Project Assistant

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.
UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources.


Working with us
We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.

Diversity
With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.



Work life harmonization
UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Background Information 

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects on behalf of UN agencies and bilateral donors and in close coordination with the Government and national authorities. With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development and technical management, and provides financial, human resources and infrastructure-related services. 

The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations of UNOPS, to achieve the outcomes sought by the clients.

UNOPS has been active in Lebanon since 2015, delivering projects in support of the Government of Lebanon and partners. Since the explosion at the Beirut Port on 4 August 2020, UNOPS has significantly scaled up its presence in the country to support the humanitarian response and both its presence and portfolio have undergone expansion

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

UNOPS is committed to achieving a fully diverse workforce.

The Project aims to To increase the operational capacities and resilience of the national health system in Homs to provide secondary healthcare.

The Homs Health Directorate requested UNOPS to support the rehabilitation of one of the annexes of Homs Grand Hospital. This annex building consists of three stories: 

The basement: operation room, X-rays units, storages, water treatment units and medical gasses room 

The ground floor: emergency unit, kidney unit and outpatients' clinics.

The first floor: 16 rooms for in-patients each with a separate bathroom. 

The building needs to be rehabilitated to mainly provide medical services for a kidney unit and an emergency unit, through UNOPS’s  intervention, the hospital will be able to provide secondary healthcare services, particularly to increase the capacity of trauma and surgery services by restoring emergency unit, operation rooms, inpatients wards with the necessary facilities such as kitchen/laundry rooms for in-patient treatment.

During the 24 months duration of the project, the main activities of the project is to rehabilitate Homs Grand Hospital - Annex 1 including the Procurement, installation and commissioning of generators and solar photovoltaic (PV) hybrid systems to supply electricity at the hospital, in addition to the Procurement and installation of a medical waste management system to treat medical and infectious waste.

The Project Assistant will work in close collaboration with the Project Support Office, Admin Finance Officer and other project teams for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving project-related issues and information delivery. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNOPS programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

Administrative management: 

• Pro-actively contribute to day-to-day project implementation and ensure conformity to expected results and project work-plans; 

• Maintain project correspondence and communication; 

• Collect, register and maintain all information on project activities; 

• Advise all project counterparts on applicable administrative procedures and ensures their proper implementation; 

• Contribute to the preparation and implementation of progress reports; 

• Prepare agendas and arrange field visits, appointments and meetings both internal and external related to the project activities and write minutes from the meetings; 

• Maintain project filing system; 

• Prepare routine correspondence and memoranda for Project Managers signature; 

• Receive, screen and distribute correspondence and attach necessary background information 

• Provide support and follow up project staff in the implementation of their tasks for the achievement of project results (communication, contracts, agendas, visas, hotel reservations, etc); 

• Support to maintain records on all project personnel and their respective status (ToRs, time and attendance – if appropriate, etc.) in accordance with accepted policies and procedures; 

• Assist in logistical organization of meetings, training and workshops; 

• Follow-up on timely disbursements by UNOPS;

• Provide support to supervisors with the control of the attendance records of their supervised personnel and support with the follow up on leave plan and update remaining balance;

• Advise staff on all aspects of allowances, travel claims and other financial matters and calculate payments due for claims and services; 

• Undertake other administrative tasks on an ad hoc basis.

Procurement: 

• Provide support with the  procurement and logistical arrangements, perform daily procurement actions for the implementation of Project  activities such as procurement of equipment, goods and services, providing all documents in time and in compliance with UNOPS procurement procedures and rules;

• Prepare all the necessary documentation for tenders (ITBs, RFQs), liaise with Amman office to organise the Evaluation panel members and, if required,  development of Evaluation reports according to the UNOPS established procurement procedures;

• Support ensuring customs clearance of all imported goods (if any) and proper administration of the procurement process until the final acceptance of goods/services;

• Liaise with UNOPS  Amman Office the procurement processes;

• In accordance with the Work Plan arrange for procurement of equipment, supplies and services; 

• Create and manage e-requisitions and ensure that all necessary procurement related data are recorded in OneUnops;

• Arrange for equipment maintenance and insurance as required; 

• Provide administrative support to ensure that contractual processes follow the stipulated UNOPS procedures; 

• Physically clear and ensure delivery of equipment and supplies procured for the various programme sites;

• Maintain records over project equipment inventory;

• Ensure timely preparation of documentation for reporting on procurement activities; 

• Assist in developing and implementation of the Project Procurement Plan, identifying procurement related priorities;

• Ensure regular update of a database of contract documentation, terms of references, list of suppliers of goods and services;

• Assure proper filing of all procurement related documentation;

• Perform any other duties assigned by his/her direct supervisor.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience; 

• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills

Secondary education certificate/certificate in administration, management or any related field preferred. Diploma in similar fields would be an added advantage

• Minimum of five years’ work experience in administration.
• Experience in procurement  is highly desired. 
• Proven experience in a similar position within the United Nations or in a humanitarian organization is desired.
• Strong oral communication skills

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
• The position is open for national only.
• Homs is a non family duty station.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, 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 recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.