Multi-Country Programme Assistant

Support volunteer mobilization and manage programs effectively

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Saturday 1 Mar 2025 at 00:00 UTC

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Overview

Support volunteer mobilization and manage programs effectively

You have:

  • At least 3 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in human resource, office management and administration, programme support, learning administration, etc.
  • Experience with volunteer management is an asset, as well as experience working in the UN or other international development organization.
  • Experience and knowledge in using enterprise resource planning and/or other similar software systems is an asset.
  • Good skills of office administration and computer literacy.
  • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills.
  • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.
  • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
  • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNV’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

.The UNV Regional Offices (RO) provide oversight and strategic guidance to the UNV Field Units in their respective geographical assignments and are mainly accountable for the placement of UN Volunteers mobilized for UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes focused on peace, development and humanitarian needs. Furthermore, the Regional Offices represent, and strategically position, UNV and bring UNV’s services and solutions closer to its partners from governments, UN entities, civil society and private sector.

The UNV Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) is currently covering 34 countries of assignments, including 12 countries with the UNV Field Units on the ground. UN Volunteer placements and partnerships in the countries with no UNV Field Units are being managed by ROAP directly in coordination with UNDP/UNV capacities on the ground (if applicable).

Under overall leadership of the Manager, Regional Office, and close coordination with the Regional Portfolio Manager, the national UN Volunteer Multi-Country Programme Assistant is supervised by the Regional Portfolio Specialists in charge for the countries with no UNV field presence. The Multi-Country Programme Assistant provides operational assistance to the countries and follows up on relationships with key counterparts and other stakeholders to enhance UNV’s role in key programmatic interventions, ensures quality performance, contributes to increasing volunteer mobilization targets. S/he is responsible for support with volunteer mobilization and deployments as well as with duty of care for UN Volunteers in the countries with no UNV field presence and/or any other assigned countries by the regional management.

Within the delegated authority by the Regional Manager in close coordination with the Regional Portfolio Manager and under the direct supervision of the Regional Portfolio Specialists in charge for the countries with no UNV Field Units, the UNV Multi-Country Programme Assistant will be responsible for the following.

Volunteer mobilization and deployment support • Support the recruitment, deployment and assignment management of all UN Volunteer modalities; • Monitor and flag any issues with the files of all UN Volunteers in UVP assigned to the portfolio, ensuring that all correspondence and periodic reports (online) are properly kept, and that related matters requiring action are brought to the attention of his/her supervisor; • Monitor and keep records of the contractual status of all serving UN Volunteers and flag to his/her supervisor follow-up actions on assignment extensions, renewals and replacements; • Maintain up to date contact records of all serving UN Volunteers, including their recognized dependents; • Ensure full compliance of the request and selection of UN Volunteers by UN entities with relevant UNV rules and procedures; • Liaise with UNV HQ and/or country of recruitment on the logistical and travel arrangements of arriving UN Volunteers and his/her recognized dependents; • Facilitate with the UN entities government clearance and entry visas of incoming UN Volunteers and their recognized dependents; • Provide the necessary advisory support to UN Volunteers upon arrival and onboarding; • Ensure all conditions are met before the payment of final entitlements to UN Volunteers at the end of their assignment; • Prepare regular reporting on the progress with recruitment of UN Volunteers; • Flag to relevant personnel in RO/HQ on the issues by UN entities and UN Volunteers, related to deployment and service; • Coordinate medical evacuations and emergency responses of UN Volunteers.

UN partnerships building and maintenance support • Support strengthening relationships with the UN partners for volunteer mobilization; • Follow up with UN entities on UNV rules and procedures for request, selection and deployment of UN Volunteers; • Address UN entities’ questions about management and administration of UN Volunteers; • Support capacity development of direct supervisors about management and administration of UN Volunteers; • Flag potential stories and good practices of UN Volunteers’ assignments to the UNV regional office for promotion through media channels; • Promote and increase Online Volunteer opportunities.

Volunteer satisfaction support • Monitor volunteer satisfaction and flag to the regional office about any specific issues, which require regional/HQ support; • Support arrangements of UN Volunteer townhalls and meetings; • Assist with addressing individual issues of UN Volunteers.

Administrative and logistical support to the countries • Maintain inventories of all UNV-supplied, non-expendable equipment, and ensure records of all items purchased for UNV-executed projects are submitted to UNV headquarters in the countries under direct responsibility, except the regional office (backstopping only); • Maintain general countries’ files and keep information and reference material in a manner that allows easy reference and retrieval; • Perform relevant roles in Quantum under general coordination of the Regional Portfolio Manager; • Report to the Regional Portfolio Manager on the progress made and to the Regional Online Volunteer Service Officer about Online Volunteering initiatives in the countries under direct responsibility on a quarterly basis; • Backstop other Multi-Country Programme and/or Admin Assistants in the areas of volunteer recruitment, deployment and management.

• Perform other relevant duties as may be required.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNV; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNV procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNV in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNV’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• At least 3 years of professional work experience at the national and/or international level in human resource, office management and administration, programme support, learning administration, etc.; • Experience with volunteer management is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization; • Experience and knowledge is using enterprise resource planning and/or other similar software systems is an asset; • Good skills of office administration and computer literacy; • Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; • Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; • Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; • Sound security awareness; • Have affinity with or interest in volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

Benefits and Entitlements: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. Contingent on specific eligibility criteria, location of the volunteer assignment and contractual type and category, the payment of allowances will begin from the date of Commencement of Service.

Monthly living Allowance (per month) is around 55527 Thai Baht Entry Lump Sum (one-time payment) USD 400 Exit Allowance (for each month served paid on completion of assignment) THB 4627.25 Medical and Life Insurance Coverage

Leave entitlements:

Annual leave: 2.5 days accrued per calendar month Certified sick leave: 30 days Uncertified Sick Leave: 7 days Learning leave: 10 working days per consecutive 12 months Maternity Leave: 16 weeks Paternity Leave: 10 days

You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

Potential interview questions

Describe a time when you had to manage a diverse group of individuals in a volunteer program. What approach did you take? The interviewer wants to assess your experience in managing diverse teams and your ability to adapt your approach based on people’s backgrounds. Share a specific example, focusing on your strategy in fostering collaboration and inclusivity.
How do you ensure compliance with organizational rules and procedures when recruiting volunteers? This question evaluates your understanding of compliance in volunteer management. Pro members can see the explanation.
Can you give an example of a challenge you faced in volunteer management and how you overcame it? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
What strategies do you use to maintain strong relationships with partner organizations? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
How do you monitor volunteer satisfaction and respond to any issues that arise? Pro members can see the explanation. Pro members can see the explanation.
Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org