ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Organizational Context

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority, setting the global environmental agenda and advocating for sustainable development within the UN system. This Administrative Assistant position is situated in UNEP's Executive Office in Nairobi, directly supporting the Special Assistant to the Executive Director.

Job Purpose

The Administrative Assistant supports the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Executive Office in Nairobi, contributing significantly to the efficient functioning of the Executive Director's operations. This role serves as a critical communication link, providing comprehensive and substantive administrative support to effectively manage priorities and workflow. The incumbent is instrumental in ensuring the timely execution of management directives, meticulously handling confidential matters, and coordinating diverse activities across various functions. Key contributions encompass facilitating robust general administration, efficient human resource management, precise budget and finance processes, and diligent contract administration. Through these efforts, the role directly enables the Executive Director's office to effectively advance UNEP's global environmental agenda and its sustainable development goals, ensuring consistency in applying UN rules and procedures across all administrative functions and fostering smooth internal and external interactions.

Responsibilities

General Administration: Serve as a communication link for the Executive Director's office, conveying directives and updates, and escalating urgent matters. Coordinate with service units and internal teams. Provide substantive administrative support for workflow management, ensuring timely execution of directives. Handle confidential documentation and calendar management. Perform diverse administrative duties including travel, vendor payments, space planning, technology needs, and organizing events. Guide and train junior staff. Assist with data collection, analysis, presentations, and updating information materials. Human Resource Management: Initiate, review, and process HR actions (recruitment, placement, promotion, performance appraisal, separation, training) ensuring UN rule consistency. Advise staff on entitlements and procedures. Maintain vacancy files and process personnel actions via UMOJA. Monitor staffing tables and prepare statistical data. Budget and Finance: Assist in preparing and reviewing financial/HR proposals, consolidating budgets for Headquarters, trust funds, and grants. Monitor expenditures against approved budgets and prepare adjustments. Support managers in elaborating resource requirements and finalizing budget performance reports, analyzing variances. Prepare financial reports from UMOJA and coordinate with finance staff. Contract Administration: Prepare and process UN forms and permissions for staff, including grounds passes, property passes, parking permits, and access keys.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in office management, administrative services, finance, or human resources is required. This is reduced to five years with a first-level university degree. High-level administrative and operational support experience to senior management in an international organization is essential. Desirable experience includes working with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, at least five years within the UN Common System, and one year in data analytics.

Skills

Professionalism: Broad administrative functions (budget, HR, database management), UN rules application, data analysis, modelling, interpretation, commitment to gender equality. Communication: Clear and effective speaking/writing, active listening, appropriate responses, information sharing. Teamwork: Collaboration, valuing others' expertise, learning from colleagues, supporting group decisions, sharing credit and responsibility.

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