Tiered Approach

 In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

 Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

BackgroundBackground and Organizational Context

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) operates in more than 170 countries and territories, providing support for policy development, leadership and partnership skills, institutional capacity building, and resilience strengthening to promote sustainable development. In Colombia, UNDP works across 32 departments and 360 municipalities.

UNDP is part of the 26 UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes in Colombia, contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The UNDP Country Programme Document (CPD) 2025-2027 aims to support the Colombian government's efforts in transitioning towards peace and consolidating its status as an upper-middle-income country. It focuses on four key priorities: 1) Peacebuilding, human security, and social justice, 2) Social protection and socio-economic inclusion, 3) Environment, climate action, and energy transition and 4) Enablers of the 2030 Agenda. 

At the programmatic level, UNDP Colombia is structured into two Clusters and five Portfolios: The Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster, which includes the Sustainable Development Portfolio and the Productive Inclusion and Social Protection Portfolio and The Peacebuilding and Inclusive Governance Cluster, which encompasses the Democratic Governance Portfolio, the Peacebuilding Portfolio, and the Crisis Response and Rule of Law Portfolio.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Operations Manager, the Operations Assistant provides support to office operations performing a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Operations Assistant promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach.

The Operations Assistant works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and projects staff in the CO 

Position Purpose

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Operations Manager, the Operations Assistant provides support to office operations performing a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high quality and accuracy of work.  The Operations Assistant may coordinate and supervise drivers. The Operations Assistant promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach.

The Operations Assistant works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and projects staff in the CO and other UN agencies staff to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration

Key Duties and Accountabilities

1.)    Implement operational strategies in alignment with governing rules and regulations and with a focus on consistency and quality.
  • Ensure full compliance of administrative activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
  • Provide inputs to the CO administrative business processes mapping and implementation of the internal standard operating procedures (SOPs). 
  • Provide inputs to preparation of administrative team results-oriented workplans. 
  

2.) Provide support for assets management. 
  • Maintain records on assets management and prepare reports. 
  • Maintain the filing system ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials. 
  
3.)  Provide support for effective administrative and financial control in the Country Office.
  • Assist in the preparation of budget and information for audit. 
  • Research, retrieve statistical data, and extract other data from internal and external sources; prepare statistical charts, tables and reports. 
  • Review travel authorizations, documentation, payments. 
  • Review and verify documents on vendor creation set-up information in ERP.
  
4.)   Provide appropriate and required administrative and logistical services to the Country Office.
  • Provide support to the oversight of outsourcing services contracted by the Country Office, such as security, surveillance, cleaning, and cafeteria services, by carrying out ongoing follow-up, accompaniment, and authorization of personnel engaged through outsourcing arrangements.
  • Serve as custodian for management of office stationery supplies, including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery as required by staff, and keeping a log of distribution. 
  • Provide support to organization of procurement processes, including preparation of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents, and receipt of quotations, bids or proposals and their preliminary evaluation.  Prepare POs. Organize shipments and customs clearance arrangements.   Prepare documents/documentation for UNDP shipments (received/sent) and implement follow-up actions.  Perform Buyer role in ERP.
  • Provide support to staff members and their dependents by processing requests for visas, identity cards and other documents in accordance with requirements of the United Nations and national government.
  • Arrange vehicle transportation, regular vehicle maintenance and insurance. Check and record vehicle daily log and gas consumption, update and maintain vehicle history report. 
  • Follow up on deadlines, commitments made, actions taken, and coordination of collection and submission of the reports to head of unit. 
  • Provide support to the organization/maintenance of common services and maintenance of common premises. Maintain files and records relevant to office maintenance. 
  • Maintain contacts with visitors and staff, arrange appointments and meetings, and when needed, take minutes, act as an interpreter and/or translate simple correspondence. Compile and prepare briefing and presentation materials, speeches, background information and documentation for meetings and missions.
  
5.)  Support knowledge building and sharing in the Country Office.
  • Help organize and participate in training for the operations/projects staff on administration. 
  • Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. 
  
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: May supervise drivers and personnel of outsourced service providers.

Requirements

Education

  • Secondary education is required
  • University Degree in administrative sciences, social sciences, engineering,  or equivalent field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.
  • Certifications in Administration and Procurement are desirable.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

  • Minimum of 5 years (with high school diploma) or 2 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in administration, Logistic, operations or programme/project support services. 
  • Experience in the use of computers, office software (MS Word, Excel, etc), database packages, and web-based management systems such as ERP.
  • Experience beyond the minimum required, particularly providing support for operations, programmes or projects, is highly desirable.
  • Experience supervising personnel within the past five (5) years is highly desirable.
  • Experience in applying UNDP rules and policies is highly desirable.

Language Requirements

  • Fluency in Spanish is required. 
  • Working Knowledge of English is desirable

Expected Demonstration of Competencies

Core : Full list of UNDP Core Competencies can be found here  

Achieve Results

 LEVEL 2:  Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work

Think Innovatively

 LEVEL 2:  Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking 

Learn Continuously

 LEVEL 2:  Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning

Adapt with Agility 

 LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination  LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously

Engage and Partner

 LEVEL 2:  Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

 LEVEL 2:  Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

People Management (Insert below standard sentence if the position has direct reports.)

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area Name Definition
     
Business Management Customer Satisfaction/Client Management
  • Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. 
  • Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
  • Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. 
  • Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns. 
Business Management Operations Management
  • Ability to effectively plan, organize, and oversee the Organization’s business processes in order to convert its assets into the best results in the most efficient manner. 
  • Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms

Administration & Operations 

UN travel documents 
  • Knowledge of regulatory frameworks and processes related to UN travel documents; ability to facilitate the insurance of UN travel documents for UNDP and UN agencies; processing of visas, and ensure oversight and endorsement 

Administration & Operations 

Entitlement travel 
  • Knowledge of policy and procedures related to entitlement travel, including the identification of entitlement for lump sum for UNDP as well as other UN agencies
Administration & Operations  Asset Management
  • Knowledge of policy & procedures on PP&E; ability to prepare financial statements on PP&E; maintain Asset Management Module in ERP, perform analytical review of AM reports and asset information to ensure completeness and accuracy of asset information
Administration & Operations Vehicle management
  • Knowledge of policy and procedures on fleet management
Procurement Procurement Management
  • The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source. 
Ethics Ethics Advice & Guidance
  • Ability to quickly analyse complex fact patterns and provide comprehensive, sensitive, and confidential ethics advice and guidance

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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