Senior Programme Management Assistant at United Nations

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. 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. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an e-mail address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira ‘Need Help?’ link.

Organizational Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. We support programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing Administrative, conference, Security and information services (www.unon.org). This post is located in the Common Services Unit, Division of Administrative Services (DAS), United Nations Office at Nairobi. The incumbent report to the Coordinator Common Services/Administrative Officer UNON at Nairobi duty Station. The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities:-

Responsibilities

• Working with the Chair and Coordinator of Common Services Management Team (CSMT) in drafting the annual workplan of the CSMT and supporting implementation of the Common Services (CS) annual work plan as required.
• Follow up with service providers and budget section in coordinating rate card preparation and performance reports.
• Provide secretariat services for Common Services Board (CSB) and CSMT meetings, organize and attend CS working groups and sub committees meetings and interact with CSMT members as appropriate. Follow-up with all concerned for timely actions.
• Coordinate staffing totals from UN System offices in Kenya and information on Service Level Agreement (SLAs) requested for preparation of billing of Common Services.
• Prepare inventory of existing information on Common Services.
• Provide inputs for a wide range of common services documents, briefings and correspondence. Maintain an organized document repository of all related common services documents, including databases of Common Services clients and related agreements.
• Support the Common Services Governance Framework (CSGF) in Nairobi. Organise regular coordination meetings with UN System offices present in Kenya.
• Draft the mid-year and annual reports and briefing notes as requested.
• Maintain and update UN Teamworks site and current Intranet for access to information on Common Services. Support monitoring and evaluation initiatives of performance and regular performance feedback.
• Identify constraints and delays to bring to the attention of the Coordinator, and the Director DAS/UNON. Support new, improved and mechanisms of common services with a view to keeping them aligned with the changing scope of in Kenya.
• Maintain and provide information on the Common Services cost sharing arrangements.
• Ensure easy access to information on the common services set up in Kenya.
• Disseminate briefing notes on the same to other stakeholders on request.
• Respond to queries from service providers and clients.
• Respond to both the general and specific needs of each client group.
• Respond to UN agencies, funds and programmes and service chiefs’ on Common Services.
• Follow-up with relevant offices to ensure timely response to requests.
• Reply to internal and external queries.
• General Administrative Matters.
• Perform administrative duties which include requisitioning and payment confirmation of goods and services, physical space planning, asset management, identification of office technology needs, maintenance of equipment, software and systems.
• Receipt, screening, logging and dissemination of DAS UNON correspondences and documents.
• Manage paper flow, including maintenance of organizational files.
• Support the organization, planning and coordination of the Office of the Director DAS meetings and workshops.
• Participate in planning and scheduling of DAS UNON high profile visits (USGs, ASGs, delegates, auditors).
• Coordinate with all DAS UNON service sections namely Human Resources, Budget and Finance, Information Communication and Technology, Support Services (Host Country, Commercial Operations, Facilities and Transportation Services, Stores, Mail, Pouch, Archiving) and liaise with internal team members.
• Support recruitment activities within the Office of the Director DAS.
• Support oversight and audit related matters when requested.
• Promote efficient communication within the office and with external contacts.
• Identify and resolve diverse issues/problems as they arise, and in consultation determine appropriate actions.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Competencies

• Professionalism: 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Education

• Completion of High School Diploma or equivalent is required. Supplementary training in the field of project management and/or administration is an added advantage.
• MUST have passed the United Nations Administrative Support Test (ASAT) or the Global General Service Test (GGST) at Headquarters or at Offices Away from Headquarters (OAHs).

Work Experience

• A minimum of ten years of progressive work experience in the field of programme assistance, office management, administration or related field is required, of which some should be in the United Nations.

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.