Research Assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the African Union Partnership Team (AUPT) in the front office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa of the Departments of Political & Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and Peace Operations (DPO). The incumbent will report to the Senior Political Affairs Officer.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

• Assist in identifying and monitoring substantive aspects of the work of AUPT; select and evaluate a variety of documents, summarize pertinent material, collect and analyse data and prepare background material for assessment papers, studies, briefs and reports.
• Assist in the preparation of research materials for the drafting of briefing materials for UN senior officials.
• Perform, under minimal supervision, a wide range of office management and administrative support functions, including processing incoming correspondence and forward for action to the appropriate officers.
• Ensure smooth and efficient information flow within the office; prepare and process confidential information; screen and prioritize incoming correspondence; compile relevant background documents and references; identify issues requiring the manager’s attention; monitor and follow up on actions to be taken.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties, including preparing and/or processing administrative requests/documents in Umoja (e.g., travel requests, expense claims, authorization of recruitment and payment for consultants).
• Carry out quality-control function for outgoing documents; proofread and edit texts for adherence to format, grammar, punctuation and style.
• Compile and maintain a comprehensive filing and reference system for AUPT.
• Research, extract and compile information and technical data on specific programmes/projects and relevant topics from various sources, including media sources, Secretary-General’s statements and reports, Security Council’s resolutions, and/or as referenced by the Team.
• Provide secretarial and logistics support for meetings and informal gatherings, including taking notes, arranging meeting rooms, confirming attendance, etc.
• Provide direct assistance to staff members of the Team as required; assist the Team in the formulation and management of extra-budgetary budgets.
• Provide guidance and training to new/junior staff.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent. Must have passed the United Nations Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) at Headquarters or an equivalent locally administered test at Offices Away.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years of experience in programme or project administration, general office, administrative office or research assistance is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to three for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience in collecting and researching data across various areas of social and economic development or related area is required. Experience working with ERP systems (such as SAP, Umoja or similar), UniteDocs, and other standard programmes is desirable. Experience working in a front office of a senior official is desirable.

Languages

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

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/233325?language=en