquarters as RBAS New York. RBAS New York is responsible for the overall strategic vision and direction, strategic, substantive, and operational support to Country Offices, including with regard to partnerships and communications, and oversight of performance. The Bureau delivers on average $0.7 billion in development assistance through Country Offices and regional initiatives; it has a resource base of $600 million on average; and contributes to thought leadership through research, analysis, and publications.

In that context, RBAS New York is responsible for the provision of executive leadership and executive representation, including in corporate leadership mechanisms (including the Executive Group (EG) and the Organizational Performance Group (OPG). It provides strategic direction, vision, and priority setting for UNDP in the Arab States region. It provides guidance, strategic direction, and overall quality assurance related to country and regional level programming and operations, partnerships, advocacy, thought leadership, strategic initiatives, oversight, and accountability. It ensures quality and coherence of synergies across the Regional Bureau’s functions and geographic locations, including through internal communications. It engages in UN reform and UN priorities, including the Regional Director as Vice-Chair of the RCP. It leads on internal communications for the Bureau.

Position Purpose

The Executive Associate is a point of contact for many people outside the organization and interacts with senior UN/UNDP staff, UN agencies, senior government officials and representatives of UNDP’s constituencies.  The Executive Associate is responsible for the smooth flow of a heavy volume of work dealing with management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made, and a wide range of highly sensitive and confidential matters, under constant pressure.  The Executive Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations, Planning & Oversight Team, the Partnerships Team, Communications Team, the Country Office Support Team, and the Amman Regional Hub, as well as other units in UNDP and maintains close collaborative arrangements with all UN partners, including the UN Secretariat, Programmes and Agencies and counterparts in the respective Permanent Missions of member states of the region. The Executive Associate is required to keep full confidentiality in all aspects of assignment and maintenance of protocol procedures, maintain the highest standards of calm, efficiency, personal communication, discretion, and independent judgment, and be a motivated and pro-active team player.  The Executive Associate works under the overall supervision of the Special Assistant to the Directorate, in close collaboration with the Programme Analyst to the Directorate and the Executive Associate reports to the Regional Director to ensure uninterrupted support to the Assistant Administrator and Regional Director, RBAS.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensures Effective and Efficient Functioning of the RBAS Directorate, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• In coordination with the Special Assistant to the Directorate, management of the schedule/calendar for the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director of RBAS with external and internal parties, including visitors from external meetings, determining priority requirements.
• Undertaking all travel arrangements for the Regional Director, the Deputy Regional Director and other Bureau staff, ensuring coordination with other travel partners from the internal or external environment.
• Coordination with the Special Assistant to the Directorate and with other Bureau staff for the timely preparation of high-quality briefing materials for appointments, meetings, and missions.
• In coordination with the Special Assistant to the Directorate, management of the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director’s extensive mission and representation schedules, understanding of all protocol procedures and ensuring that procedures are fully implemented with respect to all visitors and guests of the Bureau.
• Use of office management systems for effective functioning of Directorate, including maintenance of rosters of high-level partners, telephone and contact lists, maintenance and use of automated filing systems and ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials.

Ensures Effective Communication support to the RBAS Directorate, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Coordination of the information flow from the Directorate to other RBAS Teams at Headquarters and in the field, other UNDP, and UN units. Identification of opportunities to improve or streamline information flow and communications channels in the office including through innovative IT solutions.
• Liaison in a timely manner with all RBAS Teams to ensure that the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director’s decisions, instructions and requests for action and information are communicated to the correct persons for follow-up actions. 
• Self-directed and timely follow-up with all units on actions expected by the Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director.
• Review of incoming correspondence for the Director’s and Deputy Regional Director’s attention and prioritizing of documents according to action required. 
• Review, proofreading and editing of all correspondence for proper clearance prior to the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director’s signature, ensuring quality control, substance, sensitivity of issues, and compliance with UNDP standards.
• Directing queries to appropriate party or substantive focal points within RBAS for responses.
• Presentation of proposals to eliminate communication bottlenecks in the office and streamline communication procedures between the Directorate and other internal and external units.
• Drafting and preparation of correspondence, directives, comments on behalf of the Regional Director and the Deputy Regional Director for his/her signature and ensuring follow-up as needed.
• Assistance in the organization of Directorate’s meetings and tracking follow-up actions.

