Programme Assistant, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, N-PPSA 5

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is providing technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental) in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life. According to its mandate, UN Women works in five thematic areas, such as leadership and participation, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, women peace and security and governance and national planning fully reflect accountability for gender equality commitments.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina UN Women works in three key strategic areas – Women’s Economic Empowerment, Ending Violence against Women and Gender Responsive Governance. Covering all three strategic areas as its pillars the Gender Equality Accelerator (GEA) Joint Programme has been developed which is a transformative initiative aimed at addressing structural barriers and systemic challenges to gender equality. This comprehensive, multi-agency effort, led by UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA, focuses on structural inequalities, such as violence, economic exclusion, and underrepresentation in leadership roles, while working to transform social norms. It leverages the expertise and mandates of four UN agencies to create long-lasting, sustainable change across BiH, involving national, local, and international stakeholders. The programme contributes to BiH's international commitments and aims to achieve significant progress in national gender equality policies, laws, and development goals.

A project has been developed for the women’s economic empowerment (WEE) pillar of the GEA. GEA WEE joint project focuses on strengthening gender-responsive economic policies, care economy development, and digital inclusion. It is aimed to support women entrepreneurs by improving access to financial resources, fostering public-private partnerships, and advancing gender-sensitive reforms in labor legislation.

Under the direct supervision of Joint Programme Manager, and overall supervision of the Programme Management Specialist, the Programme Assistant works with and provides support to the members of the Programme Team in the development and implementation of effective programmes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Programme Assistant provides programme, administrative, and logistical assistance to the team for the smooth programme implementation.

Scope of Work

1.    Provide administrative and logistical support to the formulation and management of programmes 
•     Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements, including tracking the delivery of funds; 
•     Provide administrative support to the executing partners/responsible parties on routine delivery and reporting of programme supported activities and finances; 
•     Support the organization of procurement processes including preparation of Requests for Quotation, Invitations to Bid or Requests for Proposal documents, in line with the UN Women standards, rules and regulations;
•     Support the recruitment of consultants, including longlisting, preparing desk review and interview files, drafting of interview minutes, requests for recruitments and requests for contracts and amendments;
•     Provide administrative support for the audit of programmes/projects and support implementation of audit recommendations;
•     Identify sources and gather and compile data and information for the preparation of documents, guidelines, speeches and position papers, in collaboration with the Programme team.  

2.    Provide administrative support to the financial management of the Programme Unit:
•     Create projects in Quantum system, prepare budget revisions, revise project awards and status; and determine unutilized funds and the operational and financial close of a project;  
•     Provide administrative support in monitoring and preparation of budget and the finances of programmes/projects, and in the preparation of FACE forms; 
•     Prepare non-PO vouchers for development projects; 
•     Process payment for consultants, as delegated;
•     Create requisitions in Quantum system for development projects; register good receipts in Quantum system. 

3.    Provide administrative support to the Programme Unit:
•     Undertake all logistical, administrative and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions; 
•     Make travel arrangements for the Programme Team, consultants and beneficiaries, including travel requisitions and claims, vehicle and security clearance requests, travel authorizations, support processes related to visa requests, identity cards and other documents;
•     Provide written translation and consecutive interpretation as required by the team for project implementation; outsource and organize translation and interpretation services for larger scale tasks;
•     Draft minutes in meetings, as delegated;  
•     Assemble briefing materials and prepare powerpoint and other presentations, in collaboration with the Programme team; 
•     Organize and coordinate filing of documents; maintain mailing lists. 

4.    Provide administrative support to resource mobilization:
•     Organize, compile, and process documentation and information from donors, and programme team as inputs to various databases and documents. 

5.    Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing:
•     Provide administrative support to the organization of trainings for the office personnel and partners on programme and operations related issues.
•     Participate in the trainings for the operations/programme staff on HR, procurement, travel, etc. and organizes briefings for the programme staff where necessary on new internal procedures.
•     When necessary, provide guidance to programme staff in business processes, administrative and other requirements and procedures.
•     Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

6.    The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
 

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: N/A

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

•     Knowledge of programme and project management processes
•     Ability to create, edit, format, and present documents, reports, and correspondence in clear and presentable formats
•     Ability to manage data, documents, correspondence, and workflow
•     Good financial and budgeting skills
•     Proficiency in IT and digital tools, data management systems, online meeting platforms, and ERP systems (e.g. Quantum)
•     Strong organizational and time management skills
•     Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and meet deadlines under pressure
•     Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in multicultural environments
•     Client-oriented approach, with a focus on providing timely, responsive, and high-quality support to teams and stakeholders
•     Attention to detail and commitment to quality, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and compliance in all tasks
•     Ability to work collaboratively in teams, demonstrating initiative, flexibility, and a proactive attitude in support of programme goals
 

Education and Certification:

•     Completion of secondary education is required.  
•     Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration is desirable. 

Experience:

•     At least 5 years (with secondary school) or 2 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in administrative or programme management/support is required.  
•     Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages is required.
•     Experience working in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment is desirable.
•     Experience in the use of ERP systems, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable. 
•     Experience in supporting a team is desirable.
•     Previous experience working with UN or other international organizations is desirable.

Languages:
•     Fluency in English is required.
•     Fluency in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is required.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.