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. UN Women supports United Nations Member States in setting international standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to formulate and enforce the laws, policies, programs and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and that they truly benefit women and girls around the world.

UN Women through its Liaison Office to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) engages with the AU and its various organs, the UNECA and civil society organizations, as well as the diplomatic community. Through the office, UN Women provides technical support to Member States and the AU in the adoption, implementation and monitoring of commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), in accordance with its mandate. Furthermore, the UN Women Liaison Office represents UN Women in the UN Liaison Team and facilitates the participation of relevant UN Women Offices including regional offices for East and Southern Africa (ESAR), West and Central Africa (WCAR) and North Africa (ROAS) in the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for Africa to advance the GEWE agenda on the continent.

UN Women, through its Liaison Office to the AU and ECA (AULO), aims at providing technical assistance to the African Union Commission (AUC) through the Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) to effectively mainstream gender issues in AU and its programs and policy processes. UN Women Liaison Office also collaborates with relevant departments of the AUC for gender responsive development and implementation of regional initiatives. In addition, the Liaison Office continues to establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with relevant UN agencies, INGOs and CSOs to implement catalytic initiatives in supporting the continental GEWE agenda. In this regard, the Liaison Office carries out knowledge management activities by tracking the implementation of policies as well as identifying and disseminating advocacy messages and good practices to inform decisions and priorities of the AU and its organs. The Liaison Office accordingly endeavors to catalyze the adoption and implementation of gender responsive regional policies which inform programming, policy and partnerships at different levels in Africa.

In 2022, with the establishment of the Liaison Office as a full-fledged presence, its Strategic Note (2022-2025) which defines its key development results and management/operational results was developed. The Strategic Note is aligned with the global UN Women Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the AU GEWE Strategy (2018-2028), Agenda 2063 and other key GEWE frameworks of Africa as well as global normative frameworks including Agenda 2030. To support this process and ongoing collaborations with AU and other regional stakeholders, the Liaison Office proposes to engage the services of a “Executive Associate” who will support the implementation of the SN and other priorities as a member of the Liaison Office team.

Reporting to Special Representative, the Executive Associate is responsible for providing a variety of executive administrative support to the UN Women Special Representative maintaining full confidentiality in all aspects of assignment and, in close coordination with Country Offices (COs)/Multi-Country Office (MCO)/ Regional Office (RO) as well as HQ management and staff for managing the efficient flow of information and communications to ensure expeditious dissemination of information, timely action and compliance with established deadlines.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide executive support to the UN Women Liaison office Special Representative

  • Manage the UN Women Liaison office Special Representative’s calendar, schedule appointments and meetings.
  • Arrange travel and hotel accommodations and other logistics for the UN Women Special Representative.
  • Maintain roster of AULO contacts; update electronic mailing lists.
  • Answer and screen call for the Special Representative with tact and discretion;
  • Manage administrative files on the Special Representative mission travel and mission reports;
  • Research files, collect information and organize materials to meet the Special Representative’s requests.

Provide administrative support to the UN Women Liaison Office Special Representative

  • Undertake the logistical, administrative and financial arrangements, to organize meetings, events, and workshops;
  • Organize and attend meetings and events, prepare minutes and summaries;
  • Prepare and assemble briefing materials and PowerPoint presentations for the Special Representative for meetings, missions and other key events.
  • Organize and monitor the office filing system.
  • Follow up with the Special Representative on deadlines and commitments.

Provide effective communication and information management support to the AULO

  • Facilitate flow of information and communication between the UN Women Special Representative’s Office and other units within or outside of UN Women;
  • Review, prioritize and route correspondence to and from the UN Women Special Representative Office; take proactive follow-up action and keep the Special Representative informed;
  • Respond to and/or direct inquiries to appropriate units for timely action/response;
  • Prepare routine correspondence and interoffice circulars; review documents and reports to ensure spelling, punctuation and format are correct.
  • Maintain and organize up to date hard and electronic files for easy access and retrieval; ensure safekeeping of confidential materials;
  • Assist in the preparation and finalization of informal translations; act as interpreter as required.
  • Ensure refreshment is in place for the special representative and guests during meetings.

Provide support to the Special Representative’s Office’s external relations activities

  • Facilitate the Special Representative’s interaction with various external partners through written, verbal and electronic communication, and through collaborative and proactive relationships with counterparts and colleagues in partner or regional offices;
  • Receive and greet high ranking officials/visitors;
  • Ensure protocol matters, 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/HQs;
  • Build and share knowledge and experience related to administrative and operations support.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity;
  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

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

Functional Competencies

  • Ability to manage data/schedule, documents, correspondence, reports, and maintain protocol and information flow;
  • Good 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • MA in Business Administration, Public Relations, Secretarial Studies or public administration education with 4 year experience or:
  • Bachelor's degree in Business Adminstration, Public Relations Secretarial Studies or public  adminstratin with 6 years experince in lieu of Masters degree 

 

 

Experience

  • At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience with administrative, secretarial, or programme experience.
  • Experience in the use of computer applications and software packages such as Microsoft Office, and web-based management systems.
  • Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable. Previous experience with UN or any other International Organizations in similar position

Language

  • Fluency in English and Amharic is required.
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.
  • Knowledge of French language is an asset

Application:

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.)