Stretch Assignment: Operations Associate, WCARO (Onsite)

Title: Administrative Specialist
Level: NOC
Reports to: Senior Operations Manager
Duration: 3 months
Section: Operations
Dates: August to September 2025

Location: Dakar, Senega
Eligibility: All Fixed-Term, Permanent or continuing appointment UNICEF staff members currently working in UNICEF worldwide.

Background

UNICEF The Regional Office for West and Central Africa provides strategic oversight and support to 24 countries across the region. Within this framework, the Regional Operations team plays a critical role in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of strategic operational functions.

In line with UNICEF’s commitment to promoting gender equality and adolescent empowerment, and to ensure seamless transition in Country offices as part of the ongoing Future Focus Initiative, the Regional Office is planning two major events in 2025:

• The Regional Summit on Adolescent Girls (Dakar, 10–11 October 2025), a milestone event co-led by girls, aiming to define a regional agenda and commitments for girls’ rights in West and Central Africa.
• The Regional Management Team (RMT) meeting (Dakar, 6-9 October 2025), bringing together senior management to review strategic priorities, share progress and align regional programming.

To ensure effective organization and smooth logistics, dedicated operational support is needed to coordinate and support planning, vendor management, participants support, and on-site arrangements as needed.

This stretch assignment will serve as a gap-filling measure for the current NOC Operations Specialist, who usually provides on-site support for events but will be teleworking during the preparation period for these two events.

Purpose of the assignment

The purpose of this stretch assignment is to provide logistical and operational coordination support to both events, ensuring they are delivered efficiently, inclusively, and in alignment with UNICEF’s standards.

This is a stretch assignment within UNICEF offices in Dakar, to provide NOC Administrative Specialist functions of the in the Regional Operations team. Under the supervision and general guidance of the Senior Operations Manager, the Administrative Specialist will proactively provide a variety of specialized tasks as outlined below.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordination, planning and Contract management:
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive logistical plans and timelines to guide event preparation.
  • Collaborate with Senegal common services (Supply, Administration, Travel and Conference Services) and other relevant sections/units to initiate, organize and manage all contractual arrangements with service providers (hotels, transport, catering, interpretation, technical services).
  • Support the drafting and dissemination of briefing notes, invitations, participant lists, and information packages.
  • Coordinate regular communication with vendors and service providers (event management companies, hotels, transport operators, catering, interpretation, technical teams) to ensure timely delivery of services.
• Participant support and On-site arrangements:
  • In coordination with Country offices, support the planning of travel, and accommodation for participants, especially adolescent participants, ensuring safeguarding considerations.
  • Help manage communication channels with participants (email, phone, WhatsApp groups).
  • Support registration and check-in processes.
  • Ensure on-site support during events (logistics troubleshooting, coordination with service providers, distribution of materials) as needed.
• Specific to the Regional Summit on Adolescent Girls:
  • Work closely with the event coordination team organizing preparatory activities (national consultations, Girls Advisory Group meetings).
  • Ensure safe and inclusive arrangements for adolescent participants and other participants as needed.
• Specific to the RMT meeting:
  • Support the coordination of meeting arrangements as needed (meeting rooms, audio-visual equipment, remote participation tools, etc.).
  • Support the RMT coordination team on preparing meeting materials as needed.

Requirements

• Completion of an Advanced university degree in management, business administration, economics, financial management or related fields
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional work experience including general Administration, contract management, conference/high level events organization and management, travel services and/or other related fields. Supervisory experience is required.
• Fluency of French and working knowledge of English required

Release arrangement

Interested staff should obtain their supervisor's approval before applying for the stretch assignment.

Reporting supervisor

Senior Operations Manager WCARO.