Senior Administrative Associate

Org. Setting and ReportingThe position is based in the Office of the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. On 22 December 2023, the Security Council adopted resolution 2720 (2023), requesting the Secretary-General, with the objective of expediting the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, to appoint expeditiously a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator with responsibility for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature of all humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza provided through states which are not party to the conflict, and further requesting that the Coordinator expeditiously establish a UN mechanism for accelerating the provision of humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza through states which are not party to the conflict, consulting all relevant parties, with the goal of expediting, streamlining, and accelerating the process of providing assistance while continuing to help ensure that aid reaches its civilian destination, and demanding that the parties to the conflict cooperate with the Coordinator to fulfil their mandate without delay or obstruction. This temporary job opening is being published for the position of Senior Administrative Associate, based in Amman, Jordan. Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Chief of Staff, the incumbent reports to the Head of Administration Unit. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the Senior Administrative Associate will be responsible for the following duties: General Administration • Facilitates office operations by preparing and processing all necessary UN forms and permissions for staff. • Ensures efficient management of office space through contract administration and facility access control. • Responsible for the overall facility management, including maintenance, safety, and compliance with regulations to provide a functional and secure working environment. • May guide, train, and supervise junior General Service staff. • Assists with data collection and analysis, preparation of presentations and reports for information sharing, planning, and decision-making. • Manages the office transport fleet, ensuring vehicles are MOSS compliant, roadworthy, and properly maintained. • Provides timely coordination and logistical support for office operations. • Prepare all logistics arrangements for the office workshops, meetings, catering services, conference facilities, retreats. Handling all necessary arrangements (e.g., hotel reservations, guest/participant lists, invitations, seating arrangements, background documents, equipment, etc.); • Assist in the coordination of common premises, maintenance, office space, furniture, equipment and building maintenance matters; payment of rent, common premises, utilities, and other maintenance and cleaning services, and any other services; • Submits travel requests and expense reports in Umoja for staff travel, tracking outstanding payments. • Manages logistics for local/international staff travels, high-level visits, mission plans and working closely with other units and DSS • Follow up on the office custom clearance/ shipments, Procurement • Full compliance of procurement activities with UN/OCHA rules, regulations, policies, and strategies; implementation of the control, proper functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system • Establish, piggyback and renewal of Contracts and LTAs to cover all office needs of critical goods/services to ensure office operation continuity. • Ensures proper management of office assets, maintenance of inventory, and asset disposal. • Administers common premises/services, Service/lease Agreements and MoUs in accordance with UN rules. • Handles requisition and purchase orders for procurement processes in Umoja. • Coordinates day-to-day procurement arrangements with local service providers, ensuring quality of services. • Prepares annual and quarterly procurement plans under the approved office Cost Plan. Protocol • Prepares documentation for processing visas, residential permits, and maintains a tracker for timely renewal follow-ups. • Provides briefs/debriefs on protocol issues, advice, and administrative support as required. • Supports VIP lounge arrangements for Senior management and logistical arrangements for humanitarian cargo arrivals and departures. • Offers support for other protocol-related issues. Budget and Finance • Contributes to the preparation of cost plans, ensuring costs are reasonably estimated. • Develops, implements, and maintains internal controls to monitor financial resource utilization in line with work plans and cost plans. Perform other duties as assigned. CompetenciesPROFESSIONALISM: 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. Able to perform analysis, modelling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. 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. EducationHigh school diploma or equivalent is required. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of administrative services, general office support, logistics, finance, or other related areas is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to eight (8) years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as Umoja or Atlas is desirable. Experience in the use of Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams, is desirable. Experience working on administrative issues within the United Nations Common System or other comparable international organization is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position advertised, fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview. Special NoticeThis is a project-funded post. This temporary position is currently available through 30 September 2024, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and availability of fund. The contract will be administered by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of OCHA. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. This position is a General Service position and will be based in Amman, Jordan. Candidates of the General Service category are required to be authorized to work in the country where this position is located. Appointment against this post is on a local basis. 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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving a 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. United Nations ConsiderationsAccording 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 FeeTHE 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.