Southern Africa is a region facing growing challenges relating to transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking, drug use and drug use disorders and related health and mental health conditions. Evidence-based drug use and drug use disorder services are not reasonably available in Southern Africa and there is a need for more technical and programmatic support aimed at scaling up and intensifying drug demand reduction, in particular treatment for drug use disorders, harm reduction such as Opioid Agonist Therapy, Needle and Syringe Programmes and overdose prevention services. There is a need to scale up evidence-based drug demand and harm reduction among especially populations with special clinical needs such as youth, women and children and people in closed settings and rolling out Alternatives to Incarceration for people who use drugs in contact with the criminal justice system.

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.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  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.  

The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP). It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed a Global Agreement with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to operationally support the implementation of their mandate through the provision of Human Resources services.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), an office under the UN Secretariat, was established in 1997 to assist member states in their efforts to combat illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism, and is one of the partners under UNTSS. 

Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, UNODC operates globally to support the development and implementation of policies and programmes that address a wide range of issues, including drug trafficking and abuse, organized crime, corruption, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, cybercrime, and terrorism prevention. Through research, policy advice, capacity-building, and technical assistance, UNODC works to strengthen justice systems, promote international cooperation, and uphold the rule of law and human rights in the fight against transnational threats.

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.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  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.  

The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP). It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed a Global Agreement with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to operationally support the implementation of their mandate through the provision of Human Resources services.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), an office under the UN Secretariat, was established in 1997 to assist member states in their efforts to combat illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism, and is one of the partners under UNTSS. 

Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, UNODC operates globally to support the development and implementation of policies and programmes that address a wide range of issues, including drug trafficking and abuse, organized crime, corruption, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, cybercrime, and terrorism prevention. Through research, policy advice, capacity-building, and technical assistance, UNODC works to strengthen justice systems, promote international cooperation, and uphold the rule of law and human rights in the fight against transnational threats.

The post is located at the UNODC Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSAF) in Pretoria. The incumbent will work under the overall authority of the Regional Representative of UNODC, the direct supervision of the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice officers based at the UNODC Programme Office in Mozambique (POMOZ), and at UNODC Headquarters in Vienna (Terrorism Prevention Branch).

The Administration Senior Assistant supports office operations by carrying out a range of standard administrative processes, ensuring accuracy, efficiency and high-quality outcomes.  It supports the organization of meetings and events, project finance and procurement processes, and the maintenance of accurate project records and documentation.

• Administrative Support

• Provide administrative support for national, regional and cross-regional meetings, seminars, workshops, trainings and conferences 

• Compile and organize information for periodic audits.

• Manage petty cash transactions in accordance with established procedures.

• Travel and Logistics

• Process travel transactions (authorizations and claims) in the ERP system, including requests for visas for national, regional and cross-regional meetings, seminars, workshops, training and conferences ensuring compliance with UN rules and regulations.

• Provide information on air services, rates, and schedules for specific itineraries.

• Process travel claims, purchase orders, payments, and contracts for national, regional and cross-regional meetings, seminars, workshops, trainings and conferences 

• Arrange hotel reservations and organize airport pickups for national, regional and cross-regional meetings, seminars, workshops, trainings and conferences.

• Monitor project expenditures and compare them with the approved budget and follow through with closing open commitments. Regularly update programme managers on the status of open commitments. 

• Maintain strong working relationships with government ministries.

• Maintain contact with beneficiaries regarding administrative processes.

• Provide timely updates to the programme managers on administrative steps, project file status, and pending issues.

• Review and close open obligations.

• Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Provide planning support for logistics, travel, inventory and facilities management-related training sessions and learning initiatives.

• Participate in the delivery and facilitation of knowledge-sharing activities to build administrative, logistics, travel, inventory and facilities management capacity within the organization.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 5 years of relevant experience OR

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 1 year of relevant experience is required.

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate in Administration is desired.

Required

• Relevant work experience is defined as experience in administration, logistics, operations or related areas.

• Experience in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc.) and web-based management systems is required.

• Experience in organizing national and regional, seminars and training, workshops and conferences.

Desired

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

• Experience in working with countries in the Southern African region

• Experience organizing cross-regional meetings

• Understanding of substantive matters related to the mandate of UNODC, as well as the nature of UNODC’s implementing partners and stakeholders in Southern Africa

• Knowledge of various UNODC administrative procedures particularly procurement and finance.

• 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.