Operations Assistant

Contract

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

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations.

The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated.

There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Job Organizational Context & Purpose of Job:

UNICEF has been present in Uruguay since 1992. Since then, it has provided technical cooperation and financial assistance to the Government and to the society in different areas to promote the rights of children and adolescents and generate opportunities for all of them to achieve the full development of their abilities. UNICEF work is based on a cooperation program that is agreed with the government every five years. The current cooperation programme is under execution, with which the country will work until 2025.

This United Nations Volunteer will support UNICEF Uruguay’s Operations team in executing a wide range of transactional, procedural, and administrative tasks to ensure the accurate and timely implementation of HR and administrative functions. The Operations Assistant will contribute to the overall effectiveness of the office operations while ensuring compliance with UN and UNICEF procedures, processes, and policies.

Main functions and responsibilities for this UNV assignment may include: • Support the implementation of the Operations team’s annual workplan by performing a wide range of transactional, procedural, and administrative tasks. • Prepare, maintain, and manage diverse HR and operations related documentation, databases, and communications with stakeholders. • Maintain office filing systems and ensure HR and Operations intranet and repositories are up to date. • Support colleagues in the implementation of different administrative and HR processes and in the use of corporate systems such as VISION (SAP), TMS and AGORA. • Support different HR processes and initiatives including performance management, learning and development, and staff wellbeing. • Process a wide range of personnel actions and maintain accurate and up-to-date personnel records and files, ensuring compliance with UNICEF & UN rules and regulations. • Support Country Office’s recruitment processes including prepare and circulate job advertisements; liaise with candidates; manage recruitment and selection processes documentation; assist Hiring Managers in reference checks and background verification; support personnel onboarding and offboarding, among others. • Schedule meetings and appointments, maintain HR and other administrative databases, and generate reports as required. • Support travel arrangements as well as logistics for conferences, learning & development activities, and other events. • Assist in the procurement of supplies, equipment and services required to support effective office operations. • Support reception services and facility management as required. • Provide assistance to other functional areas within the Operations team (e.g. Finance, ICT, and Supply) in different administrative tasks under the guidance of the Operations Officer.

UNICEF Core Values • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability • Sustainability

UNICEF Core Competencies • Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness. • Works Collaboratively with others. • Builds and Maintains Partnerships. • Innovates and Embraces Change. • Thinks and Acts Strategically. • Drive to achieve impactful results. • Manages ambiguity and complexity

applying HR and/or management principles, rules, regulations, and procedures. • Experience in effective use of HR and/or administration systems and tools. • Technical or university courses related to the field of work are an asset: Administration, Accounting, Economics, Human Resources, Labor Relations or other relevant fields. • Experience with Microsoft 365 and SAP is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization. • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners. • 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 applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment. • Have affinity with or interest in children rights, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system.

Uruguay is a small country in Latin America, both in terms of surface area and population. With 176,215 square kilometres of territory, it has 3,323,906 inhabitants, a population density of 17.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, and an average age of 32.60 years, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics. Uruguay's open immigration policy since its inception allowed the entry of Europeans, mainly from Spain and Italy. There is also a small proportion of descendants of Africans who arrived during the Spanish domination, and unlike the rest of the countries in Latin America, Uruguay does not have a significant indigenous population. The official language is Spanish, spoken as a first language by 99% of the population throughout the country.

The largest concentration of its population is found in Montevideo, its capital and largest city, where 43% of Uruguayans live, indicating its essentially urban characteristic. Montevideo has been highlighted as the city with the best quality of life in Latin America, which includes aspects such as air quality, access to public services, security, prosperity, and press freedom.

Uruguay is a Democratic Republic with a presidential system governed by a National Constitution, the last reform of which was carried out in 1996. The division of powers into Executive, Legislative, and Judicial is represented respectively by the president and his ministers; the General Assembly composed of the Chamber of Representatives and the Senators; and the Supreme Court of Justice and the Courts.

According to UNESCO, Uruguay has a literacy rate of 98.62%, placing it among the countries with the least illiteracy in South America. Regarding coverage, that is, the population's access to the educational system, almost all (98.6%) children between 5- and 12-years old access and complete Primary Education, which is mandatory and free.

Since the early 20th century, Uruguay has had the reputation of being a liberal and progressive country, mainly due to the implementation of a series of laws at times when it was ahead of the vast majority of states worldwide. This country was one of the first to separate church from state and imposed, over 100 years ago, the 8-hour workday. The first divorce law was promulgated in 1907, and 20 years later, in 1927, the right to vote for women was included. Additionally, in 2004, a law against discrimination was passed, supported by the entire political system of the country against xenophobia, racism, and religion.

Uruguay is a strictly secular country, although the Constitution guarantees complete freedom of worship. Although the Catholic religion predominates, there are more than 70 cults, among which the evangelical, Protestant, Jewish, and Islamic stand out. Most of the Christian religious affiliation is evident on some holidays (of which there are 13 in total, with mandatory paid leave on 5 of them). Christmas, on December 25th, is known as Family Day, and the Christian Holy Week before Easter is called Tourism Week.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for procuring their own housing and other essentials for subsistence. National UN Volunteers are part of the insurance plan against intentionally caused damages.

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