Programme 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 UNOPS office in Geneva is acting as the hosting agency of the Secretariat of ATscale. ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is a cross-sectoral partnership with a mission to improve people’s lives through assistive technology. Assistive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive products/devices and associated services. ATscale catalyzes action to ensure that, by 2030, an additional 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) get the life-changing assistive technology they need.

For more information, please check the ATscale website: https://atscalepartnership.org. 

The Programme Assistant will report to the Senior Programme Manager (P4) and work closely with the ATscale programme team.

As part of the Global Portfolio 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 UNOPS office in Geneva is acting as the hosting agency of the Secretariat of ATscale. ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, is a cross-sectoral partnership with a mission to improve people’s lives through assistive technology. Assistive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive products/devices and associated services. ATscale catalyzes action to ensure that, by 2030, an additional 500 million people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) get the life-changing assistive technology they need.

For more information, please check the ATscale website: https://atscalepartnership.org. 

The Programme Assistant will report to the Senior Programme Manager (P4) and work closely with the ATscale programme team.

The key purpose of this role is to support Senior Programme Managers with preparation of documents for the conceptualization and development of new AT programmes in partnership with Chinese stakeholders, strengthen current relationships with Chinese stakeholders, as well as support implementation and monitoring of ongoing programmes. The role is also expected to provide ad-hoc support to Senior Programme Managers in research and analysis of documents, while also providing broader programmatic and administrative support handling documents in Chinese.

Specific responsibilities include:

1. To support Senior Programme Manager(s) in translating, interpreting, writing, editing  and reviewing support of programme documents from English to Mandarin and vice versa

2. Supporting Senior Programme Managers in research, analysis and drafting documents on key questions related to China and ATscale’s programmes and AT more broadly, 

3. Support Senior Programme Manager(s) in communications and the process to identify Chinese stakeholders, to facilitate programme development and implementation

4. Participate and/or support the organization of events, meetings, events, webinars, workshops, including support to prepare documents, such as briefs, agendas, factsheets and all other relevant materials in both Mandarin and English languages. which require involvement of Chinese stakeholders, for example AT Expo China, etc

Some responsibilities may evolve or additional responsibilities may be included depending on how the project advances. 

The most critical deliverables include ongoing support in development of communications and programmatic material for Chinese stakeholders in English and Mandarin.

Required

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

Desired

• A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), preferably in international relations, international development, linguistics, public relationships, English or Chinese languages and related fields.

Required

• 4 years of relevant work experience in supporting the drafting of programme documents in English and Chinese, such as concept notes, proposals, papers, official letters, etc.

• A First-level University Degree as stated above may be considered in lieu of the 4 years of experience.

• Excellent writing skills in English and Mandarin, demonstrated through relevant papers, presentations, publications, etc

Desired

• Specific experience engaging with the UN, international partners and/or government stakeholders, especially in China

• Experience in research and analysis in an international development context

• Experience in event management

• 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.
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• 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.