Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
UNDP in Kazakhstan is guided by the Country Programme Document (CPD 2021-2025, www.kz.undp.org), which is focused on supporting the strategic priorities of the Government of Kazakhstan, enshrined in “Kazakhstan-2050” Strategy, Strategic Development Plan, and other key sectoral documents. UNDP also promotes the sustainable development agenda by supporting local government efforts in sustaining their growth trajectory in the areas of economic diversification, modernizing institutions, reducing inequalities, and sustainable management of natural resources.
The UNDP Administrative Unit supports the Country Office (CO) in promotion of its sustainable development agenda by providing a high-quality administrative support in the area of travel and asset management, delivering sound logistical support to the UNDP development projects and UN Agencies.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Administrative Associate, the Administrative and Travel Assistant provides support to office operations performing a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Administrative and Travel Assistant may coordinate and supervise drivers. The Administrative and Travel Assistant promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach.
The Administrative and Travel Assistant works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and projects staff in the CO and other UN agencies staff to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.
UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
Key Duties and Accountabilities
Implement operational strategies in alignment with governing rules and regulations and with a focus on consistency and quality:
- Ensure full compliance of administrative activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
- Provide inputs to the CO administrative business processes mapping and implementation of the internal standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Provide inputs to preparation of administrative team results-oriented work plans.
Provide support for travel management:
- Processing of cost-recovery bills for the travel services provided by UNDP to other Agencies.
- Support in follow-up with contracted travel agent to ensure provision of high-quality professional service and most competitive price.
- Provision of information to the staff on travel including entitlements, travel route and hotel arrangement.
- Processing travel authorization and travel claims in line with travel entitlements for staff, consultants, UN and visitors, ensuring that the travel arrangement follow the UN rules of most direct route and most competitive prices.
- Support timely ticket reconciliation.
Provide support for assets management:
- Maintain records on assets management and prepare reports.
- Maintain the filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials.
Provide support for effective administrative and financial control in the Country Office:
- Assist in the preparation of information for audit.
- Research, retrieve statistical data, and extract other data from internal and external sources; prepare statistical charts, tables and reports.
- Review and verify documents on vendor creation set-up information in ERP.
Provide appropriate and required administrative and logistical services to the Country Office:
- Serve as custodian for management of office stationery supplies, including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery as required by staff, and keeping a log of distribution.
- Provide support to organization of procurement processes, including preparation of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents, and receipt of quotations, bids or proposals and their preliminary evaluation. Organize shipments and customs clearance arrangements. Prepare documents/documentation for UNDP shipments (received/sent) and implement follow-up actions.
- Arrange travel and hotel reservations, review POs for travel activities, and prepare travel authorizations. Provide support to staff members and their dependents by processing requests for visas, identity cards and other documents in accordance with requirements of the United Nations and national government. When requested, collect information for DSA, travel agencies, and other administrative surveys.
- Arrange vehicle transportation, regular vehicle maintenance and insurance. Check and record vehicle daily log and gas consumption, update and maintain vehicle history report.
- Follow up on deadlines, commitments made, actions taken, and coordination of collection and submission of the reports to head of unit.
- Provide support to the organization/maintenance of common services and maintenance of common premises. Maintain files and records relevant to office maintenance.
- Maintain contacts with visitors and staff, arrange appointments and meetings, and when needed, take minutes, act as an interpreter and/or translate simple correspondence. Compile and prepare briefing and presentation materials, speeches, background information and documentation for meetings and missions.
- Provide logistic support to conferences, workshops, retreats.
- Other responsibilities consistent with the position’s complexity, as defined by the unit’s established back-up system.
Support knowledge building and sharing in the Country Office:
- Assist in organizing and engaging in training programs for operations and project personnel, focusing on administrative-related questions Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Competencies
Core competencies:
- Achieve Results -LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work.
- Think Innovatively- LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking.
- Learn Continuously- LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning.
- Adapt with Agility- LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
- Act with Determination – LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously.
- Engage and Partner- LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion- LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.
People Management Competencies: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated
site.
Cross Functional and technical competencies:
- Business Management- Customer Satisfaction/Client Management
- Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
- Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
- Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
- Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
- Business Management- Operations Management
- Ability to effectively plan, organize, and oversee the Organization’s business processes in order to convert its assets into the best results in the most efficient manner.
- Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.
- Administration & Operations – UN travel documents
- Knowledge of regulatory frameworks and processes related to UN travel documents; ability to facilitate the insurance of UN travel documents for UNDP and UN agencies; processing of visas, and ensure oversight and endorsement.
- Administration & Operations- Entitlement travel
- Knowledge of policy and procedures related to entitlement travel, including the identification of entitlement for lump sum for UNDP as well as other UN agencies.
- Administration & Operations – Asset Management
- Knowledge of policy & procedures on PP&E; ability to prepare financial statements on PP&E; maintain Asset Management Module in ERP, perform analytical review of AM reports and asset information to ensure completeness and accuracy of asset information.
- Administration & Operations- Vehicle management
- Knowledge of policy and procedures on fleet management
- Procurement- Procurement Management
- The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Secondary education is required.
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, or equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years (with Secondary education) or 2 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in administration or programme support services.
Languages:
- Fluency in English, Russian and Kazakh is required.
Required skill:
- Experience in the use of computers, office software (MS Word, Excel, etc), database packages, and web-based management systems such as ERP.
Desired skills:
- Certifications in Administration and Procurement will be an asset.
- Experience in office and assets management will be an asset.
- Experience in the handling of web-based management ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, Quantum, Umoja, etc.) will be an asset.
- Experience working with the UN or other international organizations will be an asset
Keywords:
- Administrative business processes
- Asset Management
- Procurement
- Logistics
- Knowledge sharing
- Logistics
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Disclaimer
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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