Staff Assistant (Public Information) – Temporary

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Visitors Service (VS) of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS). The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of the Associate Information Officer leading the Visitors Service and the overall guidance of the Public Information Officer acting as Deputy to the Director of UNIS Vienna. For more information on UNIS, please visit the website: https://unis.unvienna.org/

Responsibilities

Within assigned authority, the Staff Assistant (Public Information) will be responsible for the following specific duties: • Assist the Associate Information Officer in managing the Visitors Service under conditions that continue to evolve due to the Organization’s liquidity crisis; ensure smooth and efficient information flow within the Service; prepare and process confidential information; maintain and implement office administrative systems and procedures. • Perform administrative and budgetary actions using UN enterprise applications such as Umoja/SAP and Lotus Notes, e.g. payment and contract administration for individual contractors, tracking and creating sales orders for VS income, preparing invoices, serving as petty cash focal point, purchasing, and other actions as needed. • Provide in-person operational support to tour and lecture operations as needed during operating hours (Monday to Friday); conduct tour booking and tour dispatching duties as needed; conduct and monitor online booking and payments for tours and lectures using VS’s web-based ticketing system; conduct guided tours if needed. • Provide coordination support to the VS Lecture Programme, including liaising with external clients and speakers within the Vienna-based organizations. • Provide general office support; respond to complex information requests and inquiries; process, draft and finalize correspondence and other communications; set up and maintain files/records, organize meetings, monitor deadlines, etc. use standard word processing package to produce documents and reports, etc. • Serve as VS focal point for administrative support, including liaison with the appropriate offices, management of VS equipment, facilities and information materials, database maintenance and IT troubleshooting. • Assist the Associate Information Officer in assigning and monitoring the work of Tour Guides including through VS’s online scheduling system if needed; support and train Tour Guides. • Provide assistance in promoting the Visitors Service, including liaising with commercial partners, assisting with the coordination of promotional events, supporting social media campaigns, drafting or proofreading promotional content in English and German for publication. • Attend meetings, prepare minutes, monitor follow-up activities. • Assist 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. • Assist with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Perform other work-related duties as assigned.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Has good knowledge of the work of the United Nations system as well as the internal policies, processes and procedures related to the delivery of the mandate of the Visitors Service and United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna. Has knowledge of general office and administrative support processes including UN enterprise applications. Has basic knowledge of accounting and financial procedures. Is able to research information from a variety of sources. Is able to apply good judgement and respects confidentiality when handling sensitive situations. Has ability to perform analysis, modelling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. 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 women and men in all areas of work. • COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience, demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of experience in general office support including public information activities or similar is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to three for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Sales experience is desirable. Experience with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is required. Working experience with SAP/Umoja is desirable. Working with online ticketing/scheduling systems is desirable. Experience within the United Nations system or a similar international organization is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and German is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is temporarily available until 31 May 2025. 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. 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. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

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. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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.