Administration Associate (Assistant to the Country Manager)

UNOPS South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across  North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines.  EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia,  EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.

In 2023, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 75 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself. 

UNOPS in Indonesia

UNOPS established its operations in Indonesia in 2005 in response to the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. Since then, UNOPS Indonesia has delivered more than $200 million in projects, focusing on infrastructure, fund management, and capacity building related to environmental protection, strengthening health systems and improving post-disaster management and recovery.  Other UNOPS activities in Indonesia are related to strengthening economic resilience post-COVID-19, promotion of sustainable energy solutions, transactional services to other UN agencies and procurement of medical items. UNOPS projects in Indonesia  contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 13 on climate action, SDG 15 on protecting life on land, SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy and SDG 3 on good health and well-being.

Under the direct supervision and reporting to the Country Manager, the incumbent will be responsible for all office administration, internal and external communication with partners and other key stakeholders, providing support to the Country Manager’s office operations and external relationships,  performing a variety of standard administrative processes, focal person for Country Managers’ office and  ensuring high quality and accuracy of work.

Under the general guidance and supervision of the Country Manager in Indonesia and Timor Leste Country Office, the incumbent responsibilities include the following: 

Summary of Key Functions  

1. Office Administration and other support

2. Internal and External Communication and support networking 

3. Knowledge building and Knowledge Sharing

Office Administration and other support

• Coordinate the flow and prioritization of correspondence to and from the Country Manager’s Office. Receive and screen all regular and confidential correspondence which requires the attendance of the Country Manager.

• Draft minutes of meetings and routine correspondence related to the Country Manager’s work

• Take notes during the meetings including project board meetings and share them among key personnel and teams as needed. 

• Respond or draft responses to a wide range of correspondence and other communication.

• Identify and prepare briefing on priority areas related to correspondences and route correspondences to senior management team members under whose competence a particular enquiry falls and follow-up action done.

• Plan and organize daily work, and take independent and timely decisions to meet objectives.

• Monitor the implementation of action points related to management meetings.

• Maintain a tracking system to ensure the timely completion of tasks.

• Establish an efficient electronic and maintain filing, hard-copy filing system for the Country Manager’s office, including confidential documents and records.

• Advise and assist the Officer-in-Charge on matters to be followed up and action to be taken in the Country Manager’s absence.

• Maintain the Country Manager’s calendar of official engagements/coordinate and manage the calendar commitments. 

• Organize meetings, in-country travels and attendance in all UN and Govt meetings.  

• Coordinate and support in organizing all staff meetings and other project related meetings as and when required.

• Monitor day-to-day functioning of the Country Manager’s office.

• Liaise and coordinate with the high level stakeholders including government, UN agencies and diplomatic entities related to all relevant protocol matters.

• Support the Country Managers in all UN interagency communication and documentation and reporting work.  

• Ensure Country manager travel and accommodation arrangements are made in a timely manner. 

• Follow up and Liaise on all Country Managers direct reportees PER/PRA, Leave, Project reports, project meetings, One UNOPS reporting etc etc .  

• Maintain strict compliance with confidentiality required on documentation and information received.

• Assist and support Country Manager to liase and coordinate with the Partnership and Business development team and personnels to follow up on any proposals and response to donors and embassies.

• Support the Country Manager in following up on activities and/or actions with regards to programme and operations oversight and compliance.

• Support the Country Manager in undertaking monthly, quarterly and annual reviews,  through coordination with the Programme, Partnerships, Support Services and Security Teams.Responsible for all protocol related assignments.

• Represent UNOPS as Admin Focal point in the UN Admin working group.

• Supervisor the pooled car Driver and manage the utilization of vehicle 

• Assist in project management support activities as delegated by the Country Manager.

Internal and External Communication and support networking 

• Ensure all internal and external communication with key stakeholders and project managers are coordinated and responded timely.

• Provide oversight support, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

• Support the Country Manager to prepare communication materials, background documents, talking points and speeches on time and ensure they are organized and available prior to the meetings and/or missions

• Research relevant information and provide background material for the Country Manager in advance of meetings.

• Summarize highlights of management meetings and disseminate minutes, information, reports, etc. from meetings and follow up action taken when required.

• Compose important and confidential correspondence and justifications as required by the Country Manager on tasks within the area of responsibility.

Knowledge building and Knowledge Sharing

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on Administration related topics.

• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in human resources.

• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively. 

Impact of Results 

The effective and successful achievement of results by the Administration Associate directly impacts on the compliant execution of administrative, communication and reporting processes in the respective unit and the efficient and effective performance within it. These promote the credibility of the organization as an effective service provider in project services and management.

• Completion of Secondary Education or High School Diploma is required. 

• First University Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Communication, Social Science, Marketing or equivalent disciplines is desirable.

Experience: 

• Minimum six (6) years of experience in providing support in the field of administration, operations, Communication, Logistics, secretarial services, or related fields in combination with a Secondary Education or High School Diploma is required. 

• Experience as an assistant to a Country Manager/Director in a similar field of work or exposure would be an asset.

• Knowledge of UN rules and regulations, NGOs, UN agencies, embassies, other offices, etc. will be an asset.

• Prior experience in liaising with government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and a good understanding of related communication protocols is an asset.

• Strong overall communication and writing skills are required.

Language Requirements:

• Full working knowledge (Fluency) of English is required.

1. Contract type: LICA
2. Contract level: ICS 6 / LICA 6 
3. Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.