Background
Within the context of SDG Financing, UNDP has launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, which is a finance and innovation platform that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy. As part of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, development finance has a central role to play in delivering support to the UN member-countries, in leveraging new sources of capital, offsetting high debt burdens, and in innovating for long term solutions to challenges around climate change, disaster resilience, and fragile ecosystems.
The Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Policy Center mandated to leverage the role of the private sector in development. The IICPSD was established in Istanbul, Turkey on the basis of the Partnership Framework Agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the United Nations Development Program in March 2011. The Center is one of the six global thematic centers of UNDP, advocating and facilitating the contribution of the private sector to human development and inclusive growth through the following thematic priority areas:
• Inclusive Business Models
• Role of the Private Sector in Skills Development
• Impact Investment
• Private Sector Resilience and Crisis Response.
Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Director, Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of project procurement, travel and HR management strategies, financial and budgetary management, organization of meetings and events, compilation and maintenance of project records, supporting partnership development and project reporting exercises and other related duties as may be required by the Supervisor. The Administrative Assistant will work closely with the Sustainable Finance Hub Project Management Support Team (PMST).
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the guidance of and reporting directly to the Deputy Director, Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following key functions:
1) Efficient and effective administrative and logistical support:
- Coordinating and creating travel requests in the system, ensuring accurate and complete data entries.
- Coordinating visa application and hotel reservation processes as may be required.
- Liaising with the travel agencies on the ticket reservations, issuance, amendment, and cancellation.
- Verifying the accuracy of travel entitlements for travel advances and travel reports.
- Monitoring and following-up on the timely settlements of travel claims in collaboration with the HQ Travel Unit.
- Compiling and filing necessary travel-related documents for audit purposes.
- Keeping abreast of updates/changes in the Travel and Expense Module and making new/updated information available to staff.
- Supporting the collection of information for DSA, travel agencies and other administrative surveys.
- Supporting the organization of national and international conferences, workshops, retreats, missions as well as high-level and working level meetings, including venue reservation, arrangement of catering, ICT and interpretation services, etc.
2) Daily office management and coordination
- Arranging shipment of goods, publications and correspondence as may be required.
- Drafting routine correspondence, memoranda, reports, and meeting minutes in accordance with the diplomatic protocol and established procedures.
- Preparing informal translations and acting as interpreter when necessary.
- Maintaining contact list of strategic partners.
- Facilitating documents submission for visa and residence permit issuance by the Turkish MFA.
- Collecting and updating information on assets and non-assets management.
- Identifying office ICT and stationery needs and addressing them in a timely manner.
- Facilitating the onboarding of newcomers by sharing relevant information.
- Maintaining files and records related to the day-to-day office management.
3) Ensuring effective implementation of operational strategies:
- Ensuring full compliance of administrative and logistics activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
- Supporting the recruitment of local personnel (NPSAs, UNVs, interns, etc.) as might be required.
- Supporting the procurement of basic goods and services through market research and collecting quotations and proposals.
- Raising E-requisitions and creating PO receipts as per established Standard Operating Procedures.
- Ensuring timely response to the identified bottlenecks and operational issues.
- Contributing to the FSH knowledge management and resource mobilization efforts.
- Collecting and submitting relevant data inputs in response to HQ requests.
- Backstopping other team members and performing other duties related to this position as may be required by Supervisor.
The Administrative Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the IICPSD Deputy Director and will be in close collaboration with the other IICPSD and Project management Support Team members.
Competencies
| Core | ||
|---|---|---|
| Achieve Results: | LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline | |
| Think Innovatively: | LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements | |
| Learn Continuously: | LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback | |
| Adapt with Agility: | LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible | |
| Act with Determination: |
| |
| Engage and Partner: | LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships | |
| Enable Diversity and Inclusion: |
| |
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area | Name | Definition |
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.
|
Business Management | Project Management | Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
|
Procurement | Procurement Management | The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source
|
Finance | Budget Management | Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets
|
HR | Recruitment Design and Management | Knowledge of, ability to design and manage end to end recruitment processes
|
Business Development
| Knowledge Generation | Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need |
Required Skills and Experience
Secondary Education with at least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, or project management OR Bachelor’s degree with at least four (4) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, or project management is required.
At least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, or project management with secondary education OR At least four (4) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, or project management with Bachelor’s degree is required.
- Proficiency in IT software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
- Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills are required.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver on the assigned tasks in a timely and accurate manner is required.
People Management – Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
Communication – Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Delivery – Ability to get things done while exercising good judgementCore Competencies:
Innovation – Ability to make new and useful ideas work
Leadership – Ability to persuade others to follow
- Demonstrated experience with organization of travel, events, conferences, and high-level meetings is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of travel/ administration/procurement/HR rules and regulations for international development organizations is highly desirable.
- Previous work experience with the UN/UNDP on administrative, HR, procurement and operational matters is desirable.
- Experience with ERP systems, such as Atlas/PeopleSoft is desirable.
- Excellent communications skills, ability work in a multi-cultural teams and client orientation is highly desirable.
- Fluency in English and Turkish (both oral and written) is required.
- Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
Additional certification in project management or procurement is considered an asset.