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.

Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary General (ASG) Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships, the incumbent is responsible for providing support to the ASG through the administration and execution of a variety of activities and transactions to ensure the efficient flow of information and communication to and from the office of the ASG to facilitate timely action and decision making, arranging and scheduling meetings and events; and collecting, verifying and organizing information, materials and documentation for the ASG’s easy access and use.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide executive support to the ASG:

  • Screen all in-coming correspondence by identifying which matters should be brought to the immediate attention of the ASG or which may be appropriately referred to other officials within the Bureau;
  • Anticipate the ASG’s requirements for background materials in all areas of responsibility, and ensure briefing materials for appointments, meetings and missions are complete and up-to-date;
  • Maintain/ manage the ASG’s calendar and schedule appointments and meetings as necessary based on knowledge of the ASG’s workload and current priorities;
  • Make all necessary travel arrangements for the ASG and ensure that all concerned are informed of travel arrangements and scheduled activities;
  • Respond to other ad hoc requests for information.

Provide administrative and logistical support to the office of the ASG:

  • Coordinate and maintain the administrative and protocol procedures of UN Women and ensure that these are applied in the Bureau;
  • Establish and maintain the filling system of the Bureau ensuring proper indexing and logging of correspondence and reports and safekeeping of confidential materials;
  • Liaise with senior officials in the Bureau in following up and reminding staff members of deadlines for commitments and work assignments and coordinate the collection and submission of reports;
  • Ensure that materials submitted for the Assistant Secretary-General’s consideration comply with established administrative procedures and are accurate and complete that correct reporting procedures are followed;
  • Determine work priorities for secretarial staff and establish deadlines.

Provide administrative support to the office communications:

  • Periodically review the efficiency of current administrative procedures and make proposals to eliminate communication bottlenecks or streamline office procedures;
  • Review out-going correspondence and reports prepared by other staff members for grammatical accuracy and adherence to formal clearance and reporting requirements;
  • Select, from among documents and papers regularly received in the office, those which may be of particular interest to the ASG, or other staff as relevant.

Manage the office budget:

  • Monitor the expenditures in line with operating budget, allocations and objectives. Keep the ASG informed for timely intervention and/or action.

Key Performance Indicators:

  • Quality and timely management/ maintenance of the ASG’s calendar;
  • Quality and timely coordination/ assemblage of briefing materials;
  • Quality implementation of administrative systems;
  • Timely relaying of information to ASG;
  • Timely monitoring of budget.

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.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf.

Functional Competencies:

  • Ability to perform a broad range of tasks aimed at supporting the effective and efficient functioning of the office;
  • Ability to perform work of confidential nature and to manage and prioritize a large volume of work at times under time constraints;
  • Good interpersonal skills;
  • Ability to establish, build and sustain effective relationships, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipate client needs and to address them promptly;
  • Good oral and written communication skills;
  • Detail oriented;
  • Ability to present information concisely and clearly, using appropriate IT functionality;
  • Strong computer and IT skills;
  • Ability to work as part of a team and independently;
  • Good knowledge of UN operations, structure and administrative procedures.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

  • Completion of secondary education;
  • Completion of Global General Service Test (GGST) or UN Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) – formerly known as the UN Clerical Test;
  • University degree in Public Administration, Economics, Political or Social Sciences is desirable, but not a requirement.

Experience:

  • Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in administration, preferably working for senior officials in the United Nations, including contact with diplomatic personnel and the various offices of the Secretariat;
  • Proficient in office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and experience in working with web-based management systems.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Application:

  • All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

GS fixed-term appointment (FTA) and temporary appointment (TA) positions located in New York are open to candidates who are either US Permanent Residents, US Citizens or holders of a valid G4 visa at the time of their application and whose G4 visa has been acquired on account of their employment in the UN Systems based in New York.

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.