Senior Operations Officer
Organizational Context
The Legal Group (LG) at UNOPS provides legal counsel on institutional, commercial, and administrative law matters to management and various offices. It advises on public international law, dispute resolution, commercial law, and administrative law, covering agreements, privileges, disputes, HR law, partnerships, procurement, and hosted initiatives. The group collaborates with external counsel and the UN Office of Legal Affairs.
Job Purpose
The Senior Operations Officer provides specialized operational management and advisory support to UNOPS' Legal Group, focusing on the Dispute Resolution Practice. This role is crucial for independently coordinating complex operational workflows, monitoring portfolio performance, and identifying/mitigating operational risks. The officer's analysis and recommendations are vital for strategic decision-making by the General Counsel, Management Specialist, and legal advisors, ensuring the efficient administration and effective management of dispute resolution matters. The position contributes to improved communication, knowledge management, and service delivery within the practice.
Responsibilities
Provide comprehensive operational and administrative support to the Legal Group, particularly its Dispute Resolution Practice. Oversee contract administration, purchase orders, invoices, and payments, ensuring policy compliance and accurate record-keeping. Support procurement processes for external counsel and service providers, managing records and coordinating with procurement teams. Assist in preparing, formatting, organizing, and filing legal documents and case materials. Manage operational coordination with external counsel, arbitral institutions, and vendors, ensuring timely information exchange and follow-up. Act as the primary operational focal point for external service providers, resolving issues and escalating substantive legal matters. Maintain the operational portfolio-management framework, including trackers, calendars, and dashboards for disputes, contracts, and financial commitments. Conduct periodic portfolio analysis to identify risks, resource needs, and bottlenecks, recommending corrective actions. Collect, analyze, and summarize operational data for monitoring, budget tracking, and decision-making. Prepare analytics and reports for management, and contribute to risk assessment and mitigation strategies for the Dispute Resolution Practice. Support knowledge management by creating documents, managing project tools, and maintaining case and knowledge-management systems.
Work Experience
A minimum of four years of relevant professional experience in administration, operations, office management, legal administration, procurement support, contract administration, or project support is required. Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office is essential. Experience with procurement processes, vendor management, and international organizations is desirable.
Skills
Administration, Contract Management, Document Management, Invoice Processing, Knowledge Management, Procurement, Project Management, Reporting & Analysis