ABOUT THE COMPANY:

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, is mandated to protect and assist men, women and children forced to flee their homes due to violence, conflict or persecution. UNHCR is dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced and stateless people. The Agency provides protection, shelter, food, water, medical care and other life-saving assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers around the world. The dream of most refugees is to return home. If and where possible, UNHCR helps refugees make this dream a reality. When refugees cannot go back home, we work to find solutions for them, to rebuild their lives in another country. Since its formation by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950, UNHCR has helped millions of refugees restart their lives and has received the Nobel Peace Prize twice.

 

JOB SUMMARY

 

E (most hardship)

Non Family with Residential Location

Non Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay

Nairobi (CO), Kenya

GS6

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

No

2024-10-01

August 7, 2024

Administrative Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Administrative Associate is responsible for the office management in assisting the concerned manager in the implementation of general administrative and resource management tasks.

The Administrative Associate is normally supervised by a (Senior) Administrative Officer or a National Administrative Officer who defines general work objectives and provides necessary advice and guidance. The incumbent may supervise some support staff. S/he keeps frequent contacts with staff at various levels in the office and occasionally with staff at the same level in other duty stations and/or Headquarters; with local suppliers and/or officials and/or partners on subject matters which may be of importance to the Organization.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Assist the supervisor in the provision of resources (human, material and services) necessary to support the day-to-day activities of the staff in the office.
• Assist the supervisor in ensuring the UNHCR Office premises provide a healthy, safe and respectful working environment.
• Provide administrative support in the areas of finance, administrative and human resources as well as up to date and accurate data and records in Cloud ERP and other systems.

• Provide interpretation of administrative rules, regulations and procedures. Perform personnel work including processing of entitlement, issuance of contracts maintenance of various personnel records and files.
• Assist in the recruitment of General Service staff for non-specialized work including evaluating candidate applications, administering recruitment exams if applicable, conducting preliminary interviews of candidates; assign General Service staff to meet work requirements.
• Collect information and assist in conduct of surveys on local cost of living, daily subsistence allowance criteria, local salaries for office and servicing staff, house rentals.
• Brief international personnel on general administrative matters relating to visas, licences, security; provide advice and ensure administrative support as required.
• Arrange for and/or attend meetings on day-to-day administrative matters, participate in discussions of new or revised procedures and practices, interpret and assess the impact of changes and make recommendations for follow-up action.
• Prepare, on own initiative, correspondence, reports, evaluations and justifications, as required, on general administrative or specialized tasks which may be of a confidential nature within the assigned area of responsibility.
• Assist in the preparation of office budgets applicable to staff and servicing costs and maintain necessary budgetary control records.
• In addition to general administration responsibilities, may also supervise directly or indirectly, activities concerned with office and grounds maintenance, security, transport and similar services.
• Arrange for requisition of office supplies and equipment and arrange for control of distribution and maintenance of appropriate inventory records.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Business Administration, Finance, Office Management, Human Resources or other related fields.;

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Not specified.

Desirable

Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of the position.

Functional Skills

*IT-Computer Literacy

UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

FI-Application of Financial Rules, Regulations and Procedures

SC-UNHCR Procurement Rules and Procedures

BU-PeopleSoft EPM/Budget

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies:

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies:

Managing Resources

Cross-Functional Competencies:

Analytical Thinking

Planning and Organizing

Change Capability and Adaptability

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Under the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer, who defines general work objectives and provides necessary advice and guidance, the candidate will assist with the arrangement and follow up on the staff movements inside and outside Sub Office Dadaab on missions, training, leave, etc., booking flights and arranging airstrip pick up in coordination with the Radio room. The candidate will use Cloud ERP to process requisitions, raise invoices, travel requests, travel advances, and claims, and generate monthly, annual, and ad-hoc reports for appropriate decision-making by the office. The candidate will supervise the transport unit, coordinating drivers and vehicle assignments. Under the guidance of the Associate Compound Manager, the candidate is expected to assist in bookings for accommodation and invoices using the booking hub and follow up on rental charges. The candidate will be responsible for billing and invoices in Cloud ERP for accommodation charges for staff members (international, national, and affiliate workforce) and recoveries in MODE. Additionally, the candidate will assist with creating new vendors, raising requisitions, and conducting low-value procurement. The candidate will perform backup supervisory functions for the compound contractors (cleaning, A/C service, refuse collection, among others). The candidate will assist in implementing the administrative instructions on the accommodation provided in the field, ensuring that all users sign the rental agreements and follow other procedures.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

