Administrative officer

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Org. setting and reporting

Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 150 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with UN Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community. The position is part of the Administrative Management Unit, in the Resource Planning and Management Section of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in Geneva, Switzerland. The incumbent reports to the Head of Administrative Management Unit, under the overall supervision of the Chief Resource Planning and Management Section.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Officer will be responsible for the following duties: Travel Administration Support • 

• Ensures that the UNDRR official travel and meetings are organised in accordance with existing regulations and rules; provides timely guidance to ensure that all requested services are within established entitlements and ascertains funding availability; as a certifying officer ensures that there is consistency in the review of official travel requests and supports the decentralised offices in their certification role; monitors and reports performance against key performance indicators on a monthly basis; 
• Reviews and updates the UNDRR internal sharepoint pages ensuring all information is updated and the links to the supporting guidance remain relevant and are functioning; 
• Maintains the UNDRR calendar of meetings, workshops including Global and Regional Platforms, in coordination with all Offices and Branches; In collaboration with the offices holding the events coordinates the timely planning of services needed including the creation of official travel requests;
• Acts as the focal point for emergency support for travel related matters and is on call outside of Geneva working hours for coordination with the travel unit/ travel agent for trouble shooting; 
• Reviews the requests for Ad Hoc DSA, Special DSA and hospitality; ensures that a timely decision is communicated to the requesting office; 
• Monitors regularly the official travel related advances of staff /sponsored participants and ensures that all expenditure claims are processed in a timely manner and that no outstanding claims are older than 12 months. General Administration and Coordination 
• Supports the offices and branches in planning their procurement for the goods and services required for the meetings, workshops, conferences etc; assists in the drafting of the terms of reference for such services to facilitate the procurement process; liaises with the UN service providers to ensure timely and cost-efficient services are provided to UNDRR; works closely with the finance and budget unit ensuring the timely procurement of goods and services; 
• Ensures the timely reporting of all exceptions to UNHQ; monitors monthly the key performance indicators and suggests solutions for recurrent issues; • Oversees the general operations at the Geneva Headquarter premises; acts as the Security Focal Point and the Chief Fire Warden; 
• Together with Human Resources Unit ensures that staff are issued with laptops, phones, badges etc in a timely manner, liaises with the HR unit for the processing of UN Laissez Passer requests; 
• Together with the Head of Unit ensures that the Crisis Management Playbook and the UNDRR call tree is maintained; 
• Reviews adequacy of departmental office space requirements; ensuring the timely renewal of contractual arrangements; 
• Manages the UNDRR Fixed Asset Register, coordinates the annual asset verification and related actions at headquarters and in the regional offices; 
• Oversees the identification of office technology needs and maintenance of equipment, software and systems, coordinating enhancements as necessary. Liaises with the service providers to ensure smooth undisrupted services for UNDRR; 
• Travels on mission to support conference coordination, as required; Grant Management Support
• Acts as the alternate Secretary of the Grant Committee. Provides operational support in the development and implementation of the overall grant-making process. As a back-up to the Head of Unit ensures the implementation of the call for proposals and grantee selection processes including thorough review and evaluation of technical proposals, accompanying budgets, workplans and supporting documents as per the set selection criteria, abiding by the policy guidelines and standard operating procedures. Reviews and requests grant payments. Maintains a centralized portfolio of all active and closed grants. Keeps track on all active grants and make the necessary follow up if grant is to be extended. Develops tracking tools and conducts grant finance monitoring of planned activities, cost projections, and follows up with programme managers on activity performance. Prepares periodic reports on the grant implementation to ensure the smooth tracking and response on the performance of activities. Other duties 
• Collects and analyses data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting; 
• Provides guidance and leadership to more junior staff across the organisation as needed in areas of responsibility; 
• Performs other related work as required.

Competencies

• Professionalism - Knowledge of administrative, budgetary, financial and human resources policies and procedures. Ability to apply various United Nations administrative rules and regulations in work situations. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis. Ability to identify issues, formulate opinions, make conclusions and recommendations. 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. Able to analyse and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. 
• 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

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Job - specific qualification

Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work experience

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in administration, finance, accounting, human resources management or related field is required. Experience coordinating and supporting logistical arrangements of international meetings/conferences is required. Two (2) years or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. Experience in the drafting and review of legal requirements of grants and other funding agreements is desirable. Experience working at the United Nations or similar international organization is desirable. Experience supporting decentralized offices is desirable. Experience with Umoja or similar enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Fluency in French is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This is a project position. Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. In line with the overall United Nations policy, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction encourages a positive workplace culture which embraces inclusivity and leverages diversity within its workforce. Measures are applied to enable all staff members to contribute equally and fully to the work and development of the organization, including flexible working arrangements, family-friendly policies and standards of conduct. Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher, temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position. Due to the nature of the work involved, full time office presence is required for this position. This position may require regular travel to support meetings and conferences, the incumbent must be willing and available to travel, sometimes on short notice.

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