Meeting Services Assistant Full Time NEW

ECA’s mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 SDGs and Agenda 2063.

The mission is guided by ECA’s five new strategic directions which are: advancing ECA’s position as a premier knowledge institution that builds on its unique position and privilege to bring global solutions to the continent’s problems and take local solutions to the continent; developing macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation; designing and implementing innovative financing models for infrastructure, and for human, physical and social assets for a transforming Africa; contributing solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, with a focus on peace security and social inclusion as an important development nexus; advocating Africa’s position at the global level and developing regional responses as a contribution to global governance issues.

This position is in the Publications and Conference Management Section (PCMS) within the Publications, Conference and Knowledge Management Division (PCKMD) in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The incumbent works under the general guidance of the Chief of Publication and Conference Management Section (PCMS) and the direct supervision of the Chief, Conference Management & Interpretation. Within the delegated authority, the Meeting Services Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Produces daily and weekly programme of assigned committees and meetings/conferences prepared by senior staff for distribution.
• Prepares and organizes sets of official documentation in the document booth, in the six official languages, for distribution in the conference room.
• Informs relevant offices/persons of changes in the daily programme of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Ensures the distribution of procedural notes for the chairpersons of assigned committees and meetings/conferences.
• Assists in the preparation of the preliminary list and annotation of agenda items, the list of participants, and daily material concerning the proceeding of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Undertakes research and provides reference materials for preparation of briefs, notes and statements for the chairperson of committees and meetings/conferences.
• Maintains an accurate record of speakers and/or an attendance record and coordinate with the Secretariat, verbatim reporters and delegations on their position on the list of speakers.
• Assists in the voting and election process by distributing and collecting ballots and the preparation of tabulation of voting patterns.
• Ensures that reports of committees and meetings/conferences meet the UN document standards and coordinates with the documents control office for reproduction of reports.
• Prepares floor plan of seating arrangements in accordance with meeting requirements and UN protocol.
• Prepares monthly statistics on meetings held at headquarters and offices away from headquarters.
• Prepares for committees and meetings/conferences to be held away from Headquarters, other UN Offices or Regional Commissions, coordinates with substantive offices, and prepares cost estimates.
• Drafts routine correspondence for signature.
• Makes arrangements for and coordinate video and teleconference activities at headquarters.
• Maintains filing and reference system of procedures and reference materials for committees and meetings/conferences.
• Responds to queries from delegations and the Secretariat.
• Replaces, as needed, senior staff responsible for room reservations and the electronic distribution of the daily programme of meetings.
• Provides guidance/training, as needed, to temporary assistants and junior staff.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Prepares quotations, invoices, sales and service orders in Umoja to facilitate payments of services provided by UNCC-AA;
• Reviews and finalizes summary reports submitted for meetings to facilitate preparation of final invoices.
• Finalizes payment transactions by reviewing and closing sales and service orders issued to clients.
• Reconciles payments and closes sales and service orders.
• Generates weekly and monthly reports on financial transactions of the Section.
• Prepares budget estimates for planned events and staff costs.
• Supports supervision of catering services for events.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Performs other duties as required.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent.

Work Experience

• A minimum of five years of experience in conference support or a related area is required.
• The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to three (3) for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher.
• Experience working in SAP (ERP system) is desirable.
• 1 year or more of experience in data analytics or a related area is desirable.

Language

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