Administrative Assistant (Communication and Information Administrative Unit)
UNESCO
- Paris
- CDI
- Temps-plein
- Act as certifying officer up to the authorized level delegated by the Chief Financial Officer.
- Draft and prepare routine correspondence, memoranda and non-substantive reports.
- Maintain confidential and general files and establish reference systems.
- Assist in the preparation of budgetary and financial reports, statistics, or projections for managers' use.
- Review draft reports, verify overall accuracy and consistency and cross-check consistency of figures.
- Provide guidance and interpretation on non-complex administrative rules, regulations and procedures.
- Assist and inform the supervisor on financial statuses, by using management information systems and reporting.
- Record and reconcile accounting transactions.
- Verify and process payments and budgetary transactions.
- Travel: assist and provide guidance in the preparation of travel plans, review travel claims, prepare travel orders and issue travel advances.
- Maintain specific accounts, calculate and compile financial data and prepare routine reports.
- Generate expenditure reports from the automated systems.
- Provide assistance and guidance to staff on basic financial procedures, requirements related to payments and currency provisions.
- Verify contractual files and supporting documents, partner roles, responsibilities, deliverables, mandatory reporting and assurance mechanisms, funds transfer modalities and conditions for collaboration.
- Carry out control checks on all contracts and funds reservations to ensure proposed commitment complies with policy, procedures and administrative process details, and steps are followed.
- Monitor and control commitments and expenditures.
- Prepare detailed cost estimates and other data for use in budget analysis and proposals.
- Keep track of budget levels and alert the supervisor and concerned managers to avoid potential shortfalls in funds (validating information and identifying any errors or irregularities).
- Generate expenditure reports from automated information system databases, compile budget data and prepare ad-hoc reports.
- Assist in the preparation, cost estimation and finalization of budget reports, carry out preliminary analysis of variances between budgets and actual expenditures, and cross check consistency of figures.
- Review overall accuracy and consistency of draft reports and cross-check consistency of figures.
- Identify any other anomalies and errors, alert the supervisor and undertake transactions to correct errors/omissions.
- Respond to enquiries and follow-up on funding or contractual initiatives.
- Provide back-up assistance to other AO assistants in their absence.
- Completed secondary, technical or vocational education.
- Diploma or certification in accounting, finance or administration.
- At least five (5) years of relevant work experience in the areas of accounting, finance or administration.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Good organizational and coordination skills, ability to take initiatives, establish priorities and monitor own work plans.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong service/client orientation and ability to deal efficiently with partners at different levels within and outside the Organization.
- Attention to detail, discretion, tact and diplomacy.
- Ability to work as part of a team, in a multicultural environment, and provide efficient, quality and timely support and services.
- Capacity to work efficiently under pressure and flexibility to adjust work schedules.
- Excellent IT skills, including office software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- Excellent knowledge of English or French and good knowledge of the other language.
- Experience in the use of UNESCO standard applications SAP, SISTER, DUO.
- Relevant experience in the United Nations System or other international organizations.
- Knowledge of UNESCO's financial and administrative rules and regulations.
- Knowledge of UN rules and procedures as well as administrative practices.
- Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and/or Spanish).