Conference Services Assistant (PSA)

About UN University (UNU)

UNU is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU's work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals' full breadth, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

About UNU Headquarters

The UNU Headquarters is situated in a landmark building in Tokyo. Its structure counts 15 floors, dedicated conference facilities and 22,000m² of floor space on grounds of 7,000m². The building also accommodates tenant UN agencies/programmes and NPOs. The total occupancy of the building is approximately 250 staff.

UNU organizes a number of international conferences, seminars, workshops, and presentations, often in collaboration with UN agencies and other partners in Japan and also rents conference facilities on a commercial basis to generate income for the maintenance of the building.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the HQ Building Manager, the incumbent carries the following assignments:

1. Supporting organization of workshops and conferences;

• Manages reservations of the UNU facilities for conferences and events, administrative and logistical support, inventory of the conference equipment in support of the conference management support contractor(s), and maintains records of the reservation logs and the necessary documents;
• Assists organization in negotiating with service providers to procure services (e.g. catering service, A/V technical service) in line with UNU rules and regulations;
• Liaises with users and vendors to identify their conference services-related requirements, and proposes and manages cost-effective solutions, providing an effective response to customer’s queries and complaints, and, where applicable, forwarding them to any other relevant units and sections;
• Assist in reviewing relevant documents and updating standardized workflows to enhance efficiency and ensure continuity.

2. Financial monitoring and cooperation with other sections at UNU;

• Ensures billings and collections for third parties’ usage of UNU conference facilities are carried out in accordance with the UN Financial Rules and Regulations;
• Monitors daily transactions of income and expenditure through billings and collections in corporation with the Operations Services (OS) of UNU Administration, and keeps supporting documents such as invoices and reports;
• Coordinates with other HQB members and provides necessary assistance in the day-to-day management and operation, and development initiatives related to HQB Services.
  

3. Customer relationship management

• Provides up-to-date and timely operational information to customers and vendors on the usage of UNU conference facilities;
• Makes sure that information material, documents (e.g. guidelines, applications), and content on WEB/Intranet on the usage of facilities are kept updated and orderly recorded.

4. Conference Facilities Promotion and Coordination Support

5. Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Key performance indicators

• Efficient and effective delivery of conferences and other events held at UNU Headquarters building
• Compliance with all relevant building and local regulations
• UNU is seen as a reliable and trustworthy partner by UN agencies and other Parties using the building

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion - Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity.
• Integrity - Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards.
• Humility - Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others.
• Humanity - Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate - Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyse and Plan - Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact - Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and Develop - Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and Innovate - Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways