Administration and Management Associate

This Vacancy Announcement is being published by the Water & Energy Cluster on behalf of the SEforALL Initiative

In September 2011, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative as a global partnership platform that was to promote and support new collaborative approaches for governments, business and civil society to work together in making sustainable energy for all a reality by 2030. Initially, SEforALL focused on building international support towards setting national and global goals towards sustainable energy – universal access, energy efficiency, and renewables.  With the approval of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – including a goal on sustainable energy (goal #7) – SEforALL is now re-shaping its efforts in order to focus on activities that support unlocking the financinag and building the partnerships needed in order to achieve three interlinked and specific objectives: (i) ensure universal access to modern energy services; (ii) double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and (iii) double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.  In working towards these goals, SEforALL engages with leaders across the world, empowering them to broker the partnerships and to unlock the finance necessary for a radical energy transformation in their countries, sectors or regions.   SEforALL works by marshalling the evidence about what works and what doesn’t; benchmarking the progress made across countries, and pointing to it; amplifying the voices of the energy poor and others who need to be engaged for a global movement to emerge; telling the stories of success to offer motivation where inertia is settling; and connecting leaders with each other and the ideas and innovation they need to move forward. As part of strengthening the support for SEforALL’s work, a new International Organization under Austrian Law is being set up in Vienna as an independent legal entity.  This transition involves not only a number of institutional changes and the establishment of new structures, including a new employment framework, but also the development of a new business plan in response to the new Strategic Framework.

Context of Assignment: The SEforALL Operations and Governance Team supports the efficient, effective and fiduciary appropriate management of all resources, within the defined management policies, procedures and regulatory frameworks.  The team also supports the various SEforALL governance bodies and their information interests and needs, in terms of financial and management data and in monitoring and evaluating progress made.  Within the Operations and Governance team, the Administration and Management Associate will shape and support the ongoing development of the administration of the organization to ensure SEforALL to be effective and thriving in its mission. 

Supervision

The Administration and Management Associate will operate as part of the Operations and Governance team and specifically under the supervision and guidance of the Chief Administrative Officer, performing tasks including but not limited to the following functional areas: (i) financial management and accounting; (ii) procurement; (iii) treasury management; (iv) logistics and asset management; and (v) monitoring and reporting.

Process and policy development.  The Administration and Management Associate will support the Chief Administrative Officer in improving, implementing, managing, and monitoring processes, guidelines and regulatory frameworks appropriate to the SEforALL organizational form and mission and in line with internationally recognized administration and management standards.

Financial management and accounting;

• Making postings to the general ledger, performing periodic reconciliations, reviewing reports and correcting identified mis-postings.  Monitoring accounts payable and receivable.

Procurement:

• Implements all day to day activities necessary to ensure that SEforALL procures goods and services swiftly, effectively and efficiently, and in accordance with the regulatory framework governing the utilization of the funds.
• Supports SEforALL teams in ensuring that contracts are drawn up in accordance with standards and formats of the regulatory framework governing the utilization of funds; and that procedures are in place to ensure proper contract administration, monitoring and control.
• Processes service requests in a timely and effective manner, and works with administrative counterparts in partner agencies (e.g. UNOPS and UNF) on the timely processing, reviewing and approving the award of contracts.
• Keeping records of incoming invoices and ensuring that invoices are paid within appropriate timelines.  Providing assistance in quality control for all received payment requests: documentation is complete and all information concerning the payment has been provided, certification of services rendered/goods delivered and invoices duly approved; payments to the vendors are in compliance with terms and conditions of an agreement.

Treasury management:

• Monitoring bank accounts, credit cards and petty cash in accordance with guidelines. 
• Performing periodic reconciliations and replenishment requests.  Resolving identified issues.
• Assisting with cash flow forecasting.

Logistics and Asset Management:

• Implements all day to day activities necessary for effective and efficient asset control: Recording of assets, updating of records, verification, write-off and disposing of obsolete equipment.
• Works with counterparts in implementing all day to day steps relating to renting, refurbishing, occupying or using premises.   Reviews regularly related building management policies and standards, reporting on compliance and opportunities for improvements.
• Manages a cost-effective insurance coverage against all identified risks.

