Senior Executive Associate, GS-7, Fixed Term, #14452, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), Bangkok, Thailand

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, better future.

Learn about what we do to create a fair chance for every child in Thailand, click here. 

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Regional Director, the Senior Executive Associate is accountable for supporting the coordination, planning and management of activities of the office of the Regional Director in a systematic and organized manner; performing procedural communications, operations and administrative support services, as well as specialized administrative functions; and providing partnerships support functions to enhance the smooth running of the supervisor’s day-to-day activities.

Major responsibilities: 

COMMUNICATIONS AND DECISION-MAKING SUPPORT:

• Assist in managing the flow of information and correspondence to the supervisor, in identifying priority matters that need to be urgently addressed by the supervisor and in proposing actions; compile and analyze supporting documentation and summarize most relevant points for the supervisor; contribute to monitoring and ensuring that appropriate action is taken by responsible section/division heads on matters brought to the attention of the supervisor.

• Confer with section heads to secure timely and authoritative information relevant to matters requiring action, decisions or approval of the supervisor.

• Ensure that the supervisor is prepared for meetings and missions by gathering briefing notes and/or talking points from relevant sections and by researching relevant information; and by establishing contacts (within and outside UNICEF) on the subject matters to be discussed.

• Communicate sensitive information to higher level managers.

• Provide routine information pertaining to the work of the office.

• Draft responses to written inquiries on routine questions.

• Coordinate responses to sensitive inquiries.

• Follow up on established deadlines and ensuring timely submissions by staff of reports, correspondence and other documents.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT:

• Develop and maintain a monitoring system to store, retrieve and track critical correspondence, decisions, memoranda and other documents of the office.

• Prepare, distribute and maintain office event calendars ensuring key organisational and partner events, priorities and deadlines are reflected and updated as required.

• Maintain the supervisor’s calendar and arrange meetings.

• Organize official travel on behalf of supervisor.

• Preparing briefing materials for official trips or meetings.

• Prepare documentation for the supervisor’s signature reviewing for style, factual and grammatical accuracy.

OPERATIONS SUPPORT:

• Support capacity development activities and conferences by making the logistical arrangements, through engaging with facilitators, caterers and hosts.

• Contribute to preparations of logistics for events involving senior management.

• Support management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating the inventory of items.

PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORT:

• Help supervisor maintain effective relationships with public and private sector partners, including supporting preparations and the development of resource materials for engagements and meetings, documenting them if needed, and assisting in the follow up. 

• Assist with the preparation of information to provide to public and private sector partners on the strategy, design, relevance and impact of programmes, policies, and humanitarian action in support of children and the work of UNICEF.

• Maintain awareness of current activities, political and social events of UN, other multilateral bodies/governments, and other partners; conduct analysis to understand how they may impact UNICEF activities and programmes; and provide timely information to UNICEF management for decision-making.

• Conduct research on and maintain information and data on prospective new partners for UNICEF, and provide analysis of the areas of work, outreach, financial base, position(s) and reputation of prospective partners.

BUDGET MONITORING SUPPORT:

• Provide support on budget revision/preparation, implementation status, determination position of funding utilization, operational, and financial closure.

• Monitor budgets and financial expenditures of the front office, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, keeping supervisor informed and advised on actions for decision/follow up.

• Prepare and maintain records, documents and control plans for the monitoring of project/programme implementation.

• Carry out transactions in VISION pertaining to grants for his/her section such as registering grant allotments and tracking expiring programme grants.

PROCUREMENT SUPPORT:

• Guide managers in the process of procuring goods and services line with the policies and guidance issued by Headquarters. 

• Facilitate the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners that provide a service to the office of the Regional Director. This includes preparing and filing documents, completing necessary forms and templates, uploading TORs in VISION, and making necessary logistical arrangements.

• Maintain up-to-date vendor lists, partners, and consultant rosters as appropriate.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

Education:

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the field of work.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of seven years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required. However, three (3) years and an additional two (2) years of experience may be substituted for candidates holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, respectively.

Skills:

• Training and experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other UNICEF software such as SharePoint; knowledge of integrated management information systems required.

• Thorough knowledge of UNICEF’s organizational structure, administrative policies and procedures.

• Organizational, planning and prioritizing skills and abilities.

• Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with visitors.

• Ability to act with discretion and diplomacy.

• High sense of confidentiality, initiative and good judgment.

• Excellent time management skills to deal with conflicting and urgent priorities.

• Ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural background.

• Ability to work in a team environment to achieve common goals and to provide guidance to more junior support staff.
 

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Thai is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remark:

As per 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer (NO) and general service (GS) category.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.