Org. Setting and Reporting

The UN Secretary-General’s 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. The position is located in the United Nations Resident Coordination Office (RCO), Kabul, Afghanistan. Under the guidance of the Head of Office, the Administrative Assistant supports the overall management of the RCO’s operations, logistical requirements, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: • Ensures effective and efficient functioning of the UN RCO , full confidentiality in all aspects of assignment, maintenance of protocol procedures, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made. • Ensures services organized for meetings, such as venue rental, translation services, and other procurement services. • Manages the UNRCO missions and representation schedule, including ticket, accommodation, approval on UMOJA system, security clearance on system, official communication to relevant stakeholders, etc. • Maintains repositories of partner contact lists and ensures regular updating • Prepares correspondence, directives, comments on behalf of the UNRC for his/her signature and ensuring delivery and any other follow-up when required. • Maintains the filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials. Use of automated filing system in soft and hard copies. • Coordinates the information flow in the office, follow up on circulation files. • Follows up on deadlines, commitments made, actions taken and coordination of collection and submission of documents to the UN RC. • Screens all incoming calls and correspondence. • Ensures that all related logistics to the offices of RC/Afghanistan are well functioning, including IT related, electricity, AC, etc. in coordination with related departments. • Supports RCO staff in organizing meetings, appointments with partners, transportation arrangements among others. • Supports the implementation of the Afghanistan Business Operations Strategy, including through data collection, analysis, and information sharing with the OMT, and its Working Groups, verifies and supports entry of relevant data and figures on the BOS online platform. • Provides technical support to the OMT and Common Premises focal points in compiling accurate and reliable data related to common premises and back-office services. • Responds to ad-hoc requests of the RC. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION: • Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters. • Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field. • Performs 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). • Act as an alternate to the RCO Administrative Assistant when required to support RCO in day-to-day administrative tasks as required, including contract administration, budget and finance, and human resource management. • 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 visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Ensures that requirements and background information used for data analysis are documented • Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

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. 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. 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.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required. Relevant first- level university degree may be accepted in lieu of two years of required experience.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible secretarial, administrative, programme, budget/financial, human resources management, public relations and official protocol experience or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five years for candidates who possess a first level University degree. Experience in front office management is desirable. Experience in providing senior executive / administrative and management support within the UN system, international organizations, or embassies is desirable. Work experience with an Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) system, such as Umoja or similar, is desirable. A minimum of one (1) year work experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English, Dari AND Pashto 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.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment, such as a written test, which will be followed by a competency-based interview by phone or teleconference.

Special Notice

Appointment or assignment against this post is for an initial period of one year and any extension will be subject to availability of funds. The appointment or assignment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. However, Applicants may apply and be considered for locally recruited positions no matter where they are currently located (including the current serving staff members at other duty stations), provided they are locally available upon appointment. They will be considered locally recruited for purposes of Staff Rule 4.4. If selected, the GS staff member will be responsible for any costs related to their travel and relocation in the context or onboarding. If they do not already have the right to work in the duty station, appointment is contingent on issuance of a visa from the local authorities. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Internal Applicants: When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. Qualified females and People Living with Disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. All applicants are required to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira “Need Help?” link.

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.