Monitoring and Reporting: 

• Proposes, designs and delivers reports on a wide range of topics, across the entire spectrum of organizational, administrative and operational management, proposes and delivers on regular reporting schedules, solicits feedback on reports delivered and highlights issues that emerge from reports that would require attention.

General Administrative Activities:

As part of the Operations and Governance team, the Administration and Management Associate will take on a variety of other roles, in complementing and supporting colleagues as necessary. 

The Administration and Management Associate often engages directly with the SEforALL senior management team, and with counterparts in partner organizations, in particular in Vienna, such as UNOPS, UNF, and other agencies and organizations. 

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in Finance, Business Administration or a related field preferred.
• At least 4 years of progressively responsible experience in administration, budget, or financial management in a fast-paced environment that requires high flexibility and a commitment to results, ideally in an international organization context.
• Experience in operating across multiple time zones and with distributed teams.

Languages:

Complete fluency in English with strong written and verbal communication skills are required

Competencies:

• Administration and management.  Sound knowledge in the fields of administration and management, in particular financial management and administration, and with sufficient exposure to the field of logistics support, travel, information management, procurement and contracts management;
• Communication: Excellent drafting ability and communication skills, both oral and written;
• Planning and organization: Ability to independently establish detailed objectives, goals and targets. Establish and plan deadlines, and ensure that deadlines are prioritized, managed and met. Manage work effectively to take account of changing circumstances. Monitor the delivery of work against a plan and deliver in an organized and timely manner. Develops strategies and clear goals that are consistent the  strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments.  Adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and proposes and implements appropriate actions.
• Technology skills:  Excellent IT skills and excellent knowledge of all MS office applications, in particular Excel.  Proven experience and excellence in using databases for information management and a champion for the use of information systems and tools more generally. Aptitude to learn other systems and deploy them in setting an example in the team.
• 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. Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.    Acts as a credible business partner and works with a long-term and institution-wide perspective in addressing clients' needs.
• Creativity: Works on improving existing programmes or services. Adapts existing programmes or services for application in new and different environments, and finds new solutions to address operational or strategic problems. Participate in projects to develop organizational structures, systems or strategy and works on activities and in environments which are new for the organization while responding to the demands of stakeholders for new approaches to be adopted.

Core Competencies

• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables. 
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication – Shares best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels..
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.
• Teamwork: Support colleagues establish a team culture, encourages others to participate in teamwork and shares responsibility for decision-making and results. 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. Contributes to in helping the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches. 
• Personal. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.  Demonstrates behavior of professional and personal ethics transparency and openness to encourage respect and similar behavior from colleagues in the work place. Sensitivity to other people’s cultural and religious norms and the ability to easily blend with others.  Must have shown to have the ability to be discrete and maintain confidential information. Exhibits diplomacy, loyalty and commitment to SEforALL’s goals. Sense of humor an advantage.

SEforALL values

Partnership. SEforALL’s global team operates within and across partner driven networks, building on its strong relationship with the UN. SEforALL’s global team catalyzes connections, coordinates activities with others, collaborates on common objectives and leverages opportunities to deliver more as a platform than it can do individually.

Agility. SEforALL’s global team is adaptive in its approach so it can stay focused on its goal in an evolving economic and political environment. It brings people together that don’t normally talk to each other and frames the questions differently so it can help leaders unlock action and finance.

Diversity. SEforALL’s global team recognizes the diversity of needs across countries and communities and commits to working with all actors in delivering solutions that respond to these differentiated needs.

Equity. SEforALL’s goal is for “all.” SEforALL’s global team strives for a sustainable energy transition that is just and equitable and leaves no one behind.

Results. SEforALL global team focuses on helping leaders make the most progress, fastest in areas that make a meaningful contribution to SEforALL’s objectives. It is solutions-oriented. It values evidence and data. It understands the scale and urgency of the sustainable energy challenge and the need for a holistic systems-based approach.