Germany: Administrative Programme Assistant

Organisational Unit: UNU Vice-Rectorate in Europe (UNU-ViE)

United Nations University

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in research, postgraduate teaching and capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

UNU Vice-Rectorate in Europe (UNU-ViE)

UNU-ViE concentrates on relationships between advancing science and technology for human security. In addition to its scientific core mandate, it administers the central units providing service to UNU entities in Bonn. The central administration units include Finance, Human Resources, Information Communication Technology, Communication Services, Procurement, and General Administration. These units also assist with the administration of new UNU initiatives in Europe and Africa. For more information on the organisation, please visit http://ehs.unu.edu/vice-rectorate.

SCYCLE programme

UNU ViE-SCYCLE was launched on 1 January 2016, succeeding the former UNU-IAS Operating Unit SCYCLE. It is an independent Programme hosted by UNU-ViE in Bonn (Germany). SCYCLE envisions to enable societies to reduce the environmental load from production, use, and the disposal of ubiquitous goods, and especially electrical and electronic equipment, to sustainable levels by means of independent and both comprehensive and practical research providing more thorough fact bases for policy development and decision making. Therefore SCYCLE activities are focused on the development of sustainable production, consumption, and disposal patterns for electrical and electronic equipment, as well as other ubiquitous goods. SCYCLE leads the global e-waste discussion and advances sustainable e-waste management strategies based on life-cycle thinking. See http://scycle.vie.unu.edu.

Responsibilities

Under overall authority of the Vice Rector in Europe, and the direct supervision of the Head of UNU-ViE SCYCLE and the Administrative Programme Associate, the Administrative Programme Assistant will provide support to the UNU-ViE SCYCLE's team.

His/her tasks will include, among others:

A) SCYCLE

• prepare travel requests, POs, payment vouchers etc.
• prepare invoices and contact-lists, and maintain respective databases
• participate in project conference calls and assist in the preparation and formatting of minutes and reports
• facilitate the organisation of SCYCLE meetings (e.g., training seminars, subgroup meetings, etc.) including accommodation, transportation, catering, etc.
• prepare project invoices for donor contributions specified in project documents; process third-party invoices related to assigned projects and prepare payment vouchers
• review employee travel documents for adherence to UN Rules and Regulations
• proofread project documents as required

B) Step Initiative

• assist in the development of Step publications (e.g., annual reports, white papers) by formatting all publications in corresponding templates, obtaining bids from the printing press in compliance with UN Rules and Regulations, posting publications to pertinent stakeholders, etc.
• assist in the maintenance of the Solving the E-waste Problem (Step) Initiative website by uploading and filing minutes, reports, presentations, and other relevant documents
• update the Step World Map with the latest extract of e-waste data
• facilitate the organisation of Step meetings (e.g., General Assemblies)
• prepare annual Step member invoices; file and maintain respective databases
• perform any other duties as may be assigned or required

Required qualifications and experience

Required qualifications and experience include:

• at least two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in the related area, preferably in the international domain
• completion of secondary education; degree or equivalent in Administration, Social Sciences or a relevant field would be an asset
• experience in planning of work and pro/actively communicate to stakeholders
• result-oriented, self-motivated and “hands-on” with the ability to prioritise work and multitask
• able to work rather independently, but in a nice team environment
• interpersonal and communication skills to interact effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds
• fluency in in both oral and written English is required; knowledge of German or additional languages is an asset
• experience in using Atlas to process payments and set up project budgets is highly desirable
• general computer proficiency (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint.

Remuneration & duration of contract

Remuneration will be commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

The successful candidate shall work under a Personal Service Agreement (PSA) for a fixed period of 12 months, with the possibility of renewal. The combined duration of appointments under a PSA shall not exceed six (6) years.

This is a locally recruited post; no relocation allowances apply. The successful candidate will be employed under a local contract and will not hold international civil servant status nor is he/she a “staff member” as defined in the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations.

Starting date

As soon as possible.

Interested applicants should submit their applications by e-mail (to hrbonn@vie.unu.edu), and must include the following:

• a cover letter setting out how your qualifications and experience match the requirements of the position
• a curriculum vitae and a completed and signed UNU Personal History (P.11) form; please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organisations
• an indication of the reference number of the vacancy announcement (2017/UNU/ViE/SCYCLE/ PSA/APA/32)

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8)