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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action; (2) Ending Violence Against Women; (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment; and (4) Women, Peace and Security.

Given the importance of sub-national level engagement in support of Afghan women and girls in the current crisis context, the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office has sub-national presence in five Sub-Offices in Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar. The five Sub-Offices support UN Women coordination, advocacy, and programming efforts at the Sub-National level.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Sub-Office and reporting to the Programme Coordinator, the Operations Associate carries out varied and inter-related operational, financial and logistical activities ensuring high quality and accuracy of work and supporting the overall delivery of UN Women’s programmatic results at the Sub-Office level. The Operations Associate is results and client oriented, producing administrative and programme support services of the highest quality in a timely and proactive fashion.

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Provide administration and operations support to the Sub-Office in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations and policies and strategies
  • Provide administrative support in the preparation of programme work plans, budgets, and proposals on programme implementation arrangements;
  • Participate in review meetings and provide support to the assessment of the managerial and operational capacities of implementing partners in collaboration with the programme and technical team;
  • Provide technical support and guidance to colleagues on operational issues;
  • Ensure a continuous and up-to-date flow of information between the Sub-Office and the Country Office as needed;
  • Support monitoring and documentation of petty cash expenditure and preparation of reports;
  • Coordinate pre-audit preparations for the Sub-Office and for programmes/projects to be audit ready and complete the pre-audit checklist;

       2. Provide administrative support to Programme implementation at the Sub-Office level

  • Undertake all logistical, administrative and financial arrangements for organization for meetings, workshops, events, and missions;
  • Provide administrative and logistical support in the planning and preparation of road missions across the region, including in the coordination with other agencies, and as regards, transportation and accommodation arrangements;
  • Make travel arrangements for the Programme Team, including travel requisitions and claims;
  • Prepare public information materials and briefing packets;

       3. Coordinate and administer procurement processes in accordance with UN Women rules and regulations and corporate policies and strategies

  • Provide inputs to the preparation of procurement plans for the office and monitor their implementation; 
  • Generate procurement related reports; research and draft responses to enquiries; 
  • Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for office and project equipment, supplies and services; 
  • Organize procurement activities and processes, including preparation and conduct of Request for Quotations, Invitations to Bid or Requests for Proposals, the opening and evaluation of tenders; 
  • Coordinate contract negotiations, prepare request for award of contract for the review and approval of relevant authorities; as required; 
  • Prepare Purchase Orders (PO) and contracts in and outside Quantum, coordination the creation of vendor profiles;  
  • Review procurement processes conducted by projects; submissions to the Procurement Review Committee; 
  • Monitor and maintain office stationery supplies including maintenance of stock list of stationery, distribution of stationery and keeping a log of distribution; 
  • Coordinate assets management in the office, prepare and submit periodic inventory reports, coordinate physical verification of inventory items;.

       4. Contribute to knowledge sharing and programme implementation

  • Provide administrative support in the organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on administrative related matters; 
  • Co-facilitate trainings or consultation meetings as required;
  • Participate with in monitoring visits and missions and support documentation of such visits/missions;
  • Support communication with partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries as required;
  • Compile lessons learnt and best practices in administration, procurement, and human resources;Key Performance Indicators ;

Key Performance Indicators

  • All services are provided in compliance with UN Women rules, regulations and policies
  • Timely and accurate implementation of procurement processes
  • Timely and accurate implementation of HR processes
  • Provide timely and quality advice to clients; 
  • Timely and quality reports 

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Accountability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

  • Ability to administer and execute administrative and procurement processes and transactions;  
  • Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;  
  • Strong knowledge of administrative rules and regulations;  
  • Strong IT and web based management skills;  
  • Ability to extract and interpret data;  
  • Ability to priorities work and to multi-task;

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

  • Secondary Education;
  • University Degree in Business, Administration and Finance, would be desirable, but it is not a requirement;

Experience:

  • At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in administration, finance, procurement, human resources or logistic support; services at the national or international level;
  • Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.);
  • Experience working with a UN agency is an asset;
  • Experience in the use of ATLAS/Quantum is an asset;

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Fluency in Dari and /or Pashto is required;
  • Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset;

 

Application:

Note:

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.

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.)