Mail Assistant at United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)

Responsibilities

• Receives incoming pouches, incoming mail, express mail, and parcels; verifies airlines and courier documents.
• Alerts the supervisor of tampered mail for appropriate action.
• Tracks the distribution of all mail, as well as pouch service.
• Logs incoming items and raises discrepancies to supervisor, e.g., missing pouches, incoming mail items, incorrect pouch numbers, misrouted pouches, etc.
• Ensures that all items received are logged onto the computer for financial and statistical purposes. Prepares receipts and processes for distribution.
• Assists in tracing items and is accountable for actions taken.
• Ensures safety and security of items received in the area, i.e., that all items are x-rayed and date-stamped prior to distribution.
• Supervises the sorting and categorizing of mail to facilitate processing.
• Assists supervisor in opening and inspecting items to ensure that all items received in pouch and mail units are official and in compliance with pouch and mail rules and regulations, maintain records.
• Ensures that outgoing pouch and courier shipments are processed to meet pick-up schedules, that incoming pouches/courier shipments are processed in a timely manner, and that reports are completed on time.
• Provides guidance to other staff on the proper use of diplomatic pouches or other mail services.
• Prepares customs declaration in the case of parcels.
• Ensures proper coding, authorization, and addressing.
• Signs the credit memos and summary of enclosures.
• Records the quantity of mail in each category, e.g., registered, certified, mail from missions, personal, confidential or other for statistical purposes.
• Determines and apportion freight charges proportionate to usage by other UN agencies.
• Delivers urgent mail, parcels, specials, etc as needed, or ensures prompt delivery of urgent mail.
• Prepares weekly activities report for management.
• Maintains and updates various databases.
• Follows-up on late billing, credit notes, and debit notes from service providers and monitor payments by Finance
• Monitors vendor’s service quality per set out Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and reports the discrepancy to supervisor.
• Issues timely annual pouch bills to clients at year-end to provide Finance with data for preparing annual bills for common services at UNON.
• Processes accurate invoices for payment to service providers and cost recovery from clients.
• Ensures supporting documentation submitted by the vendor match the invoices and Automail tracking results and report discrepancies to the Chief of Unit.
• Prepares charge sheets for billing clients using accurate ERP(Umoja) coding blocks.
• Acts as a focal point for outsourced messenger and local courier services and prepares and supervises their work schedule.
• Verifies and certifies the accuracy of the services provided by the contractors (messenger/local courier) for invoice processing.
• Performs other duties of the unit as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of handling mail and pouch operations. Ability to work in an international or multilateral organization with focus on customer service. 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.
• 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.
• 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

• A High School diploma or equivalent is required. Supplementary technical training in handling mail or related area is desirable.
• 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. Successful passing of the Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) in English at the United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) may be accepted in lieu of the GGST. The GGST is administered to applicants when required before the administration of a written assessment and/or interview.

Work Experience

• A Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience working in handling mail, pouch, registry operations or related area is required.
• Experience in processing of diplomatic pouches is required.
• Experience in use of Microsoft Office applications specifically Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Excel are required.
• Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is desirable.
• Experience with an international or multilateral organization or NGO is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Closing Date: 16 April 2022