Administration Associate

The Asia Pacific Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand, provides strategic leadership and oversight for UNOPS operations across 17 countries, ensuring high performance, operational excellence, and alignment with organizational goals. Operations currently span Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands. Across these countries, we work closely with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and maximize impact through five main operating units: Afghanistan (AFCO), Myanmar (MMCO), South Asia Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), and the Asia Regional Health Cluster (ARHC). Through these entities, we provide agile, client-focused service delivery across diverse sectors - including infrastructure, health, procurement, and project management - supporting the implementation of sustainable development solutions across the region.

The East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO), headquartered in Bangkok, supports UNOPS operations across 24 countries in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and the Pacific. Established in January 2023, EAPMCO provides strategic direction, operational support, and quality assurance to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of projects across its portfolio. EAPMCO implements initiatives in priority areas such as energy transition, climate change, and sustainable development, drawing on UNOPS' core expertise in human resources, procurement, infrastructure, fund management, and programme management.

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines supports the government and development partners in advancing sustainable development through services including sustainable procurement, project and grant management, infrastructure, and logistical support. UNOPS projects in the Philippines focus on key areas such as governance, justice, health, and infrastructure, with a strong emphasis on capacity building, community resilience, and accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.

In 2024, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 80 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.

Background Information – Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants and project management to advance the justice reform agenda of the government of the Philippines through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. With funding from the European Union, UNOPS also supports the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, working with the Government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to strengthen capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition. Supporting the Department of Health under a World Bank in the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Program, UNOPS has provided nutritional commodities and services for expecting mothers and young children from 2023 to 2025.

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law,  and governance sectors.

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Administration Senior Officer, the incumbent performs and delivers technical and administrative support services, covering specialized and non-specialized processes and transactions for discrete work areas in administration and logistics, ensuring efficient, client oriented, and effective service delivery. The Administration Associate promotes a client, quality, and results-oriented approach, ensuring utilization of office resources in the most cost-effective manner. 

1. Management Support 

• Coordinates individual work areas and coaches personnel in the execution of standard office transactions, processes, and client services for work areas, ensuring full compliance with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies, and strategies, and knowledge of the work areas. 
• Monitors team performance against service agreements with clients, and client satisfaction 
• Implements the control mechanism for designated administrative services, including maintenance of administrative control records such as commitments and expenditures. 
• Administers inventory control, supervising proper issuance of inventory items and supplies. 
• Reviews travel authorizations, documentation, and payments 
• May be designated transactional role in the OneUNOPS/Enterprise system
• Compiles data and researches information for planning of financial resources/administrative budget for administrative services. 

2. Team Management 

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high-quality results and services of the team supervised through effective work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development. 
• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

3. Logistics, Asset Management Services 

• Ensures effective and efficient provision of logistics and asset management  support services, meeting client needs and in compliance with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies, and strategies
• Oversees the implementation of the logistics system in accordance with UNOPS logistical procedures.
• Coordinates and supervises processes and services in shipments and customs clearance, travel, events management, administrative surveys, transportation services and insurance, building/facilities/space management, office supplies. 
• Coordinates supply and assets management services and physical verification of inventory items, ensuring timely preparation and submission of periodic inventory reports 
• Oversees protocol matters, ensuring efficient delivery of client services, including registration of staff and host government authorizations.
• Manages liaison and coordination with local authorities on authorizations/privileges and immunities for UNOPS personnel, office space and other administrative matters. 
• Compiles information on administrative services provided for cost-recovery bills. 
• May supervise transportation services, including client service, regular vehicle maintenance, insurance, and monitoring of consumption. 
• Ensures prompt reporting and investigation of vehicle accidents, damage, loss, or theft of items; update and maintenance of vehicle history report. 
• Supervises external contractor for transportation services, including client service and processing of invoices. 

4. 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 lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in human resources. 
• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 6 years of relevant experience OR

Desired

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, or related disciplines with 2 years of relevant experience is desirable.

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

Required

• Relevant experience is work in general administrative, logistics, or operations support services in national or international public or corporate organizations,or related areas. 

• Proficiency in computers and office software packages (MS Office) and experience in handling web-based management systems is required.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.

• Experience in use of Enterprise systems including OneUNOPS is desirable..

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. 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.

• 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click 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.