Project and Research Assistant

UNOPS is providing advisory services to the local government of Changchun for the development of a 10 square kilometres Asia-Pacific Agricultural & Food Safety Industrial Demonstration Zone (food safety project) in Changchun City.

This project aims to address the increasing concerns and demands for safe agricultural and food products by consumers and to upgrade the living quality of thousands of low-income families around Changchun area, yield positive impacts to local crop growing and bolster a more sustainable local economy.

 The demonstration zone will consist of 9 sub-parks (Organic Agriculture: Agriculture and Food Machinery and Equipment; Food-related Industry Corporation Headquarters: R&D and Incubators; e-Commerce and Logistics; International Exhibition/Conference Centre; Smart Business; Multi-functional residential area) plus 4 public supportive platforms from financing, talent training, servicing and innovation to incubating.

The objective of the project is to successfully develop a demonstration case on industry optimization and upgrading, with integrated international environment-friendly Organic Agriculture R&D, Safety Monitoring for the whole Food Production Value-chain, highly reliable Traceable Process and a Marketing Model. This success model could be used in the agriculture and food safety industry in other developing countries.

Under the direct supervision of the senior project manager of Changchun Project, the incumbent shall be responsible to:

Project Support:

• Provide general administrative support, maintain and update files/records;
• Assist with the administration and monitoring of all budgetary, financial, procurement and operational aspects of service delivery;
• Assist with the preparation of project work plans and ensure implementation of the planned envisaged activities;
• Drafting of project communications, documentation, reports and contracts, checking documents for accuracy and compliance with UNOPS format and style;
• Support reports and project briefs development in close consultation with the project director/senior officers;
• Provide support with business promotion implementation;
• Provide support to research activities;
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders when necessary;
• Produce concise regular updates and write report briefs for the project director/senior officers (implementation progress, situational updates, operational requirements);
• Draft routine correspondence, reports and other documents; research and compile background materials for reports, briefings, etc;
• Perform other activities or temporary assignments as required.
• Maintenance of accurate electronic records of all operational and financial transactions for easy reference and retrieval;
• Assist with travel arrangements in accordance with established procedures and practices;
• Continuously interact with colleagues, clients and partners to exchange information on administrative issues and seek co-operation;
• Perform other activities or temporary assignments as required.

Education

• Secondary Education is required;
• University degree, preferably in Enterprise Management, Business Administration, International Relations, or other relevant discipline is desired and may substitute for some of the required years of experience; 

Work Experience

• A minimum of 4 years of experience in project support is required, preferably with focus on monitoring & reporting, development and coordination in either public or private sector organizations.
• Experience in agriculture & food safety industrial Development context and/or market, with access to political and industry executives would be an asset;
• Working experience with UN system, government or NGOs is a plus;
• Experience and knowledge of ERP systems would be an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Chinese (Mandarin) is required.

• Knowledge Management and Learning
• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Development and Operational Effectiveness
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
• Remains calm, in control even under pressure
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Ability to allocate appropriate time and resources for completing the work and managing conflicting priorities

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.