The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the world’s environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the environment.

Responsibilities

UNEP’s Regional Office for Africa (ROA) helps to implement all UNEP’s programmes and projects in the Africa region by initiating, coordinating and catalyzing regional and sub-regional cooperation and action in response to environmental challenges and emerging issues. This position is located in the UNEP/ROA at the Nairobi duty station. Under the supervision of the Deputy Regional Director (DRD), ROA, the incumbent will perform the following functions:

Administrative Support

• Manage the Deputy Regional Director’s schedule of meetings, engagements, and appointments; prepare substantive briefings for Deputy Regional Director’s use at meetings or during visits to countries in the Region; keep records of all official appointments, speaking engagements and travel/mission report; receive telephone calls and visitors.
• Organize official meetings, send invitations, put together background documentation, make the necessary arrangements for room reservations and special equipment (including on-screen projection), and take meeting minutes.
• Correspondence Management: a) Log in all incoming and outgoing correspondence, screen and bring to the attention of the Deputy Regional Director, highlighting important information, and re-directing to other staff when necessary. b) Draft general correspondence, memos, notices and forwarding information on behalf of the Deputy Regional Director; prepare draft routine correspondences related to all aspects of programme and administration in the Regional Office for Africa. c) Follow-up on Executive Office (EO) logs, updating and ensuring that action and deadlines are adhered to (in the Correspondence Tracking System (CTS) system). d) Ensure that all documents requiring approval are processed in a timely manner and sent back to staff or other HQ Offices. e) Assist the Deputy Regional Director by coordinating and following up on tasks assigned to other staff members until action is completed. f) Facilitate information sharing with all ROA staff. g) Maintain the Office contact list of Ministers of Environment and Permanent Representatives accredited to UNEP. h) Establish an efficient and effective filing system and maintain important electronic records that need quick retrieval/constant consultation.

Travel Support

• Support the Deputy Regional Director by compiling and maintaining the quarterly approved travel plan of the Office, including keeping track of all mission reports and follow-up actions of all ROA staff.
• Make travel arrangements, and prepare travel authorization, and visa requests for the Deputy Regional Director, including processing travel claims.
• When needed, provide ad-hoc support to prepare travel authorizations for participants attending conferences or workshops organized by ROA, and prepare and dispatch invitation letters and documentation.

Prgramme Support

• Provide support to the Deputy Regional Director in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Office activities, processes, programmes, projects and initiatives: collect, compile and update data related to programmes/projects.
• Liaise with ROA Programme Officers and coordinate inputs to the Regional workplan, ensuring that deadlines for reporting requirements associated with the Deputy Regional Director’s delegated authority are complied and finalized.
• Assist in monitoring assignments to staff through a computerized mail log and follow-up system.
• Compile briefing notes and background material for missions for the Deputy Regional Director: provide inputs to reports, briefs, speeches, etc.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Requirements

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to perform a broad range of administrative functions, e.g., budget/work programme, human resources, database management, etc. Ability to apply knowledge of various United Nations administrative, financial and human resources rules and regulations in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. Ability to perform analysis, modelling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making.
• PLANNING AND 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

• Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

• Additional education or technical training in the field of administration, front office management or project/programme management is required.

Work Experience

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressive work experience in administration services, finance, accounting, human resources, or related field is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced by two years for candidates who possess a first level.
• University degree.
• Work experience in a busy Executive Office dealing with a broad range of multi-cultural clients and service delivery is required.
• Experience in drafting, editing, and formatting documents (briefing notes, e-mails, memoranda, letters to high-level counterparts) is required.
• Experience in coordinating electronic agenda and organizing in-person and on-line meetings, workshops and conferences is desirable.
• Work experience using Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, e.g., Umoja is desirable.
• A minimum of one (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French language is desirable. Knowledge