Senior Human Resources Assistant at United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON)

Department/Office: United Nations Office at Nairobi

Duty Station: NAIROBI; NAIROBI;

Posting Period: 26 June 2020 – 25 July 2020

Job Opening Number: 20-Human Resources-UNON-136776-R-Nairobi (X)

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Organisational Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the United Nations headquarters in Africa and the representative office of the Secretary-General. We support programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) globally, as well as other United Nations offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, conference and information services (www.unon.org). The advertised post is located in the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), Human Resources and Management Service (HRMS), in the Operations Support Desk team. Under the general supervision of the Chief, Staff Pay and Benefits (SPnB), the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Responsibilities

Provides Umoja technical support:

• Reviews and processes requests from Staff Pay and Benefits Secion (SPNB) and clients and provides guidance and technical support pertaining to conditions of service and Umoja related technical issues.
• Reviews and processes requests for entitlements and exceptions to the Staff Rules and Regulations concerning travel entitlements, currency of payment of emoluments and rental subsidy.
• Monitors issues on conditions of service of staff and advises the SPNB HR Partners of any developments.

Operational Support Desk (OSD) services:

• Troubleshoots Umoja and IMIS complex cases and takes corrective action -Identifies Umoja related training needs of SPnB HR Partners, develops training materials and delivers the related trainings;
• Undertakes HR complex related projects i.e. dependency review exercises, continuing appointments and random checks on other entitlements, as and when required
• Regularly undertakes monitoring role in Umoja i.e. personnel actions processed, rental subsidy monitoring
• Tests HR related Umoja solutions in conjuction with the OHRM Umoja Team before a solution is rolled out in production
• Reviews and processes retroactive actions, and liaise with Payroll colleagues on any payments/deductions, as required.
• Time management and monitoring for UNON, UNEP, UN-Habitat and IFAD i.e. reviews and records retro-actively absences, reviews and takes corrective actions of absence quotas;
• Reviews all HR related job aids and release notes and provides support to SPNB HR Partners on new instructions and changes in the system
• Liaises between OHRM and SPnB on Umoja technical issues, complex cases and policy clarification. General ·Undertakes research on a range of HR related issues and prepares notes/reports.
• Conducts research on precedents, policy rulings and procedures and advises SPNB HR Partners and staff members accordingly.
• Generates and analyzes statistical reports on HR related issues.
• Assists in the preparation of information circulars for HR related issues.
• Provides general office support services; processes, drafts, edits, proofreads and finalizes for signature/approval, a variety of correspondence and other communications;
• Prepares written response to queries concerning HR related matters. ·Trains and provides support to new and lower-level staff in the service. ·
• Assists in the completion of the pre-recruitment formalities.

Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of human resources policies, procedures and practices and ability to interpret and apply them in an organizational setting. Demonstrates use of initiative and makes appropriate linkages in work requirements and anticipates next steps. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• 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.
• TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: 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.

Education

• Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Certification in HR and Umoja training is required.
• Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) or the United Nations Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) 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.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in human resources management, administrative services or related area is required.
• Experience in a busy HR environment in an international organization is required.
• Experience in Enterprise Resource Planning/Systems Applications and Products (ERP/SAP) is required.
• Experience in interpreting and applying staff regulations and rules and processing HR entitlements and allowance in the United Nations or a similar international organization are highly desirable.
• Experience with Business Intelligence reporting 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.

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 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.

This position is open for recruitment 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 email 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. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira ‘Need Help?’ link.

‘Internal Applicants: When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. ‘

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.