UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to Hope
How can you make a difference?
Under the supervision and guidance of the Chief Field Office Agadez, the Administrative Associate is responsible for executing a broad variety of procedural and specialized administrative tasks for the respective section requiring in-depth knowledge of UNICEF administrative procedures, processes and policies.
Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks
- Budget Monitoring
- Monitors budgets and financial expenditures of section, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, keeping supervisor informed and advised on actions for decision/follow up.
- Provides support on budget revision/preparation, implementation status, determination position of funding utilization, operational, and financial closure.
- Prepares and maintains records, documents and control plans for the budget monitoring of project/programme implementation.
- Carries out transactions in VISION pertaining to grants for his/her section such as registering grant allotments and tracking expiring programme grants.
- Human Resources (specialized)
- Drafts vacancy announcements for positions within his/her office for review by supervisor to help attract ideal candidates.
- Ensures timely and efficient screening of applications for minimum eligibility, taking into account qualifications, competencies, and post requirements.
- Liaises with candidates in the various stages of the recruitment process.
- Coordinates the scheduling of interviews and technical assessments.
- Records and maintains recruitment files, ensuring all necessary documentation has been prepared.
- Monitors life-cycle of recruitment process to update supervisor as necessary.
- Office Planning & Project Management (specialized)
- Ensures the availability of timely, complete and accurate information and data for preparing section work plans and project management plans.
- Undertakes basic research and performs comparative analysis of project/programme related data.
- Monitors project implementation against established milestones and makes recommendations to improve performance.
- Helps ensure timely compliance with agreed deadlines.
- Acts as focal point in the review of the completeness of data reports with key monitoring and evaluation information.
- Procurement
- Guides managers in the process of PCA/SSAs in line with the policies and guidance issued by FRG, supply division and DHR.
- Facilitates the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners that provide a service to the section. This includes preparing and filing documents, completing necessary forms and templates, uploading TOR’s in VISION, and making necessary logistical arrangements.
- Maintains up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters.
- Communications & Workflow
- Facilitates the communications and workflow of the organizational unit to enhance the efficiency and timeliness of operations and outputs.
- Manages incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails and telephone calls.
- Communicates routine and some non-routine information pertaining to the work of the team.
- Establishes and maintains the office filing and reference systems, both traditional and digital; and ensures the inter/intra-net websites are up to date and accurate.
- Calendar/Meetings/Correspondence Management
- Maintains office calendar and arranges meetings
- Takes minutes of meetings, ensuring accuracy, attention to detail and coherence.
- Events/Logistics
- Supports capacity development activities and conferences by making the logistical arrangements, through engaging with facilitators, caterers and hosts.
- Arranges times through liaising with participants over availability.
- Liaises with budget focal points and section over costs and needs.
- Prepares background materials for participants and uploads cleared materials on the intranet.
- Prepares and maintains agendas on meetings and events related to the work group commitments.
- Travel
- Provides travel assistance to staff members in section for travel arrangements and entitlements based on the organization’s rules and policies. Liaises with relevant travel focal points to ensure that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel.
- Briefs/de-briefs staff members on issues relating to related administrative matters such as visas, security clearance, and documentation procedures.
- Extracts, inputs, maintains, and verifies correctness of travel records in the organization’s travel system to ensure accurate transactions related to travel costs and staff travel.
- Assists in the preparation of budgets on travel costs and maintain travel plan and budgetary control records.
- Monitors travel certification and report back to the team.
- Invoice Processing
- Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval and, thereafter processing in VISION.
- Uploads electronic files and verifies results to destination system.
- Responds to client transaction status and other inquiries.
- Supplies/Equipment
- Supports management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating inventory of items.
- Monitors and supervises adequate and appropriate use of supplies. Ensures that services and maintenance of premises are in accordance with organizational standards.
- Arranges for the purchase and timely distribution of office supplies.
- Attendance
- Maintains and updates a system which monitors the absence of staff.
- Soutien au programme Effectue les transactions dans le logiciel Vision et assure l'exactitude des données, fournit les informations nécessaires pour suivre la mise en œuvre de la composante de programme, suite les dépenses et traiter les modifications si nécessaire.
- Program Support
- Performs transactions in Vision software and ensures data accuracy, provides the necessary information to track the implementation of the program component, monitors expenditures, and processes changes as needed.
- Liaises with colleagues in other program components and operations to resolve transactional or procedural issues.
Impact of Results
In addition to the impact at the GS-5 level, a G-6 staff member is predominantly accountable for applying a broad range of specialized administrative rules and procedures in the coordination of administrative support to the team served. Efficiently initiating, monitoring and ensuring the provision of administrative services allows the professional staff of the organization to focus on substantive core work. This may include supervisory responsibilities with accountability for the work of administrative assistants, temporary staff and/or consultants.
Administrative Associates represent the supervisor in initiating, following up on and resolving issues pertaining to administrative requests. External contacts include counterparts in international organizations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral institutions and national governments to organize meetings, workshops and conferences. Communications involve the exchange of information across the UNICEF at the most senior levels and externally to governing body representatives.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.
- Work Experience: A minimum of 6 years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in French and good knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of local language is an asset.
- Skill:
- Training and experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint; knowledge of integrated management information systems required.
- In-depth knowledge of UNICEF organizational structure, administrative policies and procedures.
- Organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities.
- Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with visitors.
- High sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.
- Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural background.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role].
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.