UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Vacancy Notice No. VA/BGDCO/FTA/2020/009

Operational Context:

The Senior Administrative Assistant will provide administrative support to the office where the position is located.

The Senior Administrative Assistant normally has no direct supervisory functions though it rests upon the supervisor of the post to make time specific arrangements subject to a given situation. The incumbent will always function under direct supervision of a Senior Officer often Administrative Officer, who is required to monitor the performance of the incumbent and provide regular guidance. S/he may liaise with local suppliers and/or officials and/or Implementing Partners (IPs) on routine subject matters under the direction of the supervisor.

Senior Administrative Assistant will be responsible for all travel related issues including, but not limited to, preparations for official international and domestic travel, getting quotations from the travel agents, preparing Travel Authorisations, travel claims, preparing regular reports on travel cost, support staff on their official travel.

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 in interpreting and processing of entitlements, issuance of contracts and maintenance of various personnel records and files.
• Attend meetings on day-to-day admin matters; administer the movement of UNHCR staff members and monitor their attendance records, leave plans, overtime and visa requirements.
• Search office files and records relating to a variety of topics for information and reference.  Select information and records in specified format or on the basis of general instructions for use by others in preparing reports, correspondence, technical papers, project or programme plans and general reference documents.
• Assist in requisition of office supplies, equipment and arrange for distribution together with the appropriate inventory records.
• Assist in administrative formalities related to travel arrangements and issuance/ renewal of visas, licences, travel arrangements and other similar documents.
• Draft correspondence and reports, as required, on general administrative or specialized tasks which may be of a confidential nature within the assigned area of responsibility; Type correspondence, documents and reports, some of which may be highly confidential.
• Arrange appointments and maintain supervisor's calendar, receive visitors, place and screen telephone calls and answer queries with discretion; Keep lists of names, addresses and telephone numbers of ministers, government officials and members of the diplomatic corps.
• Assist the management to organise and run UNHCR Office and Residential (wherever applicable) compounds.
• Facilitate various official missions of UNHCR staff and other persons of concern to UNHCR.
• Prepare attestations and certificates required by the staff members for signature of senior officer.
• Assist in processing MIP and various other claims by UNHCR staff and other clients of UNHCR.
• Perform other related duties as required

Minimum Qualifications:

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level:

For G5 - 2 years of relevant experience with High school diploma, OR
1 year of relevant experience with Bachelor’s degree or equivilant or Higher level Degree

Certificates and/or Licenses:

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

(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;
UN-UN/UNHCR Financial Rules and Regulations and Procedures
IT-PeopleSoft Applications    

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements:

Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency requirements:

Core Competencies:

• Accountability
• Communication
• Organizational Awareness
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies:

• N/A

Cross-Functional Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking
• Planning and Organizing

Eligibility:

Interested staff members should consult the Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS, UNHCR/AI/2020/1/Rev.1). If you have questions regarding your eligibility, you may also contact the HR Unit.

In line with the RALS, the below category of candidates are eligible to apply for internally/externally advertised vacancies.

Group 1 candidates: Group 1 comprises current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment who, at the date of the deadline for application, are serving in the country of the vacancy at the grade of the position or one grade below or above.

Group 2 candidates: Group 2 comprises candidates from the below categories after completion of one cumulative or continuous year of service in the country of the vacancy. They must also meet the essential minimum requirements of the position.

• Currently employed locally recruited UNHCR staff members holding a Temporary Appointment;
• Former locally recruited UNHCR staff members who held an indefinite or fixed-term appointment (within 2 years of separation for males and 5 years for females);
• National United Nations Volunteers currently working for UNHCR;
• National UNOPS and individual contractors currently working for UNHCR;
• Current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a position in the same category two grades above the staff member’s personal grade;
• Current UNHCR staff members in the International Professional category holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a GS post;
• Current UNHCR staff members in the NPO category holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a GS post;
• Current locally recruited female staff members from other UN system Organizations holding the equivalent of an indefinite or fixed-term appointment.

External candidates: External candidates are candidates who are not in Group 1 or Group 2. They must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position and candidates not citizens of the country must comply with all eligibility requirements for employment in line with the prevailing legislative prerequisites in the country.

Remuneration:

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org

Submission of Applications:

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements are requested to submit their applications with fully complete and signed Personal History Form and Supplementary Pages as well as updated factsheet (internal candidates only) via online: UNHCR Bangladesh Job Portal www.unhcr.io/jobs.

In case of technical difficulties ONLY, please write an email to the following email address: bgdcovac@unhcr.org. However please note that we are not accepting email applications for this position.

Personal History Form not submitted in UNHCR format as well as not signed, incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants for this position. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behaviour and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal. Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at inspector@unhcr.org or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80.

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