Programme Support Associate: Youth & Operations

Organizational Context

UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, aims to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health, realize reproductive rights, and reduce maternal mortality. The agency focuses on improving the lives of adolescents, youth, and women by addressing population dynamics, human rights, and gender equality. UNFPA is committed to ending unmet needs for family planning, preventable maternal deaths, and gender-based violence. Innovation is key to achieving these transformative results, especially for furthest behind populations, by strengthening capabilities, scaling effective innovations, forming partnerships, and fostering a culture of innovation.

Job Purpose

This assignment offers a young professional practical experience within the UN system, supporting UNFPA's programme priorities and coordinating the Youth Theme Group (YTG) and Operations Management Team (OMT). The YTG promotes coordinated UN action on youth development, participation, and empowerment, while the OMT enhances collaboration and harmonization of common operational services across UN agencies through initiatives like the Business Operations Strategy (BOS) and UN Reform priorities. The UN Volunteer will contribute to planning, coordinating, documenting, and following up on inter-agency meetings and initiatives, while also providing administrative and operational support to UNFPA. This role provides exposure to UN coordination mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, knowledge management, youth programming, and organizational administration, fostering competencies in coordination, administration, communication, project support, and inter-agency collaboration.

Responsibilities

The UN Volunteer will support programme coordination and implementation by assisting with annual work planning, schedules, and coordination of agreed priorities for the Youth Theme Group (YTG) and Operations Management Team (OMT). This includes organizing meetings, workshops, and joint activities, ensuring effective logistical and administrative support, and contributing to the timely delivery of coordination outputs. The role involves providing secretariat support to the YTG and OMT, coordinating meetings, preparing documentation, drafting minutes, maintaining action trackers, and monitoring implementation of decisions. Facilitating information sharing among UN agencies will strengthen collaboration and the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The volunteer will conduct desk research, collect and analyze information to support planning and decision-making, and assist in preparing briefing notes and presentations. Monitoring progress, maintaining activity trackers, and supporting results tracking by recording achievements and milestones are also key. Additionally, the role includes supporting knowledge management by maintaining repositories of documentation and documenting lessons learned, as well as assisting with stakeholder engagement and operational coordination. General administrative support, including managing calendars, contact lists, and correspondence, will be provided.

Work Experience

No prior experience is required. However, one year of relevant experience is desirable. This includes demonstrated interest or experience in administrative coordination, office management, project support, meeting coordination, records management, knowledge management, inter-agency collaboration, organizational planning, reporting, stakeholder engagement, or working in multicultural environments. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and skills in minute-taking, report writing, document management, planning, organization, and information management are beneficial.

Skills

Core competencies include Accountability, Adaptability and Flexibility, Building Trust, Client Orientation, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Ethics and Values, Integrity, Knowledge Sharing, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Self-Management, and Working in Teams. Technical skills include Administration and Community Development.

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