1. The incumbent of this position will be responsible to oversee general cleanliness and lighting of pathways in the compound including proper waste disposals, backfilling of used latrines, emptying septic tanks, demolition of dilapidated structures and coordinate the fumigation exercise (spraying of mosquitoes and insects, clean maintenance of slaughter slabs and repairs of the kitchens); 2. Compound Inventory: Responsible for records keeping, data management, file management and for producing statistics on covered subjects; 3. Establish an efficient system of allocating accommodation and meeting venues to staff and visitors by managing the reservations booking, reception and payment arrangements; 4. Ensure that the accommodation, including laundry and all lodging facilities are maintained to a UNHCR standard and are kept clean on daily basis, replaced and repaired; 5. Oversee all compound activities and movements in close coordination with security unit and supervise service providers and work of ground staff, review their functions and contracts, and prepare their performance appraisals for approval; 6. Ensure emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers, emergency alarm and emergency medical kits are updated and accessible to all guests and visitors; 7. In consultation with the Admin Officer, supervise and evaluate the contractors/service providers engaged in the compound for tasks such as Cleaning, Garbage disposal, Sewage exhausting services, Fire Extinguishers, AC Maintenance and minimum renovation works. 8. Follow up on compound repairs and renovations by supervising the compound Plumber, Carpenter, Masonry and Electrician. 9. Receive and inspect items ordered through admin for use in the compound to match the specifications

Living and Working Conditions:

Dadaab refugee complex is among the oldest and biggest refugee operations since 1991 following the refugee influx with eruption of the civil war in Somalia and at the peak of displacement in 2011-2012 the camps had more than 460,000 refugees. These refugees are hosted in 3 camps (Ifo, Dagahaley and Hagadera) which are in close proximity, in Fafi and Dadaab sub counties of Garissa County, in the remote north eastern region of Kenya bordering Somalia. At the moment the total population of PoCs is 46,380 households comprising 212,525 individuals (211,263 refugees and 1,262 asylum seekers. Due to the isolation of the duty station and ongoing security concerns, the duty station is categorized as hardship category E and security level (SLS) 4. The UN compound is surrounded by the Hesco fences and there is curfew in place from 6pm to 6am. All movement outside the UN compound to and within the camps requires armed police escort. There are limited banking facilities at Dadaab with only one bank in which staff may open a bank account, and withdraw cash with certain debit/credit cards. Internet and communication networks are available at the compound with fairly good speed. Security Considerations The majority of national staff live in the Compound. Climatic conditions are harsh, and despite fumigation of the compound, insects and even snakes are present in the environment. Apart from a satellite level 1 JMS medical clinic, there is no other medical back up therefore staff assigned to Dadaab must be in good health. Evacuation opportunities are limited. Candidates with conditions requiring regular treatment or medical supervision should be appropriately advised. The security situation continues to be a challenge in SO Dadaab and the candidate needs to have undergone proper security training. Meanwhile, staff movements in the Dadaab Operation are strictly restricted and all staff are obliged to adhere to security advisories.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Certifications

Business Administration – Other, Finance – Other, Human Resources – Other, Office Management – Other

Annual Budget OL in Operation/Office, Number of Persons of Concern Served, Number of Workforce in Operation/Work Setting, Workforce to Supervise, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Change capability & adaptability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

The testing of shortlisted candidates is optional.

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

How to Apply
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Good luck!