Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Meetings Management Section (MMS), Central Planning and Coordination Service (CPCD), Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), New York. The Senior Meetings Services Assistant will report to the Chief of the Section.

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority, the Senior Meetings Services Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:
• Reviews resolutions and decisions of assigned committees and meetings/conferences for conference servicing implications.
• Prepares draft programme of work of assigned committees and meetings/conferences for clearance.
• Drafts procedural notes for the chairpersons of assigned committees and conferences.
• Prepares preliminary list and annotation of agenda items.
• Prepares invitations to member states, specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations to attend sessions of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Ensures that all preliminary logistic arrangements are made in advance for the efficient conduct of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Proposes solutions to problems and leads projects for enhancing efficiency and level of services provided for assigned committees and conferences.
• Ensures that all required services, including the availability and distribution of documents, and personnel are available in order for committees and meetings/conferences to convene according to the schedule.
• Supervises the work of the staff assigned to preparing the programme of meetings and servicing meetings in the PaperSmart mode.
• Reports on the proceedings of committees and meetings/conferences and submits reports, if required, to the supervisor.
• Works with senior officers and coordinate with host countries on scope and requirements and provides logistical support for committees and meetings/conferences to be held away from Headquarters, other UN Offices or Regional Commissions.
• Organizes and coordinates preparatory meetings with relevant offices and delegations regarding procedural and organizational arrangements for the sessions of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Prepares floor plan of seating arrangements in accordance with meeting requirements and UN protocol.
• Undertakes research and provides reference materials for preparation of briefs, notes and statements for the chairperson of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Maintains databases of meetings, including gMeets, based on requests and publishes the list indicating the interpretation requirements, venue, date and other relevant information, on a monthly basis. Takes the lead in the maintenance and enhancement of the multilingual website of UN official meetings and conferences.
• Prepares tentative and official schedule of meetings, including the United Nations calendar of conferences and meetings, for current and future years.
• Prepares and validate monthly and ad hoc statistical reports on meetings held at headquarters and offices away from headquarters and provides analysis on the statistical reports. Prepares draft replies to questions related to the statistics from the senior management or oversight bodies.
• Provides substantive and technical support to the gMeets team for the maintenance and enhancement of system functionalities.
• Determines the material and human resources requirements of meetings and prepares the cost estimates for consideration by the requesting office.
• Allocate conference facilities and meeting rooms.
• Maintains an accurate record of speakers and/or an attendance record and coordinate with delegations on their position on the list of speakers.
• Maintains database of list and addresses of invitees including member states, specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations.
• Makes arrangements for and coordinates video and teleconference activities at headquarters.
• Responds to queries from delegations and Secretariat.
• Serves as Duty Officer for the Unit during the week and on weekends as required.
• Participates in the recruitment of temporary assistants and schedules and supervises their work.
• Trains and provides supervision to new and lower-level staff in the unit.
• Liaise with ICTS, OICT and technical counterparts in other headquarter duty stations, representing MMS as the technical focal point for system changes, upgrades and change management as and when needed.
• Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the Organization’s conference servicing policies, procedures and practices. Ability to research, select, organize and summarize information required for the preparation of meetings. Thorough knowledge of web-based meetings management tools such as gMeets and the one-stop-shop application. 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& 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.

• Technological awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology
to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in conference services and support, or related area, is required

Experience in the preparation of statistical reports is required.

Experience in using web-based conference management tool is required.

At least three years of experience in the United Nations system or similar large scale intergovernmental organization 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 is required.
Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Applicants for positions subject to local recruitment are required to be authorized to work in the country regardless of where they live at the time of applying for the job opening. Selected candidates/staff members will be responsible for any costs related to their travel and relocation in the context of onboarding to report for duty.

Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test [in English] at the United Nations headquarters, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, International criminal tribunal for Rwanda or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.

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.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

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.

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.