UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, for every child, the right to learn
As a Strategic Business Partner, the incumbent will be accountable for overseeing the administrative support services unit in the Regional Office related administrative and operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk informed, solution-focused analysis, advice and services and contribute delivering results for children.
How can you make a difference?
The Project Officer is responsible for delivering high-quality administrative and assistant support to various sections within the office while also supervising and coordinating a team of section associates. The Officer ensures efficient provision of cross-cutting support services including scheduling, travel coordination, meeting logistics, documentation, and communication support, while streamlining workflows and maintaining service standards.
The Project Officer will accomplish this by:
• Team Management and supervision
• Administrative and Project Management Services
• Transaction and Contract Management.
• Meeting, Conference and Event Management.
• Reports and Data Management
1.Team Management and supervision
• Oversees the management of the administrative and project support unit, including supervision of Programme Associates.
• Supervise and coordinate the daily activities of the programme associates providing
services across various units.
• Develop work plans, monitor performance, provide capacity building, guidance and
coaching and feedback.
• Foster a collaborative team culture and ensure adequate workload distribution and
coverage.
• Ensure availability of adequate coverage during absences and high-demand periods.
• Contributes strategic planning and monitoring of administrative and project matters
across the Regional Office.
• Implements the appropriate application and interpretation of administrative rules,
regulations, policies and procedures.
• Makes specific recommendations on the improvement of systems and internal work
processes. Provides practical input on implementation of administrative guidelines and
develops workflows and processes that contribute to efficiency and effectiveness in the
office.
2. Provision of Administrative and Project Management Services
• Provides administrative and project support services to all units in the regional office.
• Ensures the timely and cost-effective provision of basic support services.
• Manage calendars, organise meetings, draft and format correspondence, and coordinate
travel.
• Support organisation of internal and external events, workshops, and missions.
• Maintain records and manage shared drives, documentation, and filing systems.
• Prepare routine reports, presentations, and briefing materials.
• Undertakes delivery and improvement in office support services including event and conference management and travel arrangements, document reproduction, communications, etc.
• Supports capacity development activities related to programme development by preparing training materials and participating in exercises.
3.Transaction and Contract Management
• Ensures that all administrative transactions and arrangements of contracts are in compliance with the applicable policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
• Carries out transactions in VISION ensuring programme results, activities and programme coding are as per annual work plans (AWPs), and making amendments and alterations as per section revisions when necessary.
• Carries out transactions in VISION pertaining to grants and programme/project related items but not limited to registering grant allotments and tracking expiring programme grants.
4. Meeting, Conference and Event Management:
• Prepares, distributes and maintains office event calendars ensuring key organisational and partner events, priorities and deadlines are reflected and updated as required.
• Contribute to preparations of logistics for events involving senior management participation. By participating in such meetings, follow up on the implementation of recommendations and actions by the relevant offices.
• Coordinate preparation of background documents and material for these meeting
5. Reports and Data Management
• Supports sections in researching, compiling and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data and information from a variety of sources on subject matters relevant to the work of the section as well as preparation of reports, working papers and presentations.
• Collects drafts and/or organizes materials and related documentations for office strategies to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements/results.
• Prepares monitoring and reporting information for the team on agreed performance indicators to drive more efficient management and accountability for results.
• Regularly monitors and reports on budgets and financial expenditures of section by employing applicable tools, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: Business Administration, Communication, Social Sciences, International Relations, Public Administration, Public Policy, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, or another relevant technical field.
- Experience: A minimum of one year of professional experience, at the national and/or international level, is required, specifically in programme and or administrative management and support, coordination, or office management.
- Understanding Results Based Management is a requirement.
- Experience supervising teams and supporting successful client-oriented work units is an asset.
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite and calendar/email management, and virtual collaboration platforms. Experience working with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems.
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English and the local language is required.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
Builds and maintains partnerships (2)
Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (2)
Drive to achieve results for impact (2)
Innovates and embraces change (2)
Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)
Thinks and acts strategically (2)
Works collaboratively with others (2)
Nurtures, Leads, and Manages People (1)
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.