Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

I.Position Information

Job Title: Travel Associate
Department: UNDP Yemen
Reports to: Team Leader – Service Center
Grade Level: G6
Bureau: RBAS
Direct Reports: Travel Assistant
Position Number: 00133184
Position designation: with no mobility requirement

Duty Station: Aden, Yemen
Career Track: General Services
Career Stream: Corporate Operations – General Administration
Contract Modality: FTA Local
Contract Duration: 1 year extendable

II.Background and Organizational Context

UNDP’s mission as part of the UN system is to achieve sustainable development and fight poverty wherever it is greatest. This requires the very best of us, world-class collaboration, innovative thinking, resilient-based strategies, and continuous learning. UNDP’s competitive advantage as a development partner of choice comes from having the trust of developing countries, owing to our impartial character, transparency, and longstanding presence and commitment to the poorest and most vulnerable. We offer opportunities to make a lasting difference to the more than 170 countries where we commit our support and expertise.

With a focus at the community-level, and working with key implementing partners, UNDP in Yemen aims to restore livelihoods – as well as social cohesion and security – to create the necessary conditions for resilience and a post-conflict Yemen. Our current priorities are: (a) supporting a peaceful solution and transition; (b) economic recovery and livelihood; (c) restoring key basic services; and, (e) empowering vulnerable group.

III.Position Purpose

The Travel Associate is responsible for arranging the travel services in CO (Country Office) ensuring high-quality travel services at the optimum cost. The Travel Associate interprets rules and regulations regarding travel entitlements and travel procedures and provides solutions to a wide spectrum of complex issues related to travel. S/he closely monitors travel expenditures and internal cost and ensures their timely and accurate billing, settlement, and cost recovery as appropriate.

The Travel Associate promotes a collaborative, client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach in the delivery of travel services and collaborates with other travel support staff, Management Support and Business Development, Programme and Operations teams in the CO and Travel Unit in HQ, UNHAS and Travel Services Providers to ensure consistent service delivery.

The Travel Associate directly reports to the Deputy Team Leader – Service Center, and under the overall supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative – Operations.

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.

IV. Key Duties and Accountabilities

1. Ensure full compliance with UN/UNDP rules and regulations, policies, and strategies on travel management
   • Adhere to UNDP travel rules and procedures on issuing tickets to staff members.
   • Check the Travel requests against the Travel rules and regulations and process the TR, TC, in accordance with the justified entitlements.
   • Checks the F10 Claims, DSA calculations for accuracy against the applicable DSA for concerned locations, necessary deductions before issuing TR/TC.
   • Reconciles the ticket cost to be paid to United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) or Travel Agents based on the supporting document and applying the cancellation policy.
   • Process travel authorization and travel claims in line with travel entitlements for staff, consultants, UN missions and visitors and ensure that the travel arrangement follows the UNDP rules and regulations.
   • Arrange and make hotel reservations for new staff, visiting UN/UNDP officials, consultants, advisors and trainers.
   • Perform any other travel duties as requested by DTL or Senior Management.
   • Provide travelling staff with travel-related information, entitlements and travel literary.
2. Provide efficient Travel and Ticketing Services, including cost saving measures through negotiation with Travel services providers
   • Liaise with the Travelers and ask for all the supporting document required for the official business Travel (such as Meeting, Seminar, Training); Entitlement Travel (such as RnR, Home Leave, Family Visit etc); Medical Evacuation Travel in advance;
   • Liaise with UNHAS, Local Travel Agents, or authorized Travel Agents from Headquarters colleagues and issue the tickets well advance of the travel dates of the travelers. Ask all the travel service providers (except UNHAS) to provide the most direct and economic route unless otherwise Business Travel is eligible.
   • Submit UNHAS booking request through WFP Hub. Prepare APL most accurately and submit them well within the time so that there are no disruptions in the planned travel of any client.
   • Deliver the issued ticket to the concerned traveler and brief them of the travel procedures or restrictions imposed along the travel routes in accordance with the circulars and memes issued by UN/UNDP, UNHAS or Government Authorities.
   • Keep the travelers well-informed of any changes to their travel itineraries or changes in the UNHAS flight schedule as soon as possible.
   • Negotiate the travel routes, ticket prices with travel services providers as appropriate.
3. Ensure Timely Payment of the Travel Entitlements to the Staff, Consultants and Delegates in Mission
   • Issue the TR prior to the travel and issue the UNALL upon completion of travel and submission of the supporting document. Timely follow up with travelers for providing the supporting documents.
   • Issue Advance payment request to Finance for Official Business Travel where there is a request and inform the traveler.
   • Make follow up with Finance Unit if there are delays in the payment of entitlement. Support the Finance staff in trouble-shooting the Quantum invoices and PO glitch to the extent possible.
   • Make a periodic review of the pending travel entitlements, if any, every week and process them for payment.
4. Makes the timely Payment to UNHAS and Travel Agents, including Vendors of the Travel Services
   • Follow up the monthly cost of UNHAS Tickets, or Cost of tickets issued through the Travel Agents and reconcile them against the TRs.
   • Compile the invoices and issue the Purchase Order for the payment of cost of tickets issued by UNHAS and Travel Agency.
   • Make follow up with Finance Unit for the timely release of the payments of the travel service providers.
   • Makes Reconciliation of Travel Agents and UNHAS payments with Finance Unit.
5. Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing
   • Participation in the training for the operations/projects staff on administration.
   • Knowledge building and sharing and sound contributions to UNDP knowledge networks and communities of practice.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

V. Requirements:

Education

Secondary education is required. Or A University degree (bachelor’s degree) in Public Administration, Management, Business Administration or related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

• Minimum of 6 years (with secondary education) or 3 years (with bachelor ‘degree) of relevant experience in travel services, administrative services or finance is required.
• Experience in administration and travel systems and applications is desired.
• Proven experience and professional knowledge of IATA will be an advantage.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and experience in handling web-based management systems is desired.
• Experience of using PeopleSoft, web-based application will be an added advantage.
• Fluency in both written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

Expected Demonstration of Competencies Core

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others, and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making.

People Management

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site here.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies (insert up to 7 competencies)

Thematic Area Name Definition

• Administration & Operations ERP travel and expense module: Knowledge of the ERP Travel and Expense Module, ability to provide help desk support to UNDP and other UN agencies.
• Administration & Operations Travel contract Management: Knowledge of policy and procedures related to contract management, incl. oversight of the Long-Term Agreement (LTA) with the Travel Management Services (TMS) provider; UN airline agreement management covering all major and rail providers; ability to negotiate airline discounts.
• Administration & Operations Travel policy and procedures: Knowledge of travel policy and procedures, ability to interpret travel policy, the staff rules, administrative circulars and financial regulations and rules on travel-related matters.
• Administration & Operations UN travel documents: Knowledge of regulatory frameworks and processed related to UN travel documents.
• Business Direction and Strategy Effective Decision Making: Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.
• 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.
• 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 fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Direction & Strategy Effective Decision Making:

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.

VI. Keywords

ERP, Accounting and Reporting.

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 here.

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