Provides support to Effective Advocacy of UNDP and RBAS activities in close consultation with Directorate management, senior management, and the Special Assistant to the Directorate, focusing on achievements of the following results:

• Support to the Directorate in facilitating the Bureau’s interaction (in sensitive, political, diplomatic, others) with various external partners of RBAS, such as ambassadors, donor country delegations, parliamentarians, and high-level senior officials, as well as the Administrator and his office.
• Translation to/from Arabic of various documents and correspondence prepared and/or received by RBAS as required.
• Assistance in the maintenance of information on the Directorate staff activities.
• Assisting the Special Assistant to the Directorate and/or the Executive Associate to the Regional Director in the research, obtaining and analysis of background materials for the preparation of the briefings, meetings, official missions, and appointments.
• Assistance in the preparation of public information materials and folders, as requested.
• Assisting in the organization of official hospitality events on behalf of RBAS.

Provides administrative support to RBAS staff, focusing on the achievements of the following results:

• Application of best practices with respect to administrative, procedures, rules, regulations and systems, and introduction of relevant proposals for their eventual application in the functioning of the Directorate.
• Organization and scheduling of meetings originated by RBAS, including reservation of rooms, notification to attendees, logistics, preparation of agenda, organization and distribution of key documentation and drafting/revision of meeting minutes and posting of relevant outputs.
• Support to Directorate staff in the development of presentations, briefing materials, talking points.
• Processing of travel requests in UN All in line with the UNDP POPP.
• Calculation of DSA entitlements and claims and ensuring the timely settlement of claims. 
• Support with processing transactions in QUANTUM as required.
• Administrative support to conferences, workshops and retreats organized by RBAS.
• Support with ordering and maintaining the stock of office supplies for use by Bureau staff.

Ensures facilitation of Knowledge Building and Management, focusing on the achievements of the following results:

• Conducting research on various work-related subjects at the request of the members of the Directorate, in collaboration with the Special Assistant to the Directorate.
• Contribution to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Ensuring availability of coverage and backstopping for the Special Assistant to the Directorate during peak times as well as for other General Service staff in the Bureau during their absences.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

Competencies

Core:
Achieve Results:

• Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.

Think Innovatively:

• Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. 

Learn Continuously:

• Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.

Adapt with Agility:

• Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. 

Act with Determination                

• Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.

Engage and Partner:

• Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination. 

Cross-Functional & Technical:
Business Direction & Strategy: Business Acumen

• Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome Ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization.

Business Development: Collective Intelligence Design   

• Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information, ideas, and technology to solve problems and design solutions or services. Knowledge and understanding of Collective Intelligence Design principles, methodology and practices. 

Business Management: Project Management     

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals. 

Business Management: Communication               

• Communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. 
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels. 

Business Management: Customer Satisfaction/Client Management        

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. 
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Administration & Operations: Events Management (including retreats, trainings, and meetings) 

• Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements etc.

Administration & Operations: Travel Desk            

• Ability to process and approve Travel Requests, Travel Claims and Expense Reports. Knowledge of relevant policy and procedures.                   

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Secondary education is required with specialized secretarial training.
• A university degree in Social Sciences, Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, or equivalent will be given due consideration, but is not a requirement.

 Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years (with secondary education) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible secretarial, administrative or programme experience is required at the national or international level.
• Experience in United Nations Common System is desirable.
• Experience in the front office in large organization is desirable.
• Advanced user of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel etc.,) and in handling web-based management systems is required.
• Knowledge of Quantum at the general user level is desired. 

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. Both oral and written.
• Working knowledge of Arabic and/or other UN official language is desired. 

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