Support Services Senior Assistant

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

Cities Alliance, which is hosted by UNOPS, is the global partnership promoting the role of cities in poverty reduction and sustainable development. Headquartered in Brussels and supported by a Secretariat, it is a unique partnership with a diverse membership which has come together to strengthen both impacts and coherence in urban development. Cities Alliance is a global leader, with a strong track record in grant-making to support strategic citywide planning, slum upgrading strategies and national policies designed to make cities more inclusive and sustainable. Through UNOPS, the Cities Alliance operates a Multi-Donor Fund supported by an efficient, flexible grant-making mechanism with global reach

The Support Services Senior Assistant is part of the Cities Alliance Portfolio and Operations Team and reports to the Head of Portfolio and Operations and works in close collaboration with teams across Cities Alliance as well as interfacing with the Support Services function of the UNOPS Geneva Office, UNOPS HQ and other key stakeholders for successful service delivery:

1. Administrative support

2. Travel, events and meeting management support

3. Inventory and asset management support

4. Procurement support

5. Knowledge Management

1. Administrative support

Administrative support to effective and efficient functioning of the Cities Alliance  offices, including but not limited to the following :

• Handle routine administrative and process issues.

• Effective administrative and logistical support to ensure a smooth running of the office

• Monitor the budget, contracts and purchases related to office rent, utilities, and office services and supplies.

• Monitor leave schedule for Cities Alliance personnel, update leave calendar with missions and leave plans, and monitor UNOPS leave absence compliance. 

• Records and issues minutes of meetings.

• Facilitate on-boarding service to new personnel.

• Maintain contacts lists for Cities Alliance, including the emergency contact list.

• Provide support to prepare and monitor yearly budget for Portfolio and Operations Team.

• Provision of administrative support as requested.

2.Travel, events and meeting management support

• Prepare, coordinate and monitor quarterly travel plans of the Cities Alliance team and consultants to ensure timely submission of travel documents and organizational planning.

• Prepare and arrange travel requests for official duty travel for Secretariat staff and external travelers including processing and managing travel authorizations, making flight arrangements and booking flight tickets, hotel reservations, processing requests for visas, providing required documentation (security clearances, visas).

• Processes Travel Authorizations and Travel Claims in oneUNOPS Travel Authorization and DSA Automation (TADA) module, and purchase orders for travel activities, payments, and contracts.

• Monitor implementation of travel policy and procedures, ensuring consistency with UNOPS directives and administrative instructions. 

• Obtain insurance for external travelers and issuance of DSA cards to external travelers.

• Verify invoices from travel agent(s).

• Maintain the travel tracking tool and ensure a detailed filing of all relevant travel documents and products.

• Provide event management support to meetings, conferences, workshops, retreats, events organized by Cities Alliance, both hybrid, in-person, and virtual, including identifying all preparatory and logistical elements needed for events, researching potential venues, catering, audio-visual, interpretation and other necessary arrangements, drafting and monitoring the event workplan and budget and its activities.

3. Inventory and asset management support

• Custodian for management of office stationery supplies including maintenance of stock lists of stationery, distribution of stationery as required by staff and keeping a log of distribution. 

• Provides support as assets verifier during UNOPS biannual physical verification.

• Conducts physical inventory checks, drafting periodic inventory and asset reports, including office stationery and other supplies.

• Registers assets on electronic systems.

4. Procurement support

• Provide procurement support such as but not limited to receive quotations, bids or proposals, participate in evaluations both technically and financially, creation of purchase orders (POs), receipts and request for payments in oneUNOPS (ERP system).

• Initiate requisitions for goods and services and create requisitions in the UNOPS ERP.

• Register supplier details in UNOPS ERP.

• Monitor and record deliverables of goods and services and ensure timely payments.

5. Knowledge Management

• In close collaboration with other support staff, create and/or maintain filing systems; continually review filing systems to ensure information is up to date and effectively and efficiently used.

• Participation in training events for operations, logistics and travel-related subjects.

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for new personnel on UNOPS travel and administrative procedures.

• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

• A high school/secondary school diploma is required. 

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) preferably in Business Administration, Public  Administration, or equivalent disciplines is desirable but not required, and may compensate for the required years of experience. 

• In the absence of a degree, administrative certification is an asset.

• A minimum of five (5) years of administrative, operations, logistics, travel management, asset management or related field experience, is required.

• Experience working in Google environment (G drive, Google Sheets and Google Docs) or MS Office is desirable.

• Experience in UN system organizations is desirable.

• Ability to work collaboratively and across teams is a strong asset.

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

• Basic knowledge of spoken and written French is an advantage.

• 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.