The Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa (RST ESA) provides leadership and coordinates support for an expanded UN system response to ending the AIDS epidemic at regional and country level. It steers, promotes, and supports regional and national partners and the UN system towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Using an equity and equality lens as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the RST ESA promotes effective use of strategic information of the epidemic trends and the status of its response and provides technical leadership on people-centered HIV prevention and response in the region focused on key populations and locations most at risk.
Main tasks and Responsibilities of the Position:
Under the supervision of the responsible officer, the Associate, Office Administration has the following key responsibilities:
General administrative support:
Ensures the smooth running of the office by maintaining close contact with a broad range of staff at all levels throughout UNAIDS. Serves as a focal point for all HR, financial, security and facility management matters, answers queries and provides ongoing advice and/or resolves issues. When required, prepares administrative guidelines, and ensures their implementation and conducts meetings to brief other staff on new and/or revised rules and procedures.
Ensures that all necessary administrative authorizations are obtained, that all mandatory requirements are fulfilled and that all relevant UNAIDS systems and registers are maintained up to date and to standard.
Provides administrative support and general office assistance, including but not limited to collecting, screening, and distributing incoming correspondence and documents, processing and following up on requests from and to a broad range of internal and external partners including UNAIDS, governmental institutions, national civil society organizations, UN agencies and other international organizations, and other institutional stakeholders.
Maintains office/programme/project files for completed and on-going activities in paper or electronic form for monitoring purposes as required. Produces ad hoc administrative reports as required. Maintains stationery and other supplies and provides office troubleshooting and general assistance support to staff in the office, as required.
On own initiative or as instructed, drafts or prepares in final version general and administrative correspondence. Checks correspondence submitted for clearance for consistency, style, accuracy and compliance with corresponding rules and procedures. Prepares presentations, edits document or liaises with originators to eliminate deficiencies, when necessary.
Support to substantive programme and operational development and implementation:
Helps in the implementation of department / division / office / programme / project substantive activities such as: assisting with the organization or coordination of meetings, seminars, and training workshops; preparing notes, meeting minutes, agendas, hand-outs and other materials for the events; preparing and/or coordinating office/programme/project travel plans and visits for the responsible staff or external stakeholders.
Performs routine research activities, collects, and compiles statistical and other qualitative and quantitative information from a variety of sources on subjects relevant to the department / division / office / programme / project substantive activities to facilitate preparation of reports, working papers, and presentations with minimal or appropriate guidance, as required.
Prepares contracts and obtains necessary approvals, monitors expiration dates, tracks payments and deliverables.
Within the delegation of authority, liaises with official contacts on administrative and organizational issues related to the involvement of government, donors, partners, and beneficiaries in substantive activities as well as on issues related to collaboration with other UN agencies.
If requested, participates in meetings, committees, selection processes and alike undertaking administrative, organizational, coordination or substantive - within the delegation of authority - arrangements, drafting documents and reports and providing administrative procedural advice.
Provide backstopping functions for country offices during absences of administrative staff in the region.
Financial transaction and monitoring support:
In compliance with UNAIDS financial rules and reporting policies, carries out transactions using the designated corporate platforms and systems, ensuring accuracy of budget lines, records, receipts, payments, balances, expenditures, and other data.
Maintains and monitors financial records and daily transactions, including but not limited to reviewing financial documents to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statement of accounts and other records. Selects and enters data, makes additional calculations, and ensures inclusion of all relevant data; checks sources and verifies accuracy; identifies discrepancies and remedies these, seeking advice from supervisor and/or others, when necessary.
Draft reports for budget preparation and audits.
Brief and assist staff on basic financial procedures and requirements with respect to payments, entitlements, banking and currency control provisions and other requirements relating to accounts and finance. Within the delegation of authority, provides advice on appropriate procedures to be observed in the disbursement of funds and in monitoring and effective fund utilization.
Support Quality Check Control (QCC) for Procurement actions in the region
Perform other related duties as assigned, including replacing and/or backstopping for others.
Required Qualifications:
Education:
Essential: Post-secondary paraprofessional training or certification in work-related areas.
Desirable: Higher education, training in accounting practices.
Experience:
Essential: A minimum of six years of progressively responsible general office administration experience, including experience in dealing with financial matters.
Desirable: Knowledge of and/or familiarity with the administrative processes of international organizations. Knowledge of and experience with UNAIDS or WHO administrative policies.
Languages:
Essential: Advanced level of English
Desirable: Knowledge of additional UN official languages spoken in the region (French and Portuguese)
