Hardship LevelA (least hardship)
Family TypeFamily
Residential location (if applicable)
GradePR3
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeProfessional
ReasonRegular > Regular Assignment
Remote work acceptedNo
Target Start Date2023-10-13
Job Posting End DateNovember 9, 2023
Standard Job Description
Administrative Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Administrative Officer is responsible for the implementation of general administrative and resource management tasks as delegated by the supervisor. S/he will work with an oversight from the supervisor, who will provide general guidance and work plans for identifying work priorities and appropriate approaches; work is controlled for meeting expected results.
S/he will establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN administrative, financial and human resources rules and procedures. Contacts on administrative/budgetary related issues are mainly with Sections/Units/Offices within the organization both at HQ and in the Field and with local suppliers/services to ensure provision of services and resolution of difficult problems.
The incumbent will maintain frequent external contacts with counterparts in other organizations or at working level in national Governments on issues of importance to Organization's programmes. He/she acts as adviser or representative of the Organization with authority to discuss problems and seek common ground on which to recommend solutions based on predetermined guidelines provided by higher authority.
The incumbent may directly supervise local staff.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
- Contribute to the provision of resources (human, material and services) necessary to support the day-to-day activities of the staff in the office.
- Monitor the day-to-day personnel and administrative operations of the office.
- Provide advice on personnel and administrative policies and procedures.
- Liaise with Government and other external actors in providing vital supportive services (i.e. processing of residency, visas, tax exemptions, etc.).
- Attend inter-agency and other meetings, with specific focus on general administration, staff safety and human resources issues (i.e. common services), when requested.
- Implement processes and procedures to improve and strengthen internal controls in line with UNHCR rules and regulations.
- Coordinate the preparation of staffing and administrative budget requirements for the office.
- Participate in a competitive procurement process for selecting, awarding and issuing local contracts, in line with UNHCR regulations, rules and procedures.
- Manage contracts for the premises, cleaning and security services, and other services as and when required.
- Serve as a member of the Local Contracts Committee (LCC).
- Undertake missions to field locations to review administrative arrangements and make appropriate recommendations as required.
- Provide guidance and oversight on processes related to the mission travel of staff.
- In the absence of an HR Officer, prepare recruitment, appointments and administrative formalities concerning local staff.
- Review and approve the settlement of employee entitlements including DSA, local salaries and the Medical Insurance Plan (MIP).
- Coordinate training and capacity-building activities to staff in administrative related areas.
- In coordination with Human Resources and Field Security, undertake periodic reviews to ensure that the Office premises are set up and staff accommodation are managed in line with the organizational policies and any related issues are brought to the attention of DHR.
- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Accounting, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics
or other relevant field.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
At least 2 years of relevant work experience in an intergovernmental organization (United Nations or similar). Good knowledge of United Nations administrative and human resources rules and procedures. Excellent computer skills, in particular in MS Office applications.
Desirable
Completion of relevant UNHCR learning programme.
Functional Skills
MG-Resource Management
GB-Building Maintenance
SC-Contract management
SC-Inventory / Stock management
MG-Office Management
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.
All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.
As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.
This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.
Desired Candidate Profile Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Convention or 1967 Protocol nor Statelessness Conventions, and it lacks legislative and policy framework for refugees. It is party to CEDAW and CRC. UNHCR therefore, is the primary provider of protection and assistance to approximately 180,000 refugees and other persons of concern in the country. The Government is well disposed to human rights and the plight of marginalized communities and has taken steps to address some issues, including the situation of foreign workers and refugees. It also has made commitments under the SDG framework and is supportive of the GCR. It is expected that the Government will engage on a progressive road map to implement a refugee protection framework to regularize temporary stay of persons registered with UNHCR and afford them with access to work. This could be achieved in the current immigration law in the short term while a dialogue for an enhanced refugee protection framework should continue to gain sustainable results. UNHCR current protection activities provided to refugees and PoCs include Registration, Refugee Status Determination, Resettlement and Durable Solutions while assistance is primarily focusing on life-saving activities such as health, education, livelihoods and community development/empowerment. An expansion of the UNHCR services and activities to areas outside Kuala Lumpur is an area of focus from 2019 onwards in order to move closer to the refugee communities, local government and civil society partners.
