1. General Background
(Brief description of the national, sector-specific or other relevant context in which the individual contractor will operate)
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN Refugee Agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country.
UNHCR has helped millions of people to restart their lives. They include asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, stateless people and internally displaced persons. Its interventions in the areas of protection, shelter, health and education have been crucial, healing broken pasts and building brighter futures.
The UNHCR Office in China was established in 1979. Although China has been party to the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol since 1982, it has no law comprehensively governing asylum. In the absence of national refugee legislation, UNHCR continues to register asylum seekers, conducts individual refugee status determination under its mandate, seeks durable solutions for refugees, and provides direct assistance to the refugee population in mainland China.
The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress adopted an Exit-Entry Administration Law on 30 June 2012, which came into force on 1 July 2013. This domestic law includes a provision (Article 46) regarding the treatment of refugees, which foresees, interalia, the possibility for persons of concerns to legally reside in China on the basis of a temporary identification to be issued by the authorities. UNHCR has been advocating for implementing regulations concerning Article 46 as well as working on building the capacity of the Government of China to implement its obligations under the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
UNHCR will continue to work with all stakeholders in China to ensure persons of concern receive adequate protection and assistance as well as to seek durable solutions for refugees.
The Private Sector Partnerships Service (PSP) sits within UNHCR’s Division of External Relations (DER) and is responsible for mobilizing resources and other forms of support from the private sector. In 2019, UNHCR China Office set up a new Private Sector Partnerships team to mobilize resources from the Chinese private sector to support our work globally. One of the key aspects in PSP’s work is to expand UNHCR’s engagement with the general public including UNHCR’s existing and potential supporters.
The Senior Administrative Assistant is a position within the Private Sector Partnerships Service (PSP). The incumbent will provide administrative assistance, Human Resources related to Affiliates, and support to the team members to ensure routine administrative tasks are correctly and timely implemented, and the workflow is managed efficiently. The incumbent may liaise with other internal or external entities on routine matters and on more complex subjects upon specific instructions from the supervisor. The nature of certain personnel/administrative tasks required discretion and confidentiality as per UNHCR standards and practices.
This position is a UNOPS position with a contract which is renewable each calendar year.
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
(Concise and detailed description of activities, tasks and responsibilities to be undertaken, including expected travel, if applicable)
• Assist in facilitating implementation of personnel administrative formalities and processing of documents in relation to official travels, leaves, and movements of staff including UNHCR staff and Affiliate Workforce in PSP team. Support staff member with processing personnel-related documentation.
• Responsible for travel arrangements for all PSP team members at PSP China, etc. Regularly update travel plan of staff in the team calendar.
• Responsible for coordinating events (workshops, meetings), and make logistics and administrative planning, preparations of venue and materials in coordination with the relevant managers. Provide on-site support and liaise with vendors on event-related matters.
• Liaise with procurement unit and PSP requester when required including preparation of requisitions and receipt of goods or services. Actions must be taken in accordance with UNHCR rules and regulations.
• Assist the manager to manage the recruitment of Affiliates from vacancy announcement until contract issuance. Monitor the progress of the recruitment of each position and keep the documents on file in both shared folder, and other locations as required by the organization for audit trail.
• Maintain the inventory of IT and communications equipment of the team. Monitor the asset management, track to ensure all are recorded accurately on both internal excel tracking sheet and application as identified by ICT unit.
• Ensure that an orderly and systematic filing system is maintained for efficient and timely retrieval of files and safekeeping of confidential documents and other relevant materials. Contribute to the development and use of automated filing systems.
• Regularly update on SharePoint Application on transactions management portal & update reference files in all sections to ensure correct data provided for PSP operations.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.
3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
(Clear description of measurable outputs, milestones, key performance indicators and/or reporting requirements which will enable performance monitoring)
• Provide timely and accurately administration supports including official travels, logistics and organization of workshops and meetings.
• Maintain orderly and systematic filing system with accuracy
• Provide accurate and maintain up-to-date records of staff movements.
• Provide accurate inventory report of IT and communication equipment.
• Able to provide support to Human Resources administration formalities for Affiliates.
4. Qualifications and Experience
(List the required education, work experience, expertise and competencies of the individual contractor. The listed education and experience should correspond with the level at which the contract is offered.)
a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
High School/Secondary Diploma or Completion of Tertiary Education (high school diploma) with training in Business Administration, Finance, Office Management, Human Resources or a related field
b. Work Experience
(List number of years and area of required work experience. Clearly distinguish between required experience and experience which could be an asset.)
For high school diploma: minimum 2 years of relevant work experience and for Bachelor degree or higher: minimum 1 year of relevant work experience
c. Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies)
• Fluent in both Chinese and English (written and spoken)
• Highly accurate with a good attention to detail.
• Good organizational skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Works well under pressure.
• Highly accurate with a good attention to detail.
• Good knowledge of MS office programs
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
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Desired Languages
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Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other information
This position doesn’t require a functional clearance
Home-Based
No
How to apply
For a full job description and to apply, interested candidates are requested to visit
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
Closing date of receipt of applications: 14 February 2024 (midnight Geneva time)