Senior Staff Assistant [Temporary]

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships: This position is located in the Office of the Director, Division of Administration (DoA), Economic Commission for Africa, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Staff Assistant works under the direct supervision of the Administrative Assistant and overall supervision of the Administrative Officer in DoA.

Duties and Responsibilities: Within limits of delegated authority, Staff Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:


Cost Recovery Management Support:

ECA’s Division of Administration (DoA) has administrative agreements with UN entity clients to provide services on a cost recovery basis. These services include but are not limited to; the provision of office space, conference facilities; financial management services; human resource management services; IT and communications services; and procurement services. Thus,
•Assists in the management of cost-recovery processes, follow up with clients and Sections to ensure the timely cost recovery implementation
•Provides administrative support to clients and Administrative Officer to coordinate all activities relative to the support services rendered to the client entities.
•Assists the Administrative Officer to manage and keep good records of the memorandum of understanding or other agreement for services provided to clients in the areas of administrative services.
•Assists in liaising between the clients and ECA and develops effective channels of communication with each client.
•Follows up with billing and receipt of income from various services and evaluation of vendor contracts/payment to vendors and individual contractors for services.

Office Management Support: -
•Assists in the overall administration of the front office, i.e. provides secretarial support in managing the calendar of the Director including establishing/arranging appointments, maintaining the Director’s calendar, receiving and directing visitors, placing and screening calls and answering queries, making contacts with embassies, UN agencies, international institutions, government offices, Sub Regional Offices (SROs), etc.;
•Assists in compiling and analysing basic data from a variety of sources, summarizing and presenting conclusions for review by the Administrative Assistant and Administrative Officer.
•Serves as a communications link between the Director of DoA and clients of the Office; on behalf of him/her, keeps others informed by conveying directives, reports, status updates and other relevant information; brings sensitive and urgent matters to the attention of the Director.
•Takes full responsibility for time management and scheduling on behalf of manager with appropriate consultation as required; effectively prioritizes and resolves related conflicts and competing demands.
•Screens and prioritizes all incoming correspondence; compiles relevant background documents and references; identifies issues requiring the Director’s attention and refers others to relevant officer for appropriate disposition; monitors and follows-up on actions to be taken.
•Researches, compiles and summarizes background materials for use in preparation of reports, briefs, speeches, etc.
•Independently handles a wide range of complex and confidential information requests and inquiries (e.g. answer requests requiring file or other research); responds, or drafts responses, to a diverse range of correspondence and other communications.
•Improves administrative procedures and systems to ensure smooth functioning of the Division, including filing (paper and electronic) systems.
•Prepares, processes and classifies confidential information.
•Handles a wide range of administrative duties/processes (e.g. leave and attendance records, timesheets, travel arrangements, visa applications, expense statements, telecommunications charges, equipment purchase, service and supply requisitions, conference room bookings, etc.).
•Exercises quality control function for all outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style.
•Uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports.
•Establishing and maintaining a document/work assignment tracking system including
receiving, screening, logging and routing as well as maintaining a system for follow-up and retrieval;
•Performs other duties as required.

•Professionalism –– Knowledge of general office and administrative support including administrative policies, processes and procedures. 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.
•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.
•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.

High school diploma or equivalent. Must have passed the Administrative Staff Assessment Test (ASAT) or United Nations Global General Service Test (GGST) administered by the Headquarters. Degree in Business Administration, Office Administration or Secretarial Service is highly desirable.

A minimum of seven years progressive work experience in general office support or related area. Knowledge of cost recovery mechanism and procedure is required. Experience of working in the Executive office or with Senior Managers is highly desirable.

Fluency in one of the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, English or French, is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

The assessment method for this Temporary Job Opening could be one of the following: Desk review, technical test and /or Competency Based Interview.

This post is advertised temporarily for an initial period of three months. Extension of appointment is subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

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.

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.