Senior Administrative Officer/Head of Administration (TJO), P5 (Temporary Job Opening)

Org. Setting and Reporting

The position is located in the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), which was established as part of the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports (the “Black Sea Grain Initiative” or BSGI), signed by the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine on 22 July 2022, to facilitate safe navigation for the export of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers from designated Ukrainian ports. The United Nations signed the BSGI as a witness, and the Parties request the assistance of the Secretary-General in its implementation, in furtherance of the humanitarian mission of the United Nations and subject to its authorities and mandates. The unique nature of the assistance requested by the Parties requires mobilization of specialized capacities and expertise to be drawn from across the Organization, and OCHA has been asked to facilitate the recruitment and administration of human resources in this regard, across a range of UN job families, including Humanitarian Affairs, Political Affairs, Public Information, Information Management and Administration.

This temporary job opening is being advertised for the position of Senior Administrative Officer/Head of Administration in Istanbul, Türkiye. Under the overall supervision of the UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative the incumbent reports to the Deputy UN Coordinator/Chief of Staff.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Administrative Officer/Head of Administration will be responsible for the following:

• Provides policy guidance to the Deputy UN Coordinator/Chief of Staff and other managers, on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional/departmental policies and procedures pertaining to human resources, budgeting, financial and general administration issues.
• Plans and oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Administration and Finance Unit; ensures that substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Unit, and, in liaison with other BSGI Support Office units, organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate.
• Manages, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Administration and Finance Unit, including budget formulation, grants and supply chain management, budgetary and administrative controls and financial, administrative and logistical forecasting and reporting. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Administration and Finance Unit; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others.
• Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate.
• Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Administration and Finance Unit maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Administration and Finance Unit under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.
• Prepares inputs for the work programme of the BSGI Support Office, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery.
• Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Administration and Finance Unit and the BSGI Support Office, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (ePerformance), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates, and administrative support for staff deployed through surge/temporary duty modalities.
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision. Develops and implements training programmes for administrative and technical support personnel.
• Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Unit/Section and across organizational boundaries.
• Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues.
• Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.
• Liaises with local authorities, other OCHA offices in Türkiye, organizations of the UN system and other parties in relation to administrative and logistical matters including immigration and customs clearance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines 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.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

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.

LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance, accounting, law or related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in administration, budget, finance, human resources management or related field is required.

Experience within the United Nations Common System or similar international organization delivering administrative and finance services is required.

Five (5) years of international field experience managing teams providing cross-functional administrative services in emergency settings is required.

Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (similar to Umoja, Inspira, BIA/AnaPlan, etc.) is required.

Experience in the management of start-up and/or closure phases of field-based operations is desirable.

Relevant experience in the region is desirable.

A minimum of four (4) years in the last ten (10) years of international field experience in aid operations is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Fluency in Russian is desirable. Knowledge of Turkish is desirable.

Assessment

The evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

The temporary appointment/assignment is for a duration of six (6) months, with the possibility of extension. The selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible. 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.

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.

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.