Administrative Assistant

The Administrative Assistant provides a broad range of administrative functions including human resources management, budget and finance monitoring, general administration, and contract administration within the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa. The role supports the office's mandate to enhance international support for Africa's development and security through various administrative and coordination tasks.

Responsibilities

• Initiates, processes, monitors, reviews and follows up on actions related to the administration of the unit's human resource activities, ensuring consistency in the application of regulations and procedures.
• Enters, maintains and certifies administrative data and records for time and attendance, performance appraisal, etc. in electronic information systems.
• Provides advice and guidance to staff with respect to administrative procedures, processes and practices, liaising with central administrative services as necessary.
• Monitors status of programme and budget implementation, expenditures and allotments through the IPMR, records variations, updates budget tables.
• Consolidates data received, assists with data acquisition, data cleansing, maintaining databases, and provides support to higher-level staff with respect to budget reviews.
• Reviews status of relevant expenditures and compares with approved budget.
• Reviews requisitions for goods and services to ensure correct objects of expenditure and availability of funds.
• Assists in the preparation of the programme budget and programme budget performance submissions.
• Prepares statistical tables and standard financial reports.
• Prepares, processes and follows-up on administrative arrangements and forms related to the Office's activities, including official travel of staff.
• Drafts routine correspondence, assists with reports and communications products and maintains/updates web pages.
• Maintains files of rules, regulations, administrative instructions and other related documentation; supports implementation of administrative management regulations including Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Controls, Business Continuity and Business Improvement.
• Maintains up-to-date work unit files (both paper and electronic).
• Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members both at Headquarters and in the field.
• Performs other related administrative duties such as operational travel programme, monitoring accounts and payment to vendors and individual contractors, physical space planning, office technology needs and maintenance, organizing and coordinating administrative arrangements for seminars, conferences and translations.
• Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external contractors for outsourced services.
• Audits contractors' invoices against goods and services provided and approved by the UN.
• Processes payment of contractors' invoices and monitors payments.
• Prepares and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff including grounds passes, property passes, parking permits, swipe-card access and door keys.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• A minimum of five years of experience in administrative service, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required.
• The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to three years for candidates who possess a first level degree or higher.
• Experience with an Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) system such as Umoja or similar, is required.
• English is required at UN Level II proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• French is desirable at UN Level II proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Skills

• Administrative Services
• Financial Monitoring
• Accounting
• Audit
• Human Resources Management
• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Umoja
• Budget Monitoring
• Contract Administration

Languages

English, French