Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Travel Unit, General Administrative Services Section in the Programme Support and Management Services of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva (Switzerland). The incumbent reports to the Head of Travel Unit.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Travel Assistant will be responsible for ensuring, or carrying out the following duties:

Coordinates the travel of civilian and military personnel including civilian police, traveling to and from a wide range of member states in connection with mission duties.
Calculates and initiates entitlements for all such travel and submits to the Unit Supervisor for approval, e.g., airfare, excess baggage entitlements, terminal expenses, airfreight entitlements, daily subsistence allowance for staff and dependents on traveling on missions, etc.
Provides information about frequency of air services and provides advice to staff and consultants on the most direct and economical airfare rates for such travel as permitted by the rules and regulations.
Provides information on rates and travel schedules for specific itineraries, as requested for budgeting purposes for programme managers.
Contacts airlines to make reservations, negotiates least expensive fares e.g., discusses with management of travel agency and with senior airline sales management for space on flights, reduced airfares, group discounts and reduced excess baggage charges, initiates issuance of tickets; discusses discrepancies and problems.
Calculates the residual values of partially used tickets when there is a rerouting.
Computes and determines the revised amounts of per diem where there is deviation from original travel plans.
Arranges for changes or cancellations requested by travelers and has tickets reissued, including obtaining reimbursement, where applicable.
Converts departure and arrival times, as needed, and identifies class of accommodation corresponding to the nature of the travel.
Examines and pre-audits the official itineraries of staff members, civilian police and military staff, as stated in the travel authorization, in order determine air travel cost entitlement of the proposed official travel of the mission personnel and ensures conformity with established rules, regulations and relevant directives;
Reviews travel claims and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy and validity, prior to forwarding to the Accounts Division; ensures that entitlements are in conformity with Staff Rules. Refers discrepancies back to Administrative and /or Certifying Officers for clarification and possible correction.
Advises Administrative Office of more efficient and cost effective routings with regard to more complicated staff itineraries, and assists them in making travel plans in order to take advantage of the benefits to be derived from advance purchases or special promotional fares.
Maintains records of all travel authorizations processed and records savings accrued to the organization as a result of the cost savings techniques employed.
Calculates daily subsistence allowance for travel for senior UN staff or mission assignees and appointments, and other UN Staff, taking into account whether meals will be provided, which stopovers are designated official business or personal; depending upon actual category of the traveler, prepares travel authorization, calculates all other costs, including excess baggage, terminal expenses, subsistence allowance and travel advance.
Advises substantive offices, travelers, plus mission personnel and movement control staff of arrival information, requesting arrangements to be made accordingly for traveler.
Coordinates with the various Consulates and the host government Ministries of Foreign Affairs regarding the provision of transit visas and resident visas respectively.
Checks travel authorizations and cables and correct where necessary,
Classifies and records travel authorizations numbers.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of travel-related processing requirements; plans, manages, and resolves conflicting priorities. 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.Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
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.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in travel administration, including travel rate construction, routing, and travel reimbursement, or related area is required. Out of the seven years, at least five (5) years of experience in the United Nations common system or other similar international organization is desirable. Experience working with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, such as Umoja, or similar travel module is desirable. Experience working as a Travel Agent within the airline industry is desirable.

Languages

Language	Reading	Writing	Listening	Speaking
English	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III
French	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III	UN Level III

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds. 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. 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 in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

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.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

TRAVEL ASSISTANT