Administrative Assistant (Open to all applicants)

UNDP; United States; Remote; USD 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

UNDP, headquartered in New York, seeks an Administrative Clerk for the Office of General Operations. The role delivers essential registry and logistics services at HQ and country offices, ensuring timely pouch and mail distribution and protocol support.

Full-time on-site position with collaborative, cross-unit responsibilities. Responsibilities include archival tasks, knowledge sharing, and supporting the Director of OGO.

Qualifications

• Secondary education is required.
• A university degree (bachelor’s) will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in an administrative capacity (with secondary education).
• Experience with MS Word, Excel and ERP or web-based management systems is preferred; SharePoint knowledge is desirable.
• Fluency in English is required.

Responsibilities

• Support OGO daily operational activities and registry tasks.
• Ensure smooth pouch and mail operations and logistics support.
• Provide protocol-related services including ground pass encoding and archiving.
• Assist with asset management and coordination with other UNDP units.

Skills

Administrative capacity

English fluency

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Education

Secondary education

Bachelor’s degree (not required)

Tools

MS Word

Excel

ERP systems

SharePoint

Job description

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

Within UNDP, the Office of General Operations (OGO) provides the essential operational services that enable UNDP to function effectively across all locations. Its core responsibilities include the global management of UNDP premises and assets, travel and fleet services, insurance coverage, corporate cards, and a broad range of transactional business services at Headquarters in New York.

The office monitors global asset data to ensure accurate financial reporting and oversees the issuance of corporate purchasing cards for colleagues worldwide. Within OGO, the Business Solutions team provides transactional support across project management, micro-purchasing, logistics, finance, contract and asset management, insurance, premises oversight, human resources, and resource planning.

Position Purpose

Under the general guidance and supervision of the Asset Management Associate (G-7), the Administrative Clerk ensures the delivery of essential registry and logistics services supporting UNDP Headquarters and Country Offices. The incumbent is responsible for the timely and accurate distribution of pouch and mail to all UNDP units at Headquarters and to Country Offices, thereby ensuring uninterrupted registry support.

The Administrative Clerk works closely with the OGO Business Solutions Team, the Travel Team, and counterparts across the UN system to meet critical pouch and mail service requirements, resolve operational issues, and maintain an effective and reliable registry system. In addition, the role provides essential protocol-related services, including ground pass encoding and archiving, and delivers core operational support in the areas of logistics, asset management, and the UNDP Headquarters Consolidation Project.

The position requires a full‑time presence in the New York HQ office, so there is no opportunity to work from home.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Being a part of the Business Solutions Team, the Administrative Clerk will support OGO daily operational activities.

Ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of the Business Solutions Team and maintaining high‑quality, efficient, and compliant service delivery in the following areas:

• Pouch and Mail Operations
• Protocol services
• Logistics services
• Support Asset Management at HQ
• Follow up on deliverable expected from crew that provide Maintenance, Messenger, Cleaning services
• Archiving
• Support administrative tasks requested by Director of OGO

Ensures knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on the following results:

• Support to clients and expertise services in the areas of responsibility including on standards and processes.

Encoding of staff ground passes including:

• Reviewing staff documents
• Confirming details correspond to ID’s
• Updating ground pass to allow access

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Competencies

Core:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1:

• Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1:

• Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1:

• Open‑minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1:

• Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1:

• Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1:

• Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1:

• Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross‑Functional & Technical:

Administration and Operations - Documents and records Management:

Overall document (hard or electronic) management; registry and retention policy including storing and archiving.

Business Development - Knowledge Generation:

Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

Business Management - Customer Satisfaction/Client Management:

Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfill and understand the client’s needs. Provide inputs to the development of the client service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate the client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Direction & Strategy - Business Acumen:

Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome; ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization.

Administration and Operations - Registry & correspondence management:

Ability to collect, register, maintain and deliver mail and UNDP pouch; ability to manage archives.

Business Management - Communication:

Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Required Skills and Experience

• Education:
  • Secondary education is required.
  • A university degree (bachelor’s degree) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Management, Finance, or equivalent will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.
• Experience:
  • Minimum 3 years (with secondary education) of experience working in an administrative capacity is required. No experience is required with bachelor´s degree.
  • Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of web-based management systems such as ERP is required.
  • Experience using SharePoint or other web-based /records management systems is desired;
  • Experience supporting operational or administrative processes is desired.
• Language:
  • Fluency in English is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter‑Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection.