OFFICE ASSISTANT

Under the overall authority of the Chair of the Culture Conventions Liaison Group and the direct supervision of the Chief of the Conventions Common Services (CCS) Unit, the incumbent will support the organization and delivery of programme activities and projects of the CCS Unit, and to ensure timely and effective accomplishment of the Unit’s administrative/office transactions and activities. Within this context, the incumbent will\:

• Provide secretarial services to the CCS Unit to ensure the timely preparation and dispatch of letters, other communications, reports and publications; prepare correspondence, reports, minutes, charts and graphs; informally translate the correspondence from either French/English to the other language; proofread and ensure quality of outgoing correspondence for completeness, grammatical and typographical accuracy and compliance with UNESCO format standards.
• Handle Correspondence Management (CM tool) from acceptance to closure; receive, register and distribute correspondence and documents; update and maintain the Unit’s distribution lists and process requests for data and reports; draft correspondence and emails; ensure follow up of the Unit's deadlines for briefings, contributions and speeches; prepare briefing notes and presentations for the Head of the Unit and/or other members of the team.
• Provide administrative support through drafting and monitoring of contracts, payment details and deadlines, verify the completeness of deliverables and prepare payment requests when required.
• Ensure planning and travel arrangements for missions of Head CCS and assist other Unit members; organize meetings at HQ by booking venues and equipment, informing participants and distributing documentation.
• Establish and maintain CCS files and reference systems, including electronic log books and filing; ensure their access and facilitate timely follow-up actions; collect minutes/information/ documentation and prepare associated documents; prepare documentation for monthly Publication Boards.
• Act as point of contact for the Unit, by centralizing information on the Unit's work and needs; provide guidance to new colleagues and interns and introduce them to the general office processes and procedures.

EDUCATION

• Completed secondary, technical and/or vocational education.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in secretarial and administrative support tasks at national and/or international levels of which at least 1 year of relevant professional experience acquired within the UN system or another international organization.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Good interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to draft correspondence and correct documents in English and/or French.

• Good organizational and coordination skills.

• Ability to work as part of a team, to take initiatives and provide quality and timely support and services.
• Discretion, loyalty and diplomacy.
• Ability to work in an international and multicultural environment.
• Flexibility to adjust to work schedules and priorities; capacity to work effectively under pressure.
• Good IT skills, including MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.).

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of English or French and good knowledge of the other language.

EDUCATION

• Secretarial and/or administrative training/certificate.

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Knowledge of UNESCO’s informatics tools (SAP, DUO, and SISTER).
• Knowledge of the Culture Sector and its Conventions.
• Knowledge of UNESCO’s policy and practices, rules and regulations.

LANGUAGES

• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Russian).