Administrative Assistant 1 (800009)

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Purpose

The purpose of a Travel Administrative Assistant is multifaceted and crucial for ensuring smooth and efficient travel arrangements within an organization. The relationship between the Travel Administrative Assistant and the organization is one of facilitation, support, and compliance oversight.

Main Responsibilities:

1. Travel Organization: 
   Facilitate the organization of travel for team members across all departments and delegations, with a primary focus on Beginning of Mission (BoM) ticket bookings and adherence to established processes. Coordinate travel activities using ServiceNow, NEO booking platform, and other internal or external tools relevant to the role. Manage all travel logistics, including booking, modifications, cancellations, and changes of flight tickets and accommodations, in compliance with ICRC Travel Rules and Policy, ensuring cost optimization. Provide additional support in specific situations as required. Ensure efficient organization and timely follow-up of all travel bookings, maintaining accurate records and documentation within the ServiceNow system.
2. Functional Support: 
   Provide functional support to employees by addressing issues and performing technical or operational tasks related to travel tools. This includes making manual adjustments in booking systems, updating travel itineraries in case of technical glitches, modifying tool settings, and troubleshooting issues as they arise. Escalate complex or unresolved technical cases to the relevant support team in Belgrade when necessary.
3. Advisory Role:
   Serve as a primary point of contact for end users, providing guidance and support in navigating travel processes and tools. Offer clear information on travel policies, procedures, and systems to help travelers understand and comply with organizational guidelines and ensure a smooth travel experience.
4. Compliance Monitoring, Reporting and Escalation of Compliance Exceptions:
   Monitor Beginning of Mission (BoM) travel activities, as well as other travel-related operations, to ensure adherence to organizational travel policies and guidelines. Identify and report any deviations from established protocols to the relevant person or team. In addition to compliance monitoring, prepare regular reports outlining travel compliance metrics and highlighting areas requiring attention or improvement.

General Duties

• Understands and adheres to the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• Understands and adheres to the ICRC Code of Conduct
• Understands the roles of the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
• Always respects and observes staff regulations and security rules
• Represents the ICRC in a professional manner at all times
• Develops and maintains a pleasant and conducive working environment with colleagues and line managers.
• Performs all duties with the highest level of confidentiality in the interest of the employees and the ICRC.
• May be asked to perform tasks not covered in this job description and to provide support to other departments when necessary.

Accountabilities & functional responsibilities

• Responsible for booking air tickets and accommodation for Beginning of Mission (BoM) travels, including handling changes, cancellations, and refunds in line with the Travel Policy and BoM Travel Procedure. Ensure all actions, updates, and relevant information are accurately recorded in the designated system
• Provide support to travelers by addressing questions, concerns, and requests related to travel policies, processes, and tools. Resolve requests efficiently and within the defined timelines, in line with organizational processes and policies, and in accordance with the SLA. Escalate complex or high-level cases to the appropriate team when necessary
• Guide end users how to complete their bookings online or offline.
• Act as administrator for tools like the traveler profiles database (Connect Profile), travel approvals (Expert Auditor), flight & hotel bookings tool, Service Now, or any other relevant tool.
• Diagnoses correctly and escalates to the appropriate support team technical issues which cannot be solved at your team level.
• Contribute to training sessions if needed on the travel processes and tools.
• Knowledge management: Documents the typical issues encountered to serve as knowledge base for other Travel Administrators or Officers, or travelers looking for similar information.
• Applies and promotes travel policies and regulations and escalates in case of identified non-compliancy cases.
• Detect discrepancies in the travel system data and works to fix them with the appropriate teams.
• Contribute to the improvement of travel policies in coordination with the ICRC Travel Management Team
• Monitor challenges and suggest solutions to improve ICRC travel management; contribute to the optimization of strategies and processes considering lessons learned and solutions provided; liaise with the ICRC Travel Manager to validate.

Additional Duties

• Ensures the follow up of all messages and correspondence related to the work, in relation with the concerned interlocutors and/or departments.
• Is aware of the Teams’ objectives and has a good knowledge of the hierarchy and other interlocutors relevant to the position.
• Represents the ICRC in an appropriate way during activities, meetings, and in the field and avoids any activity that may reflect negatively on the ICRC’s image.
• Takes responsibility of own professional learning and development.
• May be asked to perform other duties as per the Catalog of Services.

Selection Requirements

• University degree or equivalent experience
• 2-plus years related Business Travel experience OR equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Good knowledge of the English language (written and spoken) is a must.
• Knowledge of French and / or Spanish (written and spoken) is a strong asset.
• Overall understanding of technology platforms, GDS functions, Ticketing tool Service Now, Microsoft applications and MS Office Package is a strong asset.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and multicultural environment.
• Commitment to upholding organizational values and promoting compliance with policies and regulations.
• Motivated by the humanitarian work
• Willingness to work in shifts if/when needed. Coverage for Belgrade time and Manila time is a must.
• Strongly motivated by humanitarian work
• Able to work under pressure in a potentially dangerous environment

Relationships

• Internal: Collaborates with the Travel Focals, Global Mobility team, ICRC welcome teams in the field, and HQ employees, as well as all travellers (end users). Escalates complex or sensitive questions and cases to the Travel Management Team. Works with the ICT Service Desk to help resolve issues related to the use of the Travel Systems.

   

• External: Liaises with the travel system provider to enhance data quality and optimize service delivery performance.

Our values

• At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this