Assistant (Ombudsperson)

WHO; Genf; On-site; CHF 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services at WHO in Geneva seeks an Assistant Ombudsperson to serve as the first point of contact, handling inquiries with tact and discretion, ensuring confidentiality, and triaging cases according to urgency.

You will support staff by preparing briefing notes, guiding on Staff Rules and policies, maintaining case records, and coordinating meetings, seminars, and workshops, contributing to a fair and respectful workplace.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in administrative positions, HR, staff relations, or related support functions.
• Desirable: senior administrative experience within WHO or another UN organization.
• Familiarity with WHO administrative procedures and ERP systems like Oracle.
• Excellent tact, discretion, and ability to triage complex inquiries.
• Strong data handling and confidentiality.
• Proven briefing note preparation and guidance skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as initial contact and handle inquiries with tact and discretion.
• Screen inquiries, triage cases by urgency, and direct to appropriate services.
• Schedule appointments and maintain confidentiality of spaces.
• Prepare briefing notes and provide guidance on Staff Rules and policies.
• Record case information and generate statistics for reports.
• Organize meetings, seminars, and annual Ombudsperson meetings.
• Support work plans, budgets, procurement, travel, and website management.

Skills

Tact & discretion

Active listening

Confidentiality

Independence

Neutrality

Informality

Research & analysis

Briefing notes

Guidance & advice

Database management

Statistics extraction

Meeting organization

Presentation preparation

Administrative support

Office software

Triage skills

Good judgment

Education

Secondary education

Higher education (desirable)

Tools

Oracle ERP

Job description

Organizational context: The Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services at WHO aims to foster a safe, equitable, and inclusive work environment. It contributes to organizational culture by upholding values, ethical integrity, and respect for personnel. The office achieves this through conflict prevention, informal dispute resolution, mediation, and identifying systemic issues.

Job purpose: The Assistant (Ombudsperson) serves as the primary point of contact within the Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services. This role involves providing initial support to personnel seeking assistance, managing inquiries with tact and discretion, and ensuring the efficient operation of the office. The position requires careful listening, effective communication, and the ability to triage issues appropriately, directing individuals to the correct resources or informing them of procedural deadlines. A key aspect is maintaining the core principles of confidentiality, independence, neutrality, and informality in all interactions, thereby supporting the office's mandate to promote fair and respectful workplace practices and contribute to a positive organizational culture.

Responsibilities: Serve as the initial contact, welcoming visitors and callers with tact and discretion, and gathering pertinent information. Screen inquiries, triage cases based on urgency, and redirect individuals to appropriate services or inform them of deadlines. Schedule appointments, ensuring confidentiality of office spaces. Uphold the principles of confidentiality, independence, neutrality, and informality. Prepare visitor files and research background information. Analyze issues, prepare briefing notes, and provide guidance on Staff Rules, regulations, and policies. Record and monitor case information in the database, extracting statistics for reports on trends and systemic issues. Organize meetings, seminars, and workshops, including the annual meeting of Ombudspersons. Participate in and organize UNARIO meetings. Maintain office documentation, administer surveys, and assist with presentations. Support the Ombudsperson in preparing work plans, budgets, procurement, travel, and managing office websites.

Education: Essential: Completion of secondary school education or equivalent. Desirable: Higher education is an advantage.

Work experience: Essential: Minimum of 8 years of experience in administrative positions, HR, staff relations, or related support functions. Desirable: Experience in a senior administrative role within WHO or another UN organization, familiarity with WHO administrative procedures, and experience with ERP systems like Oracle.

Skills: Tact and discretion, active listening, sound judgment, triage skills, confidentiality, independence, neutrality, informality, research and analysis, briefing note preparation, guidance and advice, database management, statistics extraction, meeting organization, presentation preparation, administrative support, proficiency in standard office software (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, charting).

Required languages:

Desired languages: