Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) in New York, in the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA). The incumbent reports to the Head of Administration in OPGA.

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority, the Senior Staff Assistant is responsible for the following duties: – Assists in the overall administration of the office of the President of the General Assembly, and provides direct support to the President, Chef de Cabinet and other officers. – Provides substantive and administrative support in managing priorities and work flow of the manager and of the work unit; coordinates and monitors multiple and diverse activities and work processes to ensure that management directives and decisions are properly carried out and products delivered in a timely manner. -Assists in the induction of President of the General Assembly, Chef de Cabinet and Cabinet Members upon assumption of duties. – Compiles and analyzes basic data from a variety of sources (including Umoja), summarizing and presenting conclusions for review by management. – Takes full responsibility for time management and scheduling on behalf of manager with appropriate consultation as required; effectively prioritizes and resolves related conflicts and competing demands. – Screens and prioritizes all incoming correspondence; compiles relevant background documents and references; identifies issues requiring the manager’s attention and refers others to relevant officer for appropriate disposition; monitors and follows-up on actions to be taken. – Independently handles a wide range of complex information requests and inquiries (e.g. answer requests requiring file or other research); responds, or drafts responses, to a diverse range of correspondence and other communications. – Supports the manager in presentations to intergovernmental bodies and other meetings, researching issues, preparing briefing notes, slides and subject files, gathering relevant documentation, etc. – Establishes/improves administrative procedures and systems to ensure smooth functioning of the department, including filing (paper and electronic) systems. – Oversees work of office support staff; establishes priorities and deadlines, assigns work and reviews outputs upon completion; trains office support staff in administrative, protocol and other relevant procedures – Organizes official receptions, meetings, etc., handling all necessary arrangements (e.g. room reservations, guest/participant lists, invitations, catering, seating arrangements, background documentation, special equipment, etc.). – Prepares, processes and classifies confidential information. – Handles a wide range of administrative duties/processes (e.g. leave and attendance records, timesheets, travel arrangements, visa applications, expense statements, telecommunications charges, equipment purchase, service and supply requisitions, conference room bookings, etc.). – Exercises quality control function for all outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style. – Uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports. – Manages, updates and further develops internal databases; updates website; generates a variety of standard and non-standard statistical and other reports from various databases. – Acquires data from primary or secondary data sources and maintain databases. – Assists with the preparation of monthly reports and analysis. – Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of general office and administrative support including administrative policies, processes and procedures. 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. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors’ language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of experience in general office support, administration or related area is required. A minimum of two years of experience within the United Nations or similar international organization is required. Experience working with enterprise resource planning (ERP) Systems such as SAP (Umoja) or equivalent is required. Experience in providing support to senior officials is desirable. Experience in supporting travel is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by 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. 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. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. 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. 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.

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.