UNOPS

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) unites the New York Portfolios, including the Peace and Security team (PSC); the Geneva Office; and the Vienna-based Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) teams, to maximize global impact, foster efficiencies and streamline global programmes. Leveraging our collective expertise and networks, GPO supports UNOPS' strategic priorities and the SDGs across over 130 countries. We deliver project management, fund management, advisory services, project implementation, and HR services, working closely with major global partners. Our thematic focus includes sustainable development, climate action, health, peace & security, and humanitarian action.

The New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) manages UNOPS' New York-based portfolios, delivering project and programme management, procurement, HR, and financial services to global partners, from the UN Secretariat to Member States. NYPO strategically positions UNOPS with these partners, fostering collaboration to achieve growth and leveraging expertise in global portfolio design and implementation. We support the broader SDGs and 2030 Agenda, primarily assisting the UN Secretariat and other New York-based UN entities with a global reach. NYPO encompasses the Peace and Security Cluster (PSC), focusing on explosive threat management, and the Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC), providing diverse operational support to the UN system in New York.

****THIS IS A LOCAL POSITION. ONLY APPLICANTS WHO ARE COLOMBIAN NATIONALS OR WHO HOLD A VALID RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT IN COLOMBIA ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION****

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organisations.

Background Information - UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster

The Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a team within the New York Portfolios Office (NYPO). For over 25 years, PSC has provided portfolio, programme and project management services in the area of the delivery of gender-responsive humanitarian mine action and the broader area of explosive threat management. PSC currently operates Project Units in about 18 countries and territories. Each PSC Project Unit operates as an integral part of the overall PSC structure and is directed and managed by a Head of Project Unit (HPU).

Background Information – Job-specific 

In Colombia, UNOPS implements the UNMAS programme to support the National Government in matters related to Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) and compliance with the State's obligations under the Ottawa Convention. UNMAS Colombia's mission is to provide technical assistance to the Colombian State to enable communities to live free from the threat of explosive devices and to enable HMA to contribute to the country's peace and development processes.

UNMAS Colombia provides technical assistance to the Mine Action Center (MAC)/ AICMA Group under the Peace Commissioner’s Office (OCCP), as well as to the broader HMA humanitarian and peacebuilding sectors in Colombia. This support aims to improve the coordination, operational management, and efficiency of the HMA sector in Colombia to respond comprehensively to the needs of affected communities and contribute to broader goals of protection, security, development, and peacebuilding.

UNMAS has implemented a wide range of HMA-related humanitarian and peacebuilding projects in Colombia, applying an approach aligned with the United Nations Mine Action Strategy, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the MAC Strategic Plan 2025 -2030, and the Ottawa Convention obligations extension request. As the leader of the Mine Action Area of Responsibility within the Protection Cluster and a member of the UN Humanitarian Country Team, UNMAS carries out projects in line with the Humanitarian Response Plan, thus contributing to the overall humanitarian response in the country.

The Programme Assistant provides operational, administrative, and programme support for UNMAS Colombia to assist in the smooth delivery of projects and grant-funded activities. The role helps prepare programme documentation, supports budgeting and reporting processes, and assists with grant management tasks. By participating in coordination with humanitarian partners under guidance, the position contributes to the alignment of UNMAS activities with donor requirements, UN mandates, and humanitarian priorities. The role supports continuity of programme operations and provides assistance to achieve organisational objectives.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 4 years of relevant experience OR

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent)  with relevant experience is required.

Desired

• Any certification in Mine Action, such as Basic Explosive Ordnance Risk Education, Explosive Ordnance Awareness, or Mine Clearance Training, is desirable.

Required

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in general programme or project support with the private, public sector or international organization.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.

• Experience in development or humanitarian contexts is desired.

• Experience in budget and proposal preparation is desired.

• Experience in the armed conflict context and data analysis or related areas is desirable. 

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.