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Senior Administrative Assistant

OVERVIEW

Position Number: 6ZWADM0701RP

Grade: G-6

Parent Sector: Sector For Administration and Management (ADM)

Duty Station: Harare

Job Family: Administration

Contract Type: Fixed Term

Duration of contract: 2 years, renewable

Recruitment open to: Internal and external candidates

Application deadline (Midnight Paris Time): 14/12/2026

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Only candidates who are entitled to work in Zimbabwe may apply to this position

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall authority of the Director of the Regional Office of Southern Africa and the direct supervision of the Senior Operations Officer, the incumbent will provide high-level administrative and support services in a range of specialized areas and will play a lead role within the unit in ensuring application and compliance with the rules, regulations, policies, and practices in place.

KEY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

More specifically, the Senior Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following:

General Accountabilities

  • Act as certifying officer up to an authorized level delegated by the Chief Financial Officer.
  • Provide guidance and interpretation on administrative rules, regulations, and procedures.
  • Advise on operational and technical routine transactions.
  • Recommend process and system-related modifications and improvements to support successful administration, financial monitoring, and control.
  • Interpret provisions and provide guidance on complex and non-recurring issues.
  • Supervise activities related to office maintenance, security, transport, and similar services, as required.

Long Description

Financial Accountabilities

  • Ensure that the Office’s financial resources and expenditures are fully and properly accounted for and that internal control systems are adequate and functioning, schedule payments and disbursement of funds.
  • Ensure accurate and timely processing of assigned accounts, developing budget estimates, and monitoring expenditures, participating and advising in the preparation of financial statements and budgets.
  • Assist in the preparation and coordination of financial activities under RP and Voluntary Contributions (VC).
  • Compile and consolidate data from various sources into financial statements; prepare worksheets.
  • Monitor expenditures, review payments, and reconcile accounts.
  • Investigate anomalies and erroneous charges and take corrective action.
  • Provide assistance and guidance to undertake coding and data entry tasks and to extract information, to run reports from online financial systems.

Long Description

Budgetary Accountabilities

  • Prepare Regular Programme and Voluntary Contribution budget reports.
  • Assist and advise on planning and budgeting, and recommend modifications.
  • Prepare budget proposals and cost estimates, and ensure that data is correct.
  • Identify irregularities and undertake transactions to correct errors/omissions.

Long Description

HR Accountabilities

  • Handle non-routine or complex cases, prepare associated documents/ correspondence for personnel actions based on oral instructions and previous experience.
  • Follow up on coming HR actions and oversee maintenance, update, and clean-up of the database;
  • Issue non-staff contracts, advise on recruitment process and entitlements.
  • Liaise with central services (ADS, HRM, FIN, etc) to discuss and obtain additional information, clarifications, and policy interpretation.

 

Logistics Accountabilities

  • Procurement: research and retrieve information on supply sources, vendors by commodity, and obtain specifications on the market. 
  • Review contractual documents (TOR, budget, contract nature, and type).
  • Resolve issues/ problems related to delivered goods.
  • Prepare requisitions for supplies and equipment; ensure that payments are processed and provide information to the assigned Sector on invoicing and payment issues.
  • Arrange for control and distribution of inventory records.
  • Security: ensure compliance of staff with security travel requirements and monitor completion of mandatory security trainings.

COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

  • Communication (C)
  • Accountability (C)
  • Innovation (C)
  • Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
  • Planning and organizing (C)
  • Professionalism (C)
  • Results focus (C)
  • Teamwork (C)

Short Description

For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

  • Completed secondary, technical, or vocational education.

WORK EXPERIENCE

  • Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in administration, finance, accounting, supply chain management, procurement, and contracting or a related area.

Long Description

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

  • Demonstrated analytical and organizational skills and ability to identify issues and formulate options/recommendations.
  • Experience in implementing internal control systems.
  • Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively and use tact and diplomacy.
  • Ability to provide quality and timely support and services.
  • Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish good working relationships with external and internal partners.
  • Ability to take initiative and seek innovative ways to improve results.
  • Good IT skills and knowledge of ERP, financial, human resources, procurement, and contracting and administrative management tools.
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills, strong service orientation, and ability to deal efficiently with partners at different levels.
  • Ability to work as part of a team and provide quality and timely support, and capacity to work efficiently under pressure.

LANGUAGES

  • Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

  • A first-level university degree in the fields of finance, business administration, accounting, supply chain management, procurement, and contracting, or related areas.
  • Additional supplementary technical training in the field of accounting/finance (CPA or ACCA), administration, CIPS (procurement), or directly related fields.

WORK EXPERIENCE

  • Experience in international organizations or United Nations agencies.

LANGUAGES

  • Knowledge of another UNESCO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and/or Spanish).

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

UNESCO’s salaries consist of a basic salary and other benefits which may include if applicable: 30 days annual leave, family allowance, medical insurance, pension plan etc. 

The approximate annual starting salary for this post is 31 422 USD.

For full information on benefits and entitlements, please consult our Guide to Staff Benefits.

SELECTION AND HIRING PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information, by the above deadline.

To apply, please visit the UNESCO Careers website. No modifications can be made to the application once submitted. 

The process may include pre-recorded video interviews and/or written assessments, interviews with a Panel, as well as reference checks. In addition, candidates may be requested to provide additional information which may be pertinent to the position’s qualifications.  

Please note that all candidates, whether selected or not, will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course. 

Short-listed candidates may also be added to Talent Pools; subject to their consent (i.e. Data Privacy Statement).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity.
  • UNESCO applies to a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
  • UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply.
  • lndividuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
  • All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality.
  • Geographical mobility is required for staff members appointed to UNESCO’s international posts.
  • In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. UNESCO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO. The list can be accessed through the link: https://www.whed.net
  • The statutory retirement age at UNESCO is 65 years.
  • UNESCO appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by the Organization, is required for International Professional positions.
  • UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

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