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Temporary Vacancy Announcement

 

The post is blocked for a staff member who is on Mission Assignement and located in the African Centre for Gender and Social Development (ACGD).  The recruitment against this position is at the entry level and candidates must have passed ECA’s Pre-Employment Test.

Functional Title:                    Staff Assistant

Level:                                      G-5

Duty Station:                         Addis Ababa

Date of Issuance:                   17 November 2009

Deadline for Application:     1 December 2009

Date of entry:                                    Effective immediately

Duration of contract :           Three months (possibility of extension)

 

RESPONSIBILITES:
Under the general guidance of the Director, African Centre for Gender and Social Development and the direct supervision of the Chief, Millennium Development Goals/Poverty Analysis and Monitoring Section, the incumbent performs, under minimal supervision,

  • the full range of office management and administrative support functions;

  • typically provides direct assistance to the Chief of Section; maintains liaison with the Executive Office and with senior officials in other divisions/Sections/Units regarding on-going programmes and other administrative matters;

  • monitors processes and schedules related to the Section's outputs, products, tasks, etc.; ensures smooth and efficient information flow within the unit;

  • prepares and processes confidential information; assists in the development of office administrative systems and procedures; researches, compiles and summarizes background materials for use in preparation of reports, briefs, speeches, etc.;

  • provides assistance in the coordination of service-wide activities (meetings, training, etc.), special projects and events; orients new staff to relevant administrative procedures and practices and provides general assistance to other office support staff, as required;

  • may attend meetings, prepares minutes, monitors follow-up activities;

  • responds or drafts responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communications; uses standard word processing package to produce a wide variety of large, complex documents and reports;

  • manages, updates and further develops internal databases;

  • carries out quality control function for outgoing documents; proofreads and edits texts for adherence for format, grammar, punctuation and style; responds to complex information requests and inquiries (e.g. answers requests requiring file search, etc.);

  • assists in the preparation of presentation materials using appropriate technology/software; may provide some specialized support to unit (e.g. technology support, editing, desktop publishing, etc.); maintains calendar/schedules; monitors changes and communicate relevant information to appropriate staff inside and outside the immediate work unit; performs a variety of administrative duties (e.g. leave recording, meeting organization, reservations, office supply and equipment orders, etc.), including preparing and/or processing administrative requests/documents (e.g., travel requests, expense claims, vouchers, visa applications, etc.); maintains files (both paper and electronic) and databases for work unit; performs other duties as assigned.

 

CORE 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. 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. Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology

Teamwork:  Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

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 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.

 


QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION:
High school diploma or equivalent is required.  Degree in management and executive assistance is desirable

WORK EXPERIENCE:
At least five years of responsible experience in administrative and general office support is required.

LANGUAGE

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.  For the post advertised, fluency in oral ad written English or French is required. Knowledge of the other language is an advantage.

OTHER DESIRABLE SKILLS:
Proficiency in using advanced functions on UN standard computer applications, including Lotus Notes, standard enterprise software is required. Working knowledge of integrated Management Information System (IMIS) is highly desirable.

How to Apply

Candidates who wish to be considered for the above post are requested to send their application to Ms. Susan Mokonyana, Chief, Human Resources Services Section/ Division of Administration, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) or by e-mail at ecarecruitment@uneca.org.

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.