Administration Assistant

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. The EU-UNOPS Lives in Dignity (LiD) Grant Facility is also based here.

The Water, Environment, and Climate (WEC) portfolio, based in Vienna with offices worldwide, is part of the UNOPS Geneva Office. Over the past 15 years, WEC has built strong partnerships and effectively managed a portfolio exceeding 500 million USD, supporting key initiatives through fund management, project implementation, and administrative support.

WEC translates partners' agendas into action through global, regional, and country-specific initiatives focused on climate action, environmental protection, and conservation. Partners benefit from WEC’s ability to implement and scale their strategic priorities, including support for key multilateral environmental and climate agreements such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the world’s largest alliance of cities committed to climate action and sustainable urban development. It supports local governments in reducing emissions, strengthening resilience, and improving access to sustainable energy, while providing a common framework for planning, reporting, and implementing climate initiatives aligned with global commitments such as the Paris Agreement.

UNOPS provides implementation services to the European Commission (EC) and DG CLIMA specifically to support the transformation of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) into a high-impact, implementation-enabling platform. 

The Administration Assistant provides executive and administrative support to the team, including calendar and travel coordination, protocol compliance and support to the organization of meetings, workshops and events. The role supports project planning and monitoring,  smooth running of the office, timely logistics coordination and high-quality administrative services. The position requires strong organizational skills, client focus and experience in executive and administrative support.

1. Project Support

• Provide administrative support to project planning, implementation and monitoring in line with UNOPS rules, regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

• Assist in the preparation of reports, briefing materials, and internal meeting notes for management and stakeholders.

• Support tracking tools maintenance and project operational archiving.

2. Travel, Logistics and Workshop Support

• Support the coordination and organization of logistics for meetings, workshops, conferences and steering committee events, including travel, accommodation, catering and security arrangements.

• Assist in processing travel authorizations, expense claims, and reimbursements for personnel and partners in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.

• Support smooth execution of events and timely resolution of logistical issues.

3. Procurement and Administrative Support

• Provide support to procurement processes, including preparation of requisitions, purchase orders (POs) and payment requests.

• Maintain accurate and organized documentation of procurement, financial and administrative activities for audit and reference.

• Support the PM Specialist in project’s operational and financial monitoring. 

• Provide administrative and logistical support to senior management, including scheduling, mission planning and preparation of travel documentation.

• Support coordination of meetings, including note-taking and follow-up on action points.

• Assist in processing operational advances, and other administrative transactions in line with established protocols.

• Provide office management support, ensuring that workspace, facilities, and services are well-maintained and adequate to a positive and productive work environment. 

5. Knowledge Building and Sharing

• Participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives and Communities of Practice (CoPs), contributing inputs and lessons learned.

• Support the drafting of reports, summaries and briefing notes.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 4 years of relevant experience OR

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 0 years of relevant experience is required.

Required

• Relevant experience is work in administration services and project environment at the international levelor related areas. 

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

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations.

• Experience with EU-funded projects implementation.

• Prior UNOPS experience. 

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• 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. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• 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.