Travel Assistant

About the role

The UNODC Travel Assistant is based in the Country Office in Pakistan (COPAK) in Islamabad, reporting to the UNODC Travel lead in Vienna with administrative guidance from the COPAK Representative or the designated Associate Finance Officer. The post provides operational support to UNODC Country Offices on travel matters.

Key responsibilities

• Coordinate travel for staff, affiliates and meeting participants, explaining entitlements, policies and procedures, and passport and visa requirements.
• Calculate airfares, baggage entitlements, terminal expenses and daily subsistence allowances, prepare itineraries and liaise with the Travel Unit in Vienna.
• Assist with SAP/Umoja travel issues, contact airlines and travel agencies for reservations and tickets, and handle complex itineraries and cost deviations.
• Approve travel and shipment authorizations, calculate lump-sum entitlements, and guide travellers on reconciling travel claims.
• Review travel claims for completeness, accuracy and compliance, refer discrepancies to the Representative or Associate Finance Officer, and monitor refunds.
• Review monthly travel agency invoices, submit payment requests to the FRMS Payment Unit and reconcile invoice errors in Umoja.
• Support drafting Terms of Reference for travel agency procurement, maintain travel records and databases, and help maintain travel agency contracts in Umoja.
• Contribute to cost-saving strategies, standard operating procedures and briefing materials for meetings.
• Compile travel reports from SAP modules, BI reports and data visualizations, and liaise with travel management contractors.

Required profile

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• At least 5 years of experience in travel administration, administrative services, finance or a related field (reduced to 3 years with a first-level university degree).
• Experience in travel administration, including processing official travel, calculating entitlements, preparing itineraries and reviewing travel claims.
• Experience in the UN system or similar international organizations, and in a travel-related industry, is desirable.

Required skills

• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and web-based applications.
• Experience with an ERP system such as SAP/Umoja is desirable.
• Experience with airline reservations or global distribution systems (GDS) is desirable.