Witnesses/Experts Administrative Assistant

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:

Under the applicable law, and in accordance with the terms of the Agreement between the United Nations and the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) has jurisdiction to try senior leaders and those who were most responsible for the crimes and serious violations of Cambodian penal law, international humanitarian law and custom, and international conventions recognized by Cambodia, during the period of the Khmer Rouge regime from 17 April 1975 to 6 January 1979.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:
This position is located in the Witness and Expert Support Unit (WESU) within the Court Management Section (CMS) of the Administration Office. WESU is seeking a Witnesses and Experts Witness and Administrative Assistant to contribute to the effective functioning of CMS by ensuring that administrative, support and protection services are provided to enable the appearance of witnesses and experts who are summoned before a Judicial Chamber of the ECCC. The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties;

1. To provide witnesses called for interview or testimony before the ECCC with sensitive and appropriate care and support services. These services will sometimes be provided on a twenty-four hour basis through a shift-work schedule to ensure that the wellbeing of the witnesses is maintained to the highest possible standard while they are away from their homes and in the care of WESU by;
• Undertaking missions for pre-interview/testimony preparation or post interview/testimony follow-up as required.
• Escorting witnesses to and from their homes to the ECCC as required.
• Providing briefings to all witnesses, including ensuring the provision of written information to strengthen the verbal briefings as necessary.
• Making determinations of any situation that might affect the well-being of the witnesses while they are in Phnom Penh and either deal with that situation or alert the appropriate authorities.
• Attending to the practical needs of the witnesses, this includes providing information, and assisting them with using the facilities of their accommodation, process of obtaining meals, daily allowances, staying in contact with their families, accompanying to the court when necessary, providing recreational activities, and interpreting for any authorities such as medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists etc.
• Provide the first point of contact for witnesses to refer all questions, inquiries, comments etc.
• Maintain awareness of the whereabouts of witnesses and liaise with the WESU, legal teams, Security services involved about witnesses' movements to ensure they are ready for court sessions, appointments with lawyers etc.
• Provide a supportive presence to witnesses, particularly to vulnerable or victim witnesses, using sensitive and appropriate communication skills to assist in caring for them before and after their court appearance, keeping them calm, monitoring their level of distress and alerting the Coordinator of WESU for intervention.
• Refer witness issues of security to Coordinator of WESU.

2. To assist the WESU Administrative Officer through;
• Providing back-up assistance to the administrative duties undertaken by the WESU Administrative Officer in witness scheduling, witness preparation, preparation of travel requests for witnesses and experts, and preparation for payment of contracts, preparation for payment of petty cash entitlements.
• Providing assistance in procurement of hotels and services and monitor resources.
• Assist in maintaining a list of qualified medical experts that may be called as Expert Consultants before the Office of the Co-Investigating Judges and/or the Chambers.
• Assist in maintaining WESU files and records systems including updating Witness and Expert Support Unit statistics.

3. Participate in, and contribute to, the continuous development of WESU’s policies, programs and procedures:
• Reviewing the policies and procedures of the Witness Assistant program, identifying and documenting general problem areas, and recommending strategies for improvement.
• Attend and participate in Unit meetings.
• Attend and participate in WESU outreach activities and trainings.
• Assist in the development of WESU publications.
• Maintain witness files.
• Maintain WESU strict confidentiality guidelines.

Competencies: During the interview, candidates will be asked to demonstrate that they possess the following competencies:

Professionalism: The incumbent must be trustworthy, reliable and able to demonstrate work situations where they have shown initiative and have worked independently. Demonstrated capacity to facilitate communication with other offices and/or partner organizations including well-developed skills in initiating and maintaining cooperative working relationships with multicultural professional personnel. Familiarity with the operation of police investigations and criminal proceedings, and an awareness of the role and requirements of witnesses and victims within such proceedings. Demonstrated expertise in sensitive service delivery to vulnerable persons. Good communication and listening skills. Strong coordination and organizational skills. Ability to effectively handle unforeseen problems regarding the health and well-being of witnesses. Willing to provide 24-hour assistance to witnesses and to travel to some provinces as required. Aptitude and willingness to share information about witness rights and entitlements to either witnesses or family members of witnesses. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence; 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
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.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Qualifications:

Education: High school leaving certificate or equivalent, plus technical diploma, certificate or other academic qualification in fields of social sciences, social work, psychology, law or related fields, or extensive relevant experience. Basic knowledge of computer skills, MS Office, Spreadsheet and Word is required.

Work Experience: At least 5 years of experience in Administration, Human Resource or a related area. Consideration for up to 3 years equivalent work experience may be given for candidates in possession of a university degree.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

ASSESSMENT METHOD:

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a technical assessment exercise which may be followed by competency based interview.

HOW TO APPLY:

Candidates are requested to complete the “Personal History Form” (P.11) available on the UNAKRT Website at http://www.unakrt-online.org/06_recruitment.htm, and submit their application mentioning the vacancy announcement number and functional title in the subject line of the email to the Human Resources Management Section, UNAKRT, to the following email address unakrt-jobs@un.org.

Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Due to the high volume of applications, no letters of acknowledgment will be sent. Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

(Initial recruitment against this temporarily-funded position is subject to availability of funds. Extensions are subject to continuation of mandate and continued availability of funds).

The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations-chapter 3, article 8).

This vacancy is open for Cambodian nationals only

THE UNITED NATIONS IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT