Executive Associate (G-6), FT, #00136451, Evaluation Office, Evaluation O/P Rome (Open to EU Citizens or Valid Italian Work Permit Holders)
Organizational Context
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The Evaluation Office in Rome stewards UNICEF’s evaluation function, steering policy, strategy, and systems, including quality assurance. It promotes an enabling environment for evaluation and provides access to information, commissions corporate evaluations, and supports capacity development.
Job Purpose
Under the supervision of the Director of Evaluation, the Executive Associate is accountable for procedural communications, operations, and administrative support services, as well as specialized administrative functions. This role ensures the smooth running of the supervisor’s day-to-day activities, the Evaluation Office, and the evaluation function more broadly. The Executive Associate also represents the supervisor, initiating, following up on, and resolving administrative requests. The position requires managing correspondence, coordinating responses to inquiries, maintaining calendars, arranging travel, preparing briefing materials, and ensuring timely submissions of documents. Additionally, the role supports capacity development activities, manages administrative supplies, monitors budgets and expenditures, and assists with procurement processes for consultants and external partners.
Responsibilities
The Executive Associate provides comprehensive communications support by managing incoming and outgoing correspondence, emails, and telephone calls on behalf of the supervisor, and communicating sensitive information to higher-level managers. They also provide routine information about the Evaluation Office's work and draft responses to written inquiries. A key function is coordinating responses to sensitive inquiries and following up on established deadlines to ensure timely submissions of reports and documents by staff. In terms of administrative support, the role involves maintaining the supervisor’s calendar, arranging meetings, and organizing official travel, including preparing briefing materials. The Executive Associate also prepares documentation for the supervisor’s signature, reviewing it for style, factual, and grammatical accuracy. For operations support, they assist with capacity development activities and conferences by making logistical arrangements, engaging facilitators, caterers, and hosts. They maintain and update systems for monitoring staff absence and support the management of administrative supplies and office equipment, including updating inventory. Budget monitoring support includes assisting with budget revisions, implementation status, funding utilization, and operational/financial closure. They monitor budgets and financial expenditures, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules, and keep the supervisor informed. The role also involves carrying out transactions in VISION for grants, such as registering allotments and tracking expiring programme grants. Procurement support includes guiding managers in the PCA/SSA process and facilitating the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners, maintaining up-to-date vendor lists and consultant rosters.
Work Experience
A minimum of six (6) years of relevant administrative, executive support, or clerical experience.
Skills
Administrative Support, Executive Support, Clerical Experience, Communication Skills, Budget Monitoring, Procurement Support, Logistical Arrangements, Calendar Management, Travel Coordination, Document Preparation, Office Management, Record Keeping