UN Women: Administrative Assistant, Panama City, Panama, NPPSA-5

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.

In the Americas & Caribbean Region, UN Women has a Regional Office based in Panama City, 10 Country Offices, one Multi Country Office and programmatic presence in 5 countries throughout the region. In addition, the Regional Office provides support to the governments, civil society, and UN system as a nonresident agency in countries with no UN Women presence. 

The goal of UN Women´s presence in the region is to support the achievement of gender equality, women´s empowerment and the promotion and protection of women´s human rights.  Ending violence against women and girls has been identified by UN Women as a key primary focus area in the region.  UN Women is working to improve the quality of, and increase accessibility to, coordinated services and responses to violence against women.  UN Women works with partners to reach a shared understanding at the regional level on the range of services and responses required and the corresponding standards and/or guidelines for the provision of the services that are considered essential to meet the needs of women and girls subject to violence. In addition, UN Women actively participates and contributes to various UN inter-agency processes and collaborates with UN organizations around specific programme areas. 

Under the supervision of the Administrative Associate, the Administrative Assistant supports the office operations by performing a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Administrative Assistant delivers through a client, quality and results-oriented approach. The Administrative Assistant works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and projects personnel team to ensure consistent service delivery.

Scope of Work:

1.Provide general administrative and logistical support to the office in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies, and procedures:

• Collect information on shipments, customs clearance arrangements, prepare documents for UN Women shipments (received/sent); 
• Arrange travel and hotel reservations, prepare travel authorizations, process travel authorizations, process requests for visas, identity cards and other documents, collect information for DSA, as required;  
• Register, update, and maintain supplier profiles to ensure data accuracy and compliance with organizational standards.
• Provide administrative support to conferences, workshops, retreats; 
• Provide administrative support to property management; and
• Maintain filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials. 
• Perform Buyer role in Quantum system and prepare Purchase Orders; 
• Prepare Micropurchases, Request for Quotations, ITBs or RFPs documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, and their preliminary evaluation. 

2.Provide administrative support to office and assets management:

• Monitor and maintain office stationery supplies including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery and keeping a log of distribution, as required; 
• Maintain records on assets management and prepare required reports;  
• Maintain files and records relevant to office premises and related maintenance; 
• Prepare financial documentation and records related to the payment of good, services, etc.
• Support in the annual asset verification exercise.
• Support in asset related tasks, as required. 
• Facilitate the arrival and accommodation of external personnel, providing administrative and logistical support as needed.
• Receive and distribute documentation, packages and attend phone calls received in the organization. 

3.Provide administrative support to the implementation of Human Resources services:

• Create and upload vacancy announcement, compile long- and shortlisting matrixes, organize interview panels, and other tasks, as assigned; 
• Maintain staffing lists and reports, as assigned.

4.Provide administrative and logistic support to UN Women Security Focal Point:

• Provide administrative support to periodic security assessments of the UN Women premises and equipment;
• Provide administrative support to the coordination of security evaluations for residences (Residential Security Measures-RSM) of the UN Women personnel, as well as on latest trends and threats to personnel safety and security; 
• Provide inputs to the preparation and review of the UN Women and UN Security Plan;
• Provide logistical support during implementation of the Security Plan, as required;
• Provide support in the UN Women Warden System, as required;
• Provide logistical support to the UN Women Security Focal Point in the completion and updating of the UN Women and UN Security Compliance Survey (SCS) Processes.

5.Provide administrative support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing:

• Facilitate trainings on administration policies, procedures and processes for the operations/projects personnel, as required.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: N/A.

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

• 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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

• Ability to administer administrative processes and transactions
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work  
• Good knowledge of administrative rules and regulations 
• Basic knowledge of procurement, finance and human resources processes and regulations.
• Good IT and web-based management skills 

Education and Certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required. 
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration or related fields is desirable. 

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in administration, procurement, HR, or logistic support service, is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required.  
• Previous experience managing administrative and operational processes within the United Nations system or other international and multilateral organizations is an asset.
• Experience coordinating official travel arrangements, including travel planning, booking, and related administrative processes, is desirable.
• Experience supporting the planning, coordination, and logistical organization of meetings, workshops, conferences, and other events is desirable.
• Experience providing support to procurement and contracting processes, including consultancy and service contracts, is desirable.
• Experience in the use of ERP systems, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable. 
• Experience in managing virtual platforms is desirable.

• Working knowledge of English (oral and written communication) is required.
• Fluency in Spanish is required.

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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.