Job Title:                    Administrative Assistant (G5)

Status:                        Fixed-Term 

Duty Station:              Kingston, Jamaica

Starting Date:            15 July 2006 or soonest thereafter

Duration:                    6 months, renewable up to 11 months

Closing Date:             7 July 2006

Duties and Responsibilities:   

Under the general supervision of the Coordinator of the Caribbean Regional Co-ordinating Unit, and the direct day to day supervision of the Administrative/ Fund Management Officer, the incumbent will:

1. Assist in the coordination of the daily accounting operations related to the Unit, this includes the maintenance of ledgers and other accounting records for classification and recording of financial transactions; reconciliation of accounts and preparation of recurring special reports; the examination of documents presented for payment; custodian of Petty cash

2. Assist in the review and analysis of project expenditure accounts and issuance of obligating documents, liquidation of unrequired portions, closing of year accounts and submission of financial statements;

3. Assist with personnel, administration in liaison with relevant services of headquarters, including records on CAR/RCU staff leave, entitlements, etc.; maintain CAR/RCU personnel files, updated staff list of CAR/RCU staff and roster of consultants;

4. Coordinates travel arrangement and oversees approval process of the travel requests both in hardcopy and in electronic documents; prepare travel requests for certify/approval where necessary and process travel claims for the approval of the Payment Unit;

5. Assist in the preparation of special service agreements for consultants and individual contractors, sub-contracts, and purchase orders, as well as subsequent requests for payment;

6. Create IMIS documents related to the duties above for review/certify/approval and for travel approve travel advance, certify travel request, and review travel claims for the approval of the Payment Unit;

7. Assist in preparation and organization of meetings organized by CAR/RCU in Kingston and elsewhere and provide administrative/conference servicing assistance at these meetings;

8. Keep abreast with on-going developments in all subjects relevant to CAR/RCU programme; Supervise the maintenance of centralized filing system of CAR/RCU; as well as, up-date fund management files on projects related to CAR/RCU; maintain up-to-date record on the financial status of projects; Maintain an up-to-date record on the status of trust funds supporting CAR/RCU activities;

9. Perform any other relevant duties that may be assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications and Experience:

- Completion of Secondary School, post secondary training in Accounting.  A degree in Business Administration and/or related field would be preferable.

-  Five years of progressively responsible experience in administrative work. Experience with the UN or another international organization an added advantage

Language Requirements:

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised fluency in oral English is required.  Working knowledge of Spanish and French an advantage.  Fluency in another UN official language would be an asset.

Other Skills:

Good computer skills. Familiarity with MS Word, Excel, Lotus Notes, and Internet Explorer.  The candidate must be able to work with figures, with minimum supervision and under pressure requiring independent, requiring independent and sound judgement; ability to work harmoniously as part of a team.

Salary:

Jamaican Dollars 1,250,103 gross per annum, rising subject to satisfactory service in accordance with the schedule of increments, set out in the Staff Regulations and staff Rules.

All applicants are requested to complete a United Nations Personal History form (P.11).