Assistant To Unit Head (Multiple positions)

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The Information and Digital Technology (IDT) department manages and advances WHO's digital ecosystem, empowering WHO through harmonized, intelligent, user-centric and secure digital solutions. IDT envision a digitally transformed WHO, driven by modern, innovative platforms and services tailored to evolving needs — enabling seamless collaboration, data-informed decisions, and operational excellence. The department's core functions span infrastructure and cloud services, ensuring reliable and scalable systems; cybersecurity, safeguarding WHO's information assets; the advancement of data and artificial intelligence, enabling smarter insights and decision‑making; a digital workplace that supports collaboration and productivity through modern tools; and applications and enterprise systems to streamline business processes. The department also provides user support, drives digital enablement to foster adoption of novel technologies, and ensures through its project management office and business relations that IT initiatives are harmonized with organizational needs.
 

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following responsibilities:

GENERAL

• Oversee and monitor the information flow of the office of the Unit Head, screening, sorting, analysing and identifying areas requiring action by the Head.
• Ensure effective and timely follow up on requests for information, briefings and other actions, emanating from the office of the Unit Head, liaising with units/teams, as appropriate.
• Receive visitors and telephone calls with tact and discretion, and acts according to the nature and urgency of each, including redirecting as appropriate. Provide background information for appointments with official visitors and/or staff members.
• Maintain the agenda and calendar by scheduling meetings and/or rescheduling owing to disruption by unforeseen events, redirects visitors and callers as necessary.
• Disseminate information on administrative procedures to GS staff in the team/department and assist staff of in adhering to WHO administrative procedures.
• Monitor requests for goods and services, including receipt, payment and inventory requirements.
• Coordinate and monitor office space requirements in liaison with relevant units as required.
  
  CORRESPONDENCE
• Draft general or administrative correspondence on own initiative or on the basis of instructions; finalize correspondence/reports for signature/clearance.
• Verify that outgoing correspondence is presented in accordance with WHO and department styles and checking language, grammar and accuracy prior to submitting for signature and clearance.
• Analyze incoming correspondence and requests in the light of background material, instructions, policies and precedents, researching, obtaining and attaching background information in anticipation of the responsible officer's needs, or redirecting them as appropriate; identify and highlight incoming documents and attach background information and identify areas requiring action by professional staff, drawing their attention to specific items.
• Ensure that technical reports and documents are in line with WHO standards, rules, practices and procedures, editing and correcting them as necessary prior to their submission for signature or clearance of relevant authority.
• Using appropriate tracking tools, follow-up on and ensure that target dates and deadlines are met, and that correspondence and queries are responded to in a timely manner.
  
  HUMAN RESOURCES
• Ensure the timely appointment/renewal of contracts, initiating requests for temporary and fixed-term staff in the HR Action Plan.
  
  PROCUREMENT
• Initiate, through Workday/ERP systems procurement module, contracts for Consultants, Agreements for Performance of Work (APW), and other contract modalities. Monitor and record receipt of deliverables, and initiate and monitor payments as needed.
• Initiate, through Workday/ERP systems procurement module, requisitions for goods procurement, and monitor and receipt of deliverables.
  
  BUDGET & FINANCE
• Assists in the monitoring and progress review of projects and tasks in the SPM and GSM/Oracle work plan.
• Provides Coordinator/Director with timely budget information on project and task budget ceilings, award budgets, expenditure, and funds available, as required.
• Monitors income and expenditures for planning purposes.
• Promptly follows-up on financial, budgetary and any outstanding issues concerning the team/department, including ensuring timely processing of committal documents.
• Assists in the preparation of financial and technical progress reports to donors.
  
  INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
• In close collaboration with other support staff, create and/or maintain filing systems; continual review of filing system to ensure information is up to date and effectively and efficiently used.
• Obtain documents and information from in-house and external sources as required; perform information searches (library, internet) as requested.
• Coordinate compilation of technical documents requested of and provided by professional staff, other Departments or Programmes or ADG to ensure they are logically compiled, formatted and assembled to facilitate the work of the Unit Head.
  
  MEETING ADMINISTRATION
• Arrange, coordinate and lead administrative preparation for meetings, seminars, workshops, including: preparing event plans in Cvent/ERP systems, letters of invitation, cost estimates and travel requests; assisting with preparation of documents; dispatching of materials and liaising with participants and others involved.
• Prepare presentations using PowerPoint and other software packages on own initiative or on the basis of instructions.
• Schedule team/departmental meetings, according to schedules and need; taking minutes and following up on action points to ensure timely response to the requests of the Director and preparation of minutes.
• Obtain briefing and background materials for meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. to be attended by the team's professional staff, checking their availability and ensuring they have the appropriate briefing files and documents.
  
  TRAVEL
• Using Concur/ERP Systems, prepare travel requests for official WHO travel. Make flight and hotel reservations, prepare travel files and deal with other related matters as requested or on own initiative.
  
  OTHER DUTIES
• Perform other related duties as required or instructed, including providing support to other areas of work.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Completion of secondary school education or equivalent.
 

Experience

Essential: A minimum of 5 years of experience in secretarial or administrative positions.
Desirable: Relevant experience in WHO or another UN agency an asset. Experience in Oracle-based ERP systems an asset.
 

Skills

• Strong skills to work independently. 

• Strong organization and office skills, as well as skills in note taking and minute writing. 

• Sound knowledge and skills using a variety of office and computer packages. 

• Sound knowledge of WHO and/or UN administrative rules and regulations, procedures and practices. 

• The ability to multitask and work under pressure. 

• The ability to exercise discretion at all times in judging the importance, urgency and confidential nature various issues and tact when dealing with staff and external partners.
   

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork

• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

• Communication

• Producing results

• Knowing and managing yourself
   

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of Another UN Language. Intermediate knowledge of German.

 

REMUNERATION

WHO offers staff in the General Services category an attractive remuneration package, which for the above position includes an annual net base salary starting at EUR 53,465 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Staff members separated due to the 2025 Prioritization and Realignment Process will receive special consideration according to the applicable regulatory framework.

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

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• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• 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. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and eManual.

• The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description, including shortening the duration of the appointment.

• WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

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• WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations (modifications or adjustments to the application or recruitment process) to support their participation in the application and recruitment process. Please send an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int with your full name, the vacancy number you are applying for, and specific details of the accommodation needed in your request.

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• Please note that WHO's contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

• This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.

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