UN Women: Personal Assistant, GS 5

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results leads the development of the strategies and programme in the areas of policy development; operations, including programme management, oversight and implementation; normative support and UN System coordination and provides leadership and management guidance and oversight to the staff in these areas aligned with the vision of the ED and UN Women’s Strategic Plan.

Reporting to Senior Advisor, the Personal Assistant is responsible for providing a variety of executive administrative support to the Deputy Executive Director with full confidentiality in all aspects of assignment, maintenance of protocol procedures, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made.

The duration of the assignment is as soon as possible through to 31 December 2024. Whereas an external candidate will be offered a temporary appointment, subject to release agreements, staff members in UN Women may be administered as a temporary assignment and staff members in the UN Common system may be administered under a loan arrangement.

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Provide Accessibility support to the Deputy Executive Director:

• Coordinate and manage the DED’s transportation needs, ensuring accessibility requirements are met;
• Arrange for necessary accommodations and modifications in various work environments;
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to address any specific requirements for the DED’s participation;
• Assist with physical navigation of office spaces, event venues, and travel locations;
• Maintain and manage adaptive equipment or assistive technologies as required;
• Plan and coordinate travel itineraries, considering accessibility requirements;
• Accompany the DED on trips when required to provide on-site support.

Provide administrative and logistical support to the Office of the Deputy Executive Director:

• Ensure the DED’s workspace is organized and accessible;
• Manage office supplies and equipment related to the DED’s needs;
• Liaise with facilities management to address any accessibility concerns;
• Provide administrative support for meetings, events, and workshops.

Provide support to the Office of the Deputy Executive Director’s external relations activities:

• Facilitate the Deputy Executive Director’s interaction with various external partners through written, verbal, and electronic communication, and through collaborative and proactive relationships with counterparts and colleagues in partner offices;
• Support the Executive Assistant to ensure protocol matters are effectively managed;
• Receive high ranking visitors/officials, coordinate logistical arrangements related to visits.

Contribute to knowledge building and knowledge sharing:

• Provide administrative support for effective knowledge management and sharing within the office and other offices;
• Build and share knowledge and experience related to administrative and operations support.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to manage data/schedule, documents, correspondence, reports, and maintain protocol and information flow;
• Knowledge of administrative rules and regulations;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature;
• Ability to create, edit, and present information in clear format, using appropriate IT functionality;
• Ability to administer administrative processes;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Flexibility to work extended hours when necessary

Recruitment Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required.

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration or related field is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible administrative, secretarial, or program experience;

• Experience in the use of computer applications, software packages such as Microsoft Office is required;

• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.

• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)