Meetings Services Assistant

Posting Title: Meetings Services Assistant, G5 (Temporary Job Opening)

Job Code Title: Meetings Services Assistant

Organization: United Nations Department for General Assembly and Conference Management

Duty Station: New York, United States of America

Posting Period: 13 July 2023 - 26 July 2023

Job Opening Number: 23-Conference Services-DGACM-213878-J-New York (R)

Staffing Exercise: N/A

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Org. Setting and Reporting

This temporary position is located in the Economic and Social Council Affairs Branch, General Assembly and ECOSOC Affairs Division (GAEAD), Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, New York. GAEAD facilitates the deliberation and decision-making process of intergovernmental and relevant expert bodies and United Nations conferences by providing substantive and conference management support. This position supports the Chair of the Group of 77. The Meetings Services Assistant reports to the Chief of the ECOSOC Affairs Branch.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Meetings Services Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

•Coordinates the schedule of meetings of the Group of 77 through the provision of services and facilities in line with the specific requirements of each meeting.
•Acts as liaison between the Chairperson of the Group, delegations and the Secretariat.
•Assists the Chairperson in the conduct of all meetings and negotiations
•Prepares and organizes sets of official documentation.
•Informs relevant offices/persons of changes in the daily programme of committees and meetings/conferences.
•Ensures the distribution of procedural notes for the chairpersons.
•Undertakes research and provides reference materials for preparation of briefs, notes and statements for the chairperson.
•Maintains an accurate record of speakers and/or an attendance record and coordinates with delegations on their position on the list of speakers.
•Submits draft resolutions on behalf of the Group of 77.
•Prepares floor plan of seating arrangements in accordance with meeting requirements and UN protocol.
•Prepares monthly statistics on meetings held.
•Assists in supporting meetings/conferences held away from Headquarters, as required.
•Drafts routine correspondence for signature and circulates electronic correspondence on behalf of the Chair of the Group, as required.
•Maintains filing and reference system of procedures and reference materials for meetings/conferences.
•Responds to queries from delegations and the Secretariat.
•Makes room reservations and necessary arrangements for room set up.
•Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the procedures and practices of intergovernmental bodies. Ability to research, select, organize and summarize information required for the preparation of meetings, including meetings held on a virtual platform. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.

•PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

•CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

Passing the GGST for the general service is required.

Work Experience

Five years of experience in conference support or related area is required.

Experience in servicing intergovernmental meetings is desirable

Experience in the intergovernmental processes of international organizations and knowledge of the procedures and practice of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available until 15 July 2024. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test [in English] at the United Nations headquarters, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, International criminal tribunal for Rwanda or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. Applicants for positions in the General Service and related categories must be authorized to work for the United Nations in the duty station where the position is located. Eligible applicants selected from outside the duty station are responsible for any expenses in connection with their relocation to the duty station. Staff members subject to local recruitment are not eligible for allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Apply Now