Senior Operations Associate, G-7, Temporary Position, Global Programme Division - Strategic Operations, 364 days, Bangkok COE, #00137558

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Champion

How can you make a difference?

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, advocacy and operations. Guided by an equity-focused approach, UNICEF prioritizes reaching the most disadvantaged and excluded children, ensuring every child has the opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential.

The Global Programme Division (GPD) leads programme excellence across UNICEF by providing strategic direction, strengthening operational effectiveness, and ensuring coherence across global and country-level work. As part of this, Centres of Excellence (CoEs) play a critical role in delivering high-quality, demand-driven operational and technical support to countries and partners.

This position is based in Bangkok within the Centre of Excellence (CoE), and reports to the Chief, Strategic Operations, with a dotted line to the CoE Director. The role works closely with the CoE Coordinator/Manager and collaborates across Programme, Common Service Centres (CSCs), Finance, Supply and external partners. The incumbent supports the smooth functioning of operations by helping identify and address operational needs, improving coordination, and ensuring effective service delivery for CoE teams.

As a Senior Operations Associate, you will play a key role in ensuring the smooth and efficient delivery of operational services that enable programme teams to achieve results for children. You will support the coordination of critical business processes across finance, procurement, asset management, and logistics, working closely with the Centre of Excellence (CoE), Common Service Centres (CSCs), and programme teams. By identifying operational needs, improving processes, and ensuring timely and compliant execution of transactions, you will contribute to strengthening service delivery, enhancing efficiency, and supporting UNICEF’s mission to reach the most disadvantaged children.

Join our team as a Senior Operations Associate and play a key role in enabling efficient and compliant operational delivery across the Centre of Excellence in Bangkok. In this role, you will support the coordination and implementation of core business processes, working closely with programme teams, Common Service Centres (CSCs), and partners to ensure smooth service delivery.

You will contribute to operations coordination and process improvement, budget and financial support, procurement and asset management, and event and logistics coordination, helping to address operational needs and resolve bottlenecks in a timely manner. By supporting transaction processing, strengthening collaboration across teams, and ensuring adherence to UNICEF rules and procedures, you will help enhance efficiency and support effective programme delivery. Your work will directly contribute to creating an enabling environment for teams to deliver results for children.
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Senior Operations Associate G-7_JD.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

1. Education: Completion of secondary education, and any other related fields is required.
2. Work Experience: A minimum seven years of operational support, budget support, finance and accounting work experience, operations coordination, administrative / logistics support, and stakeholder engagement, and any other related fields is required.
3. Skills: Operations Coordination, Procurement Management, Budget Support, Asset Management, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement
4. Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Operations coordination across multi-functional teams
Procurement and contract management processes
Event and logistics coordination
Experience working with shared service centres (CSCs/GSSC)
Exposure to results-based management or business process improvement frameworks
Experience in UN or international organizations
Professional certification in finance or accounting (ACCA, CPA, CMA),
Experience supporting senior management/executive offices,
Prior experience in Centres of Excellence or multi-location teams,
Familiarity with ERP systems (e.g., SAP/UNICEF systems),
Experience in emergency or surge operational support environments.
Capabilities Required:
1. Project Management

• Create project plans, objectives and deliverables.
• Track and organize resources like time, budget, and team efforts.
• Identify and report potential risks for further guidance.

1. Collaboration

• Navigate organizational dynamics and adapt