Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Office of the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) at the United Nations Office at Vienna. The incumbent works under the direct supervision and the overall guidance of the Deputy-Director in order to facilitate an office wide support for planned events and activities. UNOOSA promotes international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space and serves as the secretariat of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee and Legal Subcommittee. For more information on UNOOSA, please visit https://www.unoosa.org
Responsibilities
Provide administrative and logistical support for the organization of workshops, conferences, and Technical Advisory Missions (TAMs), including the registration and accreditation of participants, preparation of meeting folders, lists of participants, distribution of documents, and information to delegations.
Provide general office and administrative support to the entire Office, including making travel and hotel arrangements, preparing related requests, raising requisitions and following up on related administrative and payment actions in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system (the in-house SAP database/Umoja).
Assist in the practical set-up of in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings, liaising with conference management, documentation, interpretation, information technology and security services on room bookings, equipment and connectivity requirements.
Provide backup support to other administrative and conference-support colleagues during peak periods and absences.
Maintain and update contact databases, mailing lists and rosters of participants, experts, and other stakeholders; prepare, dispatch and follow up on invitations and routine correspondence related to meetings and conferences.
Assist 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.
Assist with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
Perform other work-related duties as assigned.
Competencies
Professionalism: Knowledge of general office and administrative support and of meetings and conference support in the context of the Organization's conference management. Ability to perform a range of administrative and logistical support functions accurately, and to apply relevant staff and financial rules, regulations, procedures and processes. Ability to perform analysis, modelling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making.
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 & 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.
Work Experience
A minimum of two (2) years of work experience in general office support, administrative services, meetings or conference support, or a related area is required. No experience is needed for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher Work experience in providing administrative or logistical support to international meetings, workshops or conferences is desirable. Work experience with the enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (such SAP/Umoja) is desirable. Work experience within the United Nations common system or a comparable international organization is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. German 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).
Required Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
English | UN Level II | UN Level II | UN Level II | UN Level II
Desirable Languages
Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking
German | UN Level I | UN Level I | UN Level I | UN Level I
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
This positions are temporarily available until 31 December 2026. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection may be administered as a temporary assignment. 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. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their career in accordance with established rules and procedures.
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 when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. The movement of staff members from the General Service and related categories to the Professional category in the United Nations Secretariat is exclusively allowed through the Young Professionals Programme competitive examinations.
Only few staff members pass the competitive examinations. Passing the competitive examinations does not guarantee movement to the Professional category. For further information, please visit https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=GP
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.