United Nations University (UNU)

UNU is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU’s work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals’ full breadth, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

UNU Centre Administration is responsible for developing and implementing administrative policies governing the UNU and its global network of institutes and programmes. In addition, UNU Centre Administration provides services to internal clients in the areas of financial management, budgeting, human resources management, travel and procurement. UNU Centre Administration is located in Tokyo, Japan, with a global services centre based in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Operations Services Manager, the Travel Coordinator is responsible for supporting travel management and related services at the UNU-Centre Putrajaya office.

Ensure proper administration of travel management for UNU Centre Tokyo

• Support travel management processes and ensure that all travel is expeditiously processed and fully compliant with UN Rules and Regulations, UNU Travel Policy, and the travel guidelines (hereinafter ‘the travel rules’);
• Correspond with travellers (UNU Personnel and meeting participants) on travel routes, entitlements, costs and requirements.
• Review travel requests/claims and supporting documentation provided by travellers for completeness, accuracy, and validity, ensuring that entitlements are in conformity with the travel rules.
• Process Travel Requests (TR), Travel Claims (TC), Purchase Orders (PO) and payment invoices in the ERP financial management system.
• Submit a request to create or update a travel profile.
• Supports the development and implementation of efficient travel and expense workflows.
• When required, collect and analyze the market situation in the travel service area.

Supports the efficient management of travel-related contracts

• Work closely with the contracted travel agency to ensure the provision of high-quality professional service and compliance with the travel rules in terms of air ticket procurement and other arrangements.
• Supports the development of requirements and terms of reference for travel-related contractual bids and participates in bid evaluation.

Ensure facilitation and implementation of the DSA survey

• Assist in planning the annual Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) survey and liaising with the ICSC and UN agencies based in Japan.
• Conduct the annual DSA survey for Japan by collecting and analyzing data on the most competitive hotel prices and quality of hotel services.
• Assist in effectively disseminating the DSA information to personnel.

Assist the Rector’s Office (RO) with travel matters for its events

• Provide travel-related administrative and logistical assistance to the Secretary of the Council and the Council Officer for Council sessions and RO events, including assistance with traveler IDs and supplier registrations, preparation of Note Verbale, arrangement for local/airport transportation, research on visa requirements, travel insurance, monitoring of travel restrictions, and assistance with accommodation arrangements.

Provide support to manage Travel Visa

• Monitor the “Note Verbale (NV)” log, review and approve requests of NV for travelers’ visa applications.
• Ensure a copy of the completed NV is filed.
• Support travellers for visa requirements.

Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and cost-efficient travel management
• Compliance with UN Rules and Regulations, UNU Travel Policy, and corporate travel guidelines.
• Timely approval of NV number issuance
• Prompt and effective resolution to UNU personnel’s queries

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion – Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity.
• Integrity – Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards.
• Humility – Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others.
• Humanity – Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate – Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyse and Plan – Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact – Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and Develop – Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and Innovate – Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways

1) Education and certification

• Secondary education or a first-level degree from a recognized university in business administration or related disciplines

2) Required skills and experience

• Secondary education with five years of relevant working experience, or bachelor’s degree with three years of relevant working experience
• Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Experience in administrative roles related to travel and events at the national or international level
• Experience with office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), especially good Excel skills, including the use of functions and formulas, also handling ERP systems
• Result-oriented, self-motivated, and hands-on, with the strong ability to establish priorities, multi-task, and work within tight timelines
• Dynamic, has strong attention to detail, focused, and flexible

3) Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required
• Good command of oral and written Japanese is required
• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset

Remuneration

The successful candidate will be employed under PSA contract. UNU offers an attractive compensation package including a monthly net salary in the range of MYR 4554.00 to MYR 5525.67, commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the candidate. Benefits include 30 days annual leave and a health insurance scheme.

UNU is not liable for any taxes that may be levied on the remuneration you receive under this contract. Payment of any such taxes remains the sole responsibility of PSA holders.

Duration of contract

The duration of the initial contract is 1 year. This is Personnel Service Agreement (PSA) contract with UNU, with the possibility for renewal subject to requirements and satisfactory work performance. The combined duration on a PSA contract with UNU may not exceed six (6) years. The mandatory age of retirement for PSA holders is 65 years.

Starting date

01 January 2025

How to Apply

To apply to UNU, you will not need an account. Instead, we ask that you:

• Apply via the apply link;
• fill out the UNU P11 Form (please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organisations);
• provide a motivation statement (in the P11 form); and
• answer a few questions that are tailored to the position.You may wish to refer to the UN Values and Behaviours Framework for more information.

Application Deadline

07 November 2024

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview, background checks, and references.

Special Notice

Staff members of the United Nations University are international civil servants subject to the Rector’s authority. They may be assigned to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations University. The Rector reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below that advertised. UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply and become part of the organisation. Applications from developing countries, and from women are strongly encouraged. Eligible internal applicants are also encouraged to apply. UNU has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNU, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

If you have supervisory function you need to have awareness on gender related issues.

Information about UNU rosters

UNU reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNU at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam Warning

UNU does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.