The UNHCR office in Malaysia includes the main office operation and the refugee processing system in the same compound. There are two other international organizations housed in the same premises and are cost-sharing the main operating costs. The Administrative Officer oversees General Administration, Finance, Transport and Fleet Management, IT, and Security. The office requires a person with a strong reporting background who is fully conversant with the planning and reporting cycles, understands the procurement processes, and administrative /financial guidelines, and can oversee the IT team. Therefore, the incumbent must have excellent knowledge of United Nations administrative and financial rules and procedures. The incumbent is required to demonstrate skills and expertise in Finance and Administration; must have experience in leading/supervising a team; sound technical knowledge of UNHCR's financial rules and regulations, accountability policies and standards; proven skills in Accounting, Finance, COMPASS, and Cloud ERP; good communication and training skills. In this connection first-class English language communication skills, both oral and written, are required. Consensus team building and cultural sensitivity are required as the team is diverse; On-the-job coaching, mentoring, and creating training opportunities for national staff are also required. The incumbent should also possess strong interpersonal, networking, negotiating skills, and diplomatic skills and the ability to manage a consensus team building.
Due to system issues the OC is not the latest, hence the applicants should refer to the Desired Candidate Profile (DCP) which covers the updated elements of the OC.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
,
,
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
The UNHCR office in Malaysia included the main office operation and the refugee processing system in the same compound. There are three other international organization housed in the same premises and are cost sharing the main operating costs. The Admin/Finance officer overseas Human Resources, General Administration, Finance, transport and Fleet Management, Supply chain, IT, Security and interpreter coordination consisting of around 22 staff members. Overall staffing level of the operation is around 175 personnel (UNHCR and Affiliated), 75 interpreters and average around 25 interns during the year. Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Convention or 1967 Protocol nor Statelessness Conventions, and it lacks legislative and policy framework for refugees. It is party to CEDAW and CRC. UNHCR therefore, is the primary provider of protection and assistance to approximately 175,000 refugees and other persons of concern in the country. The Government is well disposed to human rights and the plight of marginalised communities and have taken steps to address some issues including the situation of foreign workers and refugees. UNHCR current protection activities provided to refugees and PoCs include Registration, Refugee Status Determination, Resettlement and Durable Solutions while assistance is primarily focusing on life-saving activities such as health, education, livelihoods and community development/empowerment. An expansion of the UNHCR services and activities to areas outside Kuala Lumpur and central regions is an area of focus from 2019 onwards in order to move closer to the refugee communities, local government and civil society The office requires a person with a strong reporting background who is fully conversant with the planning and reporting cycles, understands the procurement processes, HR guidelines, understands the FOCUS indicators and can oversee IT team and financial procedures with good knowledge in finance. In this connection first-class English language communication skills, both oral and written, are required; Consensus teambuilding and cultural sensitivity is required as the team is diverse; Experience with UNHCR human resources policies and good practice concerning hiring of new staff, both UNHCR and UNOPs, is desirable given staff turnover; On-the-job coaching, mentoring and creating training opportunities for national staff is also required.
Kuala Lumpur is a modern and developed urban working environment. It is a category `A duty station. Infrastructure, entertainment, medical and schooling services are of a good quality and readily available, albeit schooling is very expensive (given currently inadequate education grant support). A seasonal environmental concern is severe air pollution caused by burning palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. The severity of some months has resulted in schools being closed and WHO putting out a health warning for individuals who have respiratory and related health challenges. Security Considerations: The current UNDSS security classification for Kuala Lumpur is level '2'. Under UNDSS threat assessment, there are no major issues of concern to the UN system, although theft, robbery and the incidence of home invasions are on the increase.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): Accounting, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Economics, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Finance, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Public Administration
Certifications
Work Experience
CompetenciesAccountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Additional Information
Functional clearanceThis position requires Functional Clearance