Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) is the UN headquarters in Africa and the Director-General of UNON is the representative of the Secretary-General in Kenya. UNON supports programme implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Resident Coordination System (RCS) globally, as well as other UN offices in Kenya, by providing administrative, security, conference and information services (www.unon.org). These multiple When Actually Employed (WAE) roster positions are located in the Meetings Management Unit, Division of Conference Services, United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) and reports to the Senior Meetings Assistant. Within delegated authority, the Meetings Services Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

Responsibilities

• Assists assigned Meetings Services Assistants in meeting rooms;
• Receives, sorts and organizes official documentation for meetings in Interpretation booths;
• Sets up seating arrangements in the meeting rooms based on approved protocol and room charts;
• Delivers documents, texts of speeches and background material to the podium, interpreters, report writing staff, as well as participants in the meeting room;
• Participates in setting up the preparation rooms;
• Liaise with services concerned in connection with technical problems encountered (Headphones, microphones, etc. and provide language channels assistance to participants);
• Checks availability of conference material and other logistic details prior to start of meetings;
• Receives and stays alert on communication tools to exchange urgent information;
• Performs other related duties as required.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of office and meeting support, including document distribution in the context of the Organization’s conference management. 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.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise. Is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda. Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required. Supplementary training in conference services, Microsoft office applications, emails and database management or related field is desirable.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of two (2) years of relevant working experience in meetings planning, conference support, library work or related areas is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced by two (2) years for candidates who possess a first-level University degree. Experience in dealing with United Nations or other international organizations policies, procedures and practices relating to conferences and meeting services is desirable. One (1) year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Either Arabic or Chinese (Mandarin) or Spanish or Russian or French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details).

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment which will be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This job opening is for roster purposes. Recommended candidates will be put in a roster for future consideration for similar roles. The United Nations Secretariat maintains rosters of qualified and available candidates to fill anticipated job openings in the United Nations Secretariat. This roster exercise is for When Actually Employed (WAE) staff contracts for multiple positions. A formal Letter of Appointment will be prepared when the selected candidate is required to service a meeting. The appointment will be in effect on the days the selected applicant is called upon to service a meeting. The appointed staff is considered a United Nations staff member only during the days of the assignments. . These positions are subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. External candidates will be considered only when no suitable internal candidate from the duty station is identified. The candidate is responsible for any travel expenses incurred to take-up the appointment. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Internal Applicants – when completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?" link.

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. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

• Assists assigned Meetings Services Assistants in meeting rooms;
• Receives, sorts and organizes official documentation for meetings in Interpretation booths;
• Sets up seating arrangements in the meeting rooms based on approved protocol and room charts;
• Delivers documents, texts of speeches and background material to the podium, interpreters, report writing staff, as well as participants in the meeting room;
• Participates in setting up the preparation rooms;
• Liaise with services concerned in connection with technical problems encountered (Headphones, microphones, etc. and provide language channels assistance to participants);
• Checks availability of conference material and other logistic details prior to start of meetings;
• Receives and stays alert on communication tools to exchange urgent information;
• Performs other related duties as required.

• Office and meeting support
• Document distribution
• Microsoft office applications
• Emails
• Database management
• Communication
• Teamwork

• Completion of High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Supplementary training in conference services, Microsoft office applications, emails and database management or related field is desirable.