Administration Senior Officer

The Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR), based in Geneva, is responsible for the effective management, coordination and oversight of UNOPS operations across the region. The ECR region spans the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Türkiye, where UNOPS works with partners to achieve sustainable impact in health, education, environmental management, housing, rule of law, good governance, economic development, and social inclusion. With a wealth of experience in procurement, infrastructure, project and grant management, UNOPS in the region directly implements projects, provides technical advisory services and capacity building to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in support of national governments.

On 24 February 2022, the military of the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, with strikes across the territory of Ukraine. Since then, Russia’s invasion imposes a severe humanitarian and socio-economic toll, global energy and food crisis, large-scale destruction of the country's infrastructure, and disruptions in the provision of critical services and degradation of social fabrics and communities’ ties, triggering one of the world’s most significant forced displacements.

Severe attacks on energy and critical infrastructure facilities leave millions of people without electricity, water or heating supply, struggling to access water, food, health services, materials to repair homes, among others. The continued attacks cause substantial damage to the country’s economy and agricultural production, and also affect the poorest countries worldwide.

UNOPS support to partners spans the humanitarian-development nexus from emergency response to building back better, across the housing, health, education, transport, energy and mine action sectors, through infrastructure, procurement and technical assistance / project management interventions, with the ultimate aim of supporting the country on its EU accession and in its achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The UNOPS Ukraine and Eastern Europe MCO (UEMCO) operates in Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland, supporting urgent humanitarian needs while building pathways for recovery and development. In Ukraine, UEMCO delivers large-scale infrastructure, energy, housing, education, and mine action projects in partnership with UN agencies, international financial institutions, the European Union, and bilateral donors. Its agile portfolio responds to fast-evolving needs with strong procurement and implementation capacity. In Moldova, UEMCO supports justice sector reform and is exploring opportunities to expand its role across public sector modernization and infrastructure. In Poland, UEMCO works with government and private sector actors to strengthen ties with UN procurement and contribute to Ukraine’s recovery, leveraging Poland’s EU experience to support Ukraine’s future accession and integration.

The Administration Senior Officer supports the Head of Support Services in leading the Administration function across the MCO. The role oversees key administration service areas, including fleet management, logistics and travel, ICT support, premises, and asset management, ensuring efficient, compliant, and client-oriented service delivery.

The position operates in a complex, multi-country and high-risk environment, requiring strong coordination, operational planning, and adaptability to support project implementation across diverse locations, including field offices.

The Administration Senior Officer supports the development, coordination, and continuous improvement of administration service delivery across the MCO. The role contributes as a business partner to the Head of Support Services and Programme teams, ensuring that services are efficient, scalable, and compliant, and effectively support project delivery in a complex, multi-country and high-risk environment. The position supports operational planning, strengthens systems and performance monitoring, and ensures effective and reliable administrative support to programme implementation. The position reviews and analyzes administration practices, processes, and outputs, and contributes substantive inputs to their improvement and adaptation to evolving operational requirements.

1. Operational Strategy and Business Partnering

• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of the Administration service delivery approach across the MCO, ensuring alignment with portfolio needs, geographic footprint, and operational realities.

• Contribute as a business partner to Programme and Project teams, translating delivery requirements into effective administration support models.

• Provide advice on administration service delivery approaches, including comparative analysis of available options and their implications for efficiency, risk, and operational performance.

• Provide structured operational inputs to the Head of Support Services and Finance on resource requirements, service constraints, and efficiency considerations.

• Contribute to the review of existing administration practices and approaches, supporting their adaptation to changing operational contexts and requirements

2. Administration Service Delivery and Operational Oversight

• Oversee and ensure efficient, timely, and client-oriented delivery of administration services across the MCO.

• Coordinate administrative support to projects, ensuring alignment with implementation timelines and operational priorities.

• Ensure full compliance of administration services with UNOPS rules, policies and procedures, as well as applicable standards of accountability, ethics, and integrity.

• Strengthen cross-functional coordination with Procurement, HR, Finance, and Security functions to support integrated and effective project delivery.

3. Systems Development, Performance Monitoring and Optimization

• Support the use and continuous improvement of administration systems and tools, including fleet management, asset tracking, travel and logistics coordination, ICT support, and administration-related contract management

• Establish and maintain performance monitoring mechanisms and dashboards to track service efficiency, quality, and responsiveness.

• Analyze administration data and service delivery performance, and provide inputs to support operational decision-making and continuous improvement.

• Identify and implement process improvements and efficiency measures, promoting standardization, scalability, and continuous improvement across locations.

4. Field Support, Operational Resilience and Risk Management

• Support the implementation and ongoing improvement of administration support arrangements for field locations, ensuring effective operations in diverse and high-risk environments.

• Ensure business continuity and operational readiness, including preparedness for disruptions related to security conditions, infrastructure limitations, and access constraints.

• Coordinate with the Security function on operational support arrangements, including fleet usage and mission planning.

• Identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks related to administration services, ensuring appropriate internal controls are established and maintained.

• Support audit processes and ensure timely implementation of recommendations related to administration areas.

5. Team Leadership and Knowledge Management

• Provide direct supervision of the Administration team members, ensuring effective work planning, prioritization, and delivery of services.

• Promote a high-performance and client-oriented culture through coaching, performance management, and continuous learning and development.

• Support knowledge sharing, process documentation, and continuous improvement initiatives within the Administration unit.

• Facilitate capacity development and learning initiatives to strengthen team capabilities and adapt to evolving operational requirements.

• Act as delegated focal point for the Head of Support Services on administration-related matters, as required.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in in Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, or related fields with 4 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 2 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate in Project Management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2)is desired.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in administration, operations managementor related areas. 

Desired

• Experience of working in international organizations or the UN system is desired.

• Experience in high-risk or conflict-affected environments is desired.

• 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. 
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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.