Only candidates who are not nationals of the country of assignment are eligible to apply to this position
Hardship LevelA (least hardship)
Family TypeFamily
Residential location (if applicable)
GradePR3
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeProfessional
* Staff members will not normally serve in International Professional positions in the country of their nationality. In addition, in case of a first appointment upon recruitment, the assignment must be outside the staff memberโs country of nationality.
In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of.
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Remote work acceptedNo
Target Start Date2023-11-07
Job Posting End DateNovember 28, 2023
Standard Job Description
Administrative Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Administrative Officer is responsible for the implementation of general administrative and resource management tasks as delegated by the supervisor. S/he will work with an oversight from the supervisor, who will provide general guidance and work plans for identifying work priorities and appropriate approaches; work is controlled for meeting expected results.
S/he will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN administrative, financial and human resources rules and procedures. Contacts on administrative/budgetary related issues are mainly with Sections/Units/Offices within the organization both at HQ and in the Field and with local suppliers/services to ensure provision of services and resolution of difficult problems.
The incumbent will maintain frequent external contacts with counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments on issues of importance to Organization's programmes. He/she acts as adviser or representative of the Organization with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.
The incumbent may directly supervise local staff.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
- Contribute to the provision of resources (human, material and services) necessary to support the day-to-day activities of the staff in the office.
- Monitor the day-to-day personnel and administrative operations of the office.
- Provide advice on personnel and administrative policies and procedures.
- Liaise with Government and other external actors in providing vital supportive services (i.e. processing of residency, visas, tax exemptions, etc.).
- Attend inter-agency and other meetings, with specific focus on general administration, staff safety and human resources issues (i.e. common services), when requested.
- Implement processes and procedures to improve and strengthen internal controls in line with UNHCR rules and regulations.
- Coordinate the preparation of staffing and administrative budget requirements for the office.
- Participate in a competitive procurement process for selecting, awarding and issuing local contracts, in line with UNHCR regulations, rules and procedures.
- Manage contracts for the premises, cleaning and security services, and other services as and when required.
- Serve as a member of the Local Contracts Committee (LCC).
- Undertake missions to field locations to review administrative arrangements and make appropriate recommendations as required.
- Provide guidance and oversight on processes related to the mission travel of staff.
- In the absence of an HR Officer, prepare recruitment, appointments and administrative formalities concerning local staff.
- Review and approve the settlement of employee entitlements including DSA, local salaries and the Medical Insurance Plan (MIP).
- Coordinate training and capacity-building activities to staff in administrative related areas.
- In coordination with Human Resources and Field Security, undertake periodic reviews to ensure that the Office premises are set up and staff accommodation are managed in line with the organizational policies and any related issues are brought to the attention of DHR.
- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Accounting, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics
or other relevant field.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
At least 2 years of relevant work experience in an intergovernmental organization (United Nations or similar). Good knowledge of United Nations administrative and human resources rules and procedures. Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications.
Desirable
Completion of relevant UNHCR learning programme.
Functional Skills
MG-Resource Management
GB-Building Maintenance
SC-Contract management
SC-Inventory / Stock management
MG-Office Management
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.
Desired Candidate Profile This Multi-Country operation requires maturity and strong management and leadership skills, at the same time it requires the incumbent to possess very strong functional and cross cutting competencies that would be extended to the team in general. The incumbent should have several years of working experience in admin/finance work in large operations and capacity building experience. The position calls for pro-activeness engagement with internal and external stakeholder in identifying risks and potential issues and providing recommendations, therefore risk and stakeholder management experience is desirable. A proven track record in financial management, accounting, budget management, and experience with internal/external audit is also desirable. Knowledge and understanding of UNHCR/UN financial and procurement rules, policies, and IPSAS is a requirement. The incumbent must have good command of UNHCR resources management tools such us Workday, Compass, and Cloud ERP software and be able to work in English fluently given that the position is based in an Anglophone country.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
,
,
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
Nature of Position:
The general situation in South Africa remains stable despite growing tensions mainly with regard to a wave of violence against foreigners, social and economic challenges and good governance concerns. The Office is embarking on operationalizing the Global Compact on Refugees; with a focus on applying comprehensive refugee responses using a regional approach. Asylum seekers moving from other parts of Africa and Asia to South Africa continue to raise concerns of the authorities, prompting governments in the region to restrict access to the territory and asylum procedures. In response to the increasing pressure on asylum space significant backlogs in refugee status determination have emerged, which is also a result of migratory flows. UNHCR is currently providing technical support to the Government with regard to advice on how to reduce its appeal backlog. South Africa is party to both the refugee OAU 1969 Convention and the 1951 Convention; UNHCR is robustly promoting accession to international statelessness Conventions as well. S/he should be prepared to travel to countries covered by the MCO (Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia and Seychelles) to strengthen protection support, as required.
The incumbent of the position will be supporting the Representative and together with Finance Officer, ICT Officer, and HR Officer be part of the overall Admin Section responsible for managing the resources available for South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO).
Prime responsibilities of the incumbent will relate to overseeing the General Administration activities, and function (Property, Travel and Visa, Flee Management, Finance, and ICT).
The incumbent will be engaged in monitoring various construction projects, including solarization project, as well as direct, train, motivate and provide guidance to teams under her/his direct supervision and in close coordination with the Representative.
In addition, the Admin Officer will also oversee all administrative and other low value procurement and close coordination with Supply Unit in ensuring relevant and essential information is provided for purposes of completing various procurement and asset management activities (establishment of FA, preparation of Annual Procurement Work Plan, LCC submission, communicating with DFAM, TVU, GFM, Audit responses etc) as well as be able to enter relevant information and have excellent command of COMPASS and Cloud ERP and other relevant software. The incumbent will have overall responsibility for the official travel of SAMCO staff members such as approval of TA and the related travel claims as well as represent SAMCO in several UN Operations Management Teams (OMT).
This Multi-Country operation requires maturity and strong management and leadership skills that are essential in providing the required support to the Representative and to the Namibia and Botswana Offices, at the same time it requires the incumbent to possess very strong functional and cross cutting competencies that would be extended to the team in general. The position calls for pro-activeness engagement with internal and external stakeholder in identifying risks and potential issues and providing recommendations on appropriate solutions as well as brining any major issues to senior management's attention on a timely fashion.
The incumbent should have several years of working experience in admin/finance work in large operations so that s/he can quickly understand the dynamic of the SAMCO operation and ensure the timely support needed by other units as well as by the Senior Management.
The Admin Officer is part of the Senior Management of SAMCO. He/she will be supervised directly by the Representative. He/she will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN Financial, Administrative and Staff rules and procedures.
The incumbent must have good command of UNHCR resources management tools such us Workday, Compass, and Cloud ERP software and be able to work in English fluently given that the position is based in an Anglophone country. The incumbent is expected to conduct capacity building sessions in UNHCR new ERP tools. The candidate will supervise Admin/Finance staff in SAMCO.
Living and Working Conditions:
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province in South Africa. It is one of the country's two capital cities serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital. The other is Cape Town, the legislative capital. The Central Business District (CBD) of Pretoria has been the traditional centre of government and commerce, although today many corporate offices, small businesses, shops and government departments are situated in the sprawling suburbs of the city rather than the CBD. The city has a population of approximately 1,985,997 with an influx of foreign nationals. Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in the city. The main languages spoken in Pretoria are Pedi, Afrikaans, Tswana, Tsonga, Zulu and English. Ndebele and Sotho are also widely spoken. The living class in Pretoria can be classified as middle to high income earners.
The living conditions in South Africa are generally very good. Housing and basic commodities are readily available. The country has an abundance of health providers of all sectors. The country's infrastructure and communication facilities are of international standard and are amongst the best in the African continent. Crime continues to be of concern. Burglaries (house break-ins) and car-jacking are common. ATM fraud is also rampant as well as cyber-crime - financial related.
Even though the position is based in Pretoria, s/he is expected to travel on missions to remote locations in the field, where the quality of life and working conditions would be challenged alongside with security concerns.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): Accounting, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Economics, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Finance, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Public Administration
Certifications
Work Experience
CompetenciesAccountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Compendium Add. 1 to Bi-annual Compendium 2023 - Part B
Additional Information
Functional clearanceThis position requires Functional Clearance