Operations - 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.

Since 1995, UNOPS has maintained an active presence in Afghanistan, delivering efficient, agile services in support of both humanitarian response and development efforts. Prior to August 2021, the Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) implemented projects across a broad range of sectors, including infrastructure, procurement, capacity building, and environmental protection. In response to evolving humanitarian needs, AFCO has shifted its focus to supporting life-saving initiatives and basic human needs. Current priorities include managing large-scale cash-for-work programmes, procuring emergency supplies, and providing inter-agency coordination, communication, and accountability support.

Under the direct guidance and supervision of the Senior Officer (ICS-9), the Operations Associate serves as the operational anchor for the VCEP and PVEP portfolios. Operating with a high degree of independence, the incumbent interprets rules, manages administrative and operational workflows, and ensures strict audit readiness across Human Resources, Finance, Administration, Logistics, and Procurement.

The Operations Associate is responsible for the direct supervision, workload distribution, and quality control of a Project Support Assistant (ICS-4), ensuring the project support unit operates efficiently. The incumbent resolves standard bottlenecks independently, escalating only complex exceptions to the Senior Officer. 

1.  Team Supervision and Operational Coordination

• Direct Supervision: Oversee the day-to-day tasks of the Project Support Assistant (ICS-4), providing clear guidance, assigning workflows, and monitoring performance delivery.

• Quality Assurance: Review and clear primary administrative and transactional outputs produced by the Assistant before they are escalated to the Senior Officer (ICS-9) or processed in the system.

• Capacity Building: Coach and mentor the ICS-4 Assistant on UNOPS operational guidelines, ERP system navigation, and proper file management procedures.

2. Procurement and Contract Management

• Process Management: Lead the review, refinement, and management of requisitions, local sourcing, and Requests for Payments (RFPs) for project supplies, services, and minor works, ensuring compliance with procurement frameworks.

• Asset & IT Oversight: Oversee the end-to-end procurement, delivery, and installation of office infrastructure and IT equipment, coordinating directly with the ICT unit to resolve systemic platform issues.

• Vendor Administration: Act as the operational focal point for local suppliers; track contract milestones, monitor deliverables, and address performance or compliance issues.

3. Financial and Budgetary Analysis

• Budget Monitoring: Independently monitor expenditures against approved project budgets; analyze variances, track UN Common Costs (CC), and provide regular risk-alert updates to the Senior Officer.

• Financial Ledger Coordination: Manage the process for General Ledger Journal Entries (GLJE) regarding salary redistributions, proactively coordinating with the Country Office Finance Unit to ensure timely completion.

• Audit Readiness: Lead the preparation for internal and external audits. Analyze audit requirements, coordinate file assemblies, perform quality control on documentation, and draft initial technical clarifications for audit queries.

4. Human Resources and Personnel Lifecycle Management

• Contract Administration: Oversee the contract extension process for national personnel and specialist consultants; review, validate, and facilitate the signature of Note to Files (NTFs).

• Workforce Tracking: Manage and maintain the project HR Plan and Recruitment Tracker; analyze staffing gaps and proactively liaise with HR to expedite Vacancy Announcements (VAs).

• Onboarding Logistics: Coordinate complex deployment logistics for incoming project personnel, including verifying Work from Home (WfH) internet allowances, asset allocations, and compliance logs.

5. General Administration and Information Management

• Information Architecture: Enforce strict organizational file-naming conventions and digital filing structures across the project database to guarantee immediate retrieval and institutional memory.

• Document Control: Coordinate and quality-assure the translation of critical official documents into Dari and Pashto, ensuring high-accuracy packages are prepared for Ministry of Finance (MoF) submissions.

• Travel and Mission Logistics: Oversee the international travel and logistics tracker; coordinate security clearance inputs, visa processing, accommodation, and secure airport transits.

• Asset & Inventory Management: Maintain and reconcile the comprehensive Project Inventory and Asset register, preparing formal documentation for eventual asset disposals or transfers.

Required

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

• A bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field with 2 years of relevant experience is required.

Required

• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience with a secondary school diploma, or 2 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree or higher, in project operations, finance, HR, procurement, or administrative support.

Desired

• Experience working within a UN System organization. 

• Direct experience managing operations or audit responses for large-scale donor-funded projects (e.g., ADB).  

• Experience in team leadership or supervising junior support staff is highly desirable.

• 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.