>TRAVEL ASSISTANT, FS4 (Temporary Job Opening)
>TRAVEL ASSISTANT, FS4 (Temporary Job Opening)
Org. Setting and Reporting
The position is located in the Human Resources Unit of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA). The incumbent will be based in Amman, Jordan, with travels to the mission’s duty stations as needed, and will report to the Human Resources Officer.
Responsibilities
Under the supervision of Human Resources Officer, the Travel Assistant, FS-4 will carry out the following duties:
• Coordinate with the various Consulates and the host government Ministries of Foreign Affairs regarding the provision of transit visas and resident visas respectively. Follows up closely with the MOFA & Jordan and Yemen Authorities on all NVs, e.g. Jordan and Yemen port access clearances, flight clearances, road movement issues etc.
• Coordinate the travel of civilian and military personnel, including civilian police, travelling to and from a wide range of Member States in connection with mission duties. Calculate and initiate entitlements for all such travel and submit to the Unit Supervisor for approval.
• Coordinate mission group travel for all conferences, meetings, and political gatherings.
• Plan routings and itineraries plus the most economical airfare rates for such travel as permitted by the rules and regulations.
• Advise host governments, liaison offices or substantive offices regarding these routings, and itineraries, plus space availability, and entitlements.
• Examine and pre-audit the official itineraries of staff members, civilian police, and military staff, as stated in the travel authorization, and ensure conformity with established rules, regulations and relevant directives; refer discrepancies back to Certifying Officers for clarification and possible correction.
• Review travel claims and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and validity, prior to; ensure that entitlements are in conformity with Staff Rules. Evaluate the effect of personal deviations on the cost of the official itinerary and entitlement. Calculate cost differentials brought about by enforced changes in the official itinerary as a result of routing difficulties or other reasons.
• Provide estimates of travel-related entitlements
• Advise substantive offices, travellers, plus mission personnel and movement control staff of arrival information, requesting arrangements to be made accordingly for traveller.
• Coordinate all official travel initiated via United Nations aircraft.
• Investigate complaints regarding travel arrangements received from offices or from staff, and report findings to supervisor.
• Arrange briefs for individuals travelling via various countries with many over-night stops.
• Requests and processes Visas, Residency & Notes Verbales for staff residing in, or visiting Jordan and Yemen, including drafting, processing and following up on NVs requesting use of VIP lounge from the MOFA for visits of the VIPs & their delegations in Jordan and Yemen as well as arranging and attending meetings with MOFA officials to discuss administrative and logistics issues as required.
• Compile data and information and prepare travel related reports in Umoja on a regular basis.
• Coordinates the provision of guidance, training and daily supervision to other staff in the area of responsibility.
• Performs other related administrative duties, as required (e.g., operational travel program, monitoring accounts and payments to vendors and individual contractors for services, physical space planning and the identification of office technology needs and maintenance of equipment, software and systems, organizes and coordinates seminars, conferences and translations)
• Performs any other duties that may be assigned.
Competencies
Professionalism: Thorough knowledge of travel related processing requirements; practical experience; ability to apply good judgment in the context of assignments given. Knowledge of airline booking procedures and systems and related fare structures. Ability to utilise electronic booking systems. 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of men and women in all areas of work.
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 or equivalent diploma is required.
Job – Specific Qualification
Technical or vocational certificate in the field of business administration or travel and related matters or related fields is desirable.
Work Experience
At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of travel related matters is required.
Experience in dealing with Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Labor and embassies/consulates is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an informal assessment exercise andor informal interview.
Special Notice
• This position is temporarily available for a period of 364 days. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.
• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.
• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.
• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.
The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
United Nations Considerations
According to 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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.
The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.
Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
