Administrative Assistant

The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region. ESCAP’s role as a regional development arm of the United Nations Secretariat is to support its membership with policy oriented research and analysis, normative support and technical assistance and capacity building, to respond to the development priorities and changing needs of the Asian and Pacific region.

This position is located in the Office of the Director, in the Division of Administration. The incumbent reports to the Administrative Officer.

**Responsibilities**:
Under the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer, and overall supervision of the Director, Division of Administration, the incumbent is required to perform the following functions:
Human Resources Management
- Oversees the maintenance of vacancy announcement files and keeps track of status of vacancy announcements.
- Monitors staffing table and prepare relevant statistical data/charts.

Budget and Finance
- Assists in the preparation and review of financial and human resource proposals/requirements. Consolidates budget/work programme with respect to Headquarters’ budget, trust funds, grants and procurement.
- Monitors expenditures and compares with approved budget; prepares adjustments as necessary.
- Assists managers in the elaboration of resource requirements for budget submissions.
- Assists in preparation of budget performance submissions and finalization of budget performance reports, analysing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures
- Co-ordinates with other finance and budget staff on related issues during preparation of budget reports.

General Administration
- Drafts routine correspondence to respond to enquiries in respect to relevant administrative, financial audit, personnel matters.
- Coordinates extensively with service units and liaises frequently with internal team members on administrative matters and conferences away from Bangkok both within ESCAP including substantive divisions and offices away from Bangkok and within the Division of Administration.
- Performs other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., monitoring project delivery; supporting the operation of and maintaining documentation (both paper and electronic) of various committees such as Local Staff Management Committee, Operations Management Team, Grants Committee and others; assists in the monitoring of delegation of authority; monitoring accounts and payment to vendors and individual contractors for services; physical space planning; identification of office technology needs and maintenance of equipment, software and systems; organizing and coordinating seminars, conferences and translations).
- May be responsible for guiding, training, and supervising the work of more junior General Service staff.

Contract Administration
- Assists with day-to-day administration of contracts between the UN and external parties.
- Audits the contractors' invoices against the goods and services provided by the contractor and approved by the UN.
- Processes the payment of contractors' invoices and monitor payments.
- Prepares and processes all UN forms and permissions for contractual and work Unit, Section or Service UN staff, including: UN grounds passes, property passes, UN parking permits, swipe-card access and door keys.

Competencies

Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in administrative services, finance, accounting, audit, human resources or related area is required.

Working experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems such as SAP and other related software systems is desirable.

Experience in project management is desirable.

Experience in the United Nations Common System or international organizations is desirable.

Working experience in audit coordination processes and/ or risk management