Portfolio Senior Assistant, Multiple positions

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 organisations. With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

The Geneva Office is looking for a highly motivated, skilled and experienced individual for the role of Portfolio Senior Assistant. Reporting to the Portfolio Manager, the Portfolio Senior Assistant works in close collaboration with both internal and external partners especially with UNOPS Bangkok Shared Service Center (BSSC), HR, Finance, Operations, and programme and projects personnel as well as with the focal points of the partner organizations to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery. The incumbent is responsible for implementation of operational strategies, portfolio planning, administration and management, knowledge building and knowledge sharing.

The positions are to be located in Geneva, Switzerland and Copenhagen, Denmark. 

• Act as the communication focal point for assigned HR projects which deliver UNOPS HR Services to respective partner in full compliance with UNOPS rules, regulation and SOPs;
• Assist with administration and regular monitoring of all budgetary, financial, procurement and routine aspects of project delivery;
• Assist with the preparation and processing of budgets and required formats in compliance with UNOPS requirements for internal approval, review of budgets to confirm if funds are available; run budget reports including transactions details and exceptions; Monitor expenditures, verification for accuracy of expenditure requests (Certification of Payments, invoices, Travel/Expense Claims) and availability of funds, completeness of documentation submitted;
• Create vendor details and approval follow-ups;
• Assist with issuance of contracts and process payroll for partner personnel;
• Monitoring of payments and follow up when problems arise; Review of payment vouchers and supporting documentation for completeness,accuracy, compliance with UNOPS FRRs and correctness of account code charges;
• Analyze project finances including contributions, expenditure and UNOPS charges monthly, and prepare adjustments as required;
• Extract partner financial reports for internal review and submission;
• Prepare invoices and follow up with partner contributions;
• Support administrative arrangements (e.g., logistics) for conferences/meetings;
• Interact with colleagues, clients, and partners to exchange information on administrative issues and seek co-operation. Resolution of routine administrative and process problems, referring complex issues to the supervisor with recommendations for a course of action;
• Create Requisitions and Purchase Orders (POs); performance of reconciliation activities such as closure and cancellation POs. Inquiries on PO details and activities. Generation of PO reports for expedition, status, and details information; and create receipts including information such as distributions, rejections, and cancellations;
• Maintain procurement/contract-tracking plan to review sub-contractor invoices and supporting documentation and ensure that services provided and claims are in conformity with the terms of the contract;
• Prepare routine project communications, documentation, reports, and contracts, checking documents for accuracy and compliance with UNOPS format and style;
• Prepare briefing materials, as required for mission travel and/or discussion on project activities and status;
• Prepare financial authorizations for project activities for approval of the Supervisor;
• Maintain accurate records of all operational and financial transactions for easy reference and retrieval; efficient document management including file closures, archiving and monitoring due dates for project progress status reports and submission by UNOPS of substantive and financial/budget utilization reports to clients;
• Process travel and expenses according to established procedures and practice;
• Support Senior Programme Manager in management, implementation, monitoring of HR, procurement and other related requests including monitoring tools.

• Full compliance with operations with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies, and strategies;
• Inputs to the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in operations, in consultation with the direct supervisor and office management.

• Input and update accurate data and information to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of project activities, and to institutionalize and disseminate knowledge.

a. Education 

Secondary school diploma or equivalent is required. A University Degree (Bachelor's or Master's) in a related field may substitute for some of the required number of years of experience.

b. Experience     

Required:

● Minimum five (5) years of progressive experience in administration, finance, project or programme support is required.

Desirable:

● Knowledge of OneUNOPS is desirable.
● Familiarity with UNOPS policies and procedures, especially with regard to finance, travel, procurement of personnel, goods, and services is desirable.
● Excellent computer skills, including business productivity suites (MSOffice365 and/or GSuite.

c. Languages

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of any other UN Language is an asset. 

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement 
Contract level: LICA 5 / ICS 5
Contract duration:  Open-ended subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and/or to 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.

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

 ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.