UN Women: Travel and Event Support Consultant - Retainer

Background: UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) provides strategic direction, technical support, and operational oversight to Country Offices in the region. ESARO supports the implementation of UN Women’s strategic priorities and ensures effective programme delivery and operational compliance across the region.

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Procurement Specialist, the Consultant will support the execution of transparent and efficient travel services consistent with UN Women’s rules, regulations and Duty Travel Policy, across the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) region. The Consultant will collaborate closely with programme and operations staff across country offices to deliver travel services and logistics for regional meetings, workshops and events. S/he will also serve as the point of contact on contract and payment matters.

Description of Responsibilities/Scope of Work:

The Consultant is expected to adhere to UN Women’s procurement and duty travel policies, procedures, regulations and rules in executing the following responsibilities.

A. Travel management and systems support:

• Complete travel arrangements for UN Women staff and non-staff (consultants and meeting participants), including liaison with the travel agent, obtaining quotes, and booking tickets
• Analyze and complete the Travel Request (TR)/Travel Claim (TC) to confirm travel entitlements, itinerary and payable/receivable amounts are correct and in accordance with the Duty Travel Policy and UN Women Financial Regulations and Rules
• Recommend a course of action to, and provide support for, Delegated Authorities on the approval of Purchase Orders and invoices for travel-related payments
• Analyze applications of the Duty Travel Policy and confirm that mandatory documents (approved travel plan, itinerary, quote, UNDSS security clearance, etc.) are uploaded to the corporate Travel application
• Collaborate with regional team members and clients globally to provide travel-related input and complete follow-up actions
• Provide technical assistance to users of the Travel application and other relevant systems
• Develop and maintain travel vendor profiles, travel plans, travel requests, travel claims and related records in Quantum ERP and the corporate travel application
• Develop travel-related reports and data for corporate reporting on a regular and as-needed basis
• Adapt standardized travel documents to regional and country-specific contexts, and, to the extent necessary, translate, regionalize and localize relevant travel documents, tools, templates, instructions, SOPs and guidance notes
• Develop technical documentation, including guidance materials and capacity-building content, for users of the Travel application
• Participate in user acceptance testing and quality assurance of new travel-related solutions and systems
• Provide inputs into communication, support and technical guidance materials, and, to the extent necessary, translate, regionalize and localize related messaging and training products

B. Meeting and event logistics support:

• Facilitate the visa request process for meeting and event participants
• Facilitate vendor registration, travel and flight bookings for participants and speakers through the contracted travel agent (Long-Term Agreement)
• Track the issuance of tickets and travel documents
• Prepare Excel trackers and tables requested by the travel agent and the HQ travel team
• Maintain and update the travel filing system
• Facilitate ground transportation (airport–hotel) and other logistical requirements
• Collect the information required to process Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) payments to participants
• Act as focal point for queries from participants, speakers and other stakeholders before and during events
• Meet periodically with the team for event-planning purposes
• After each event, gather all documents required to conclude travelers’ travel claims, including boarding passes, visa fee receipts, travel receipts and other travel-related documents
• Facilitate the preparation and issuance of cost-recovery letters, and support the processing, reconciliation and closure of travel claims

Deliverables: The deliverables are the services described in the scope of work above, provided on an as-required basis. The Consultant must submit a timesheet and a brief activity report summarizing the work completed against the Scope of work.

Competencies:

Core Values:

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of travel processes, systems, administrative rules and regulations, with the ability to analyze situations and recommend an appropriate course of action
• Ability to produce high-quality outputs in a timely manner while anticipating evolving client needs
• Ability to work independently, flexibly and under pressure, utilizing initiative and meeting deadlines
• Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions
• Ability to handle information of a confidential nature and manage a large volume of work
• Strong IT and web-based management skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills are required

Required Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required
• A Bachelor’s degree in public administration, business administration, procurement or another relevant field is an asset

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in travel management, logistics and administration services, or related experience is required
• Experience organizing meetings and conferences within the context of international organizations is required
• Expert knowledge of computers and office software packages (MS Office, Google Suite, etc.) is required; experience with web-based management systems is desired
• Experience with an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and/or Travel Module is desirable; knowledge of Quantum ERP and/or the UN travel module is desired
• Prior experience with the UN system is desired

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of another official UN language (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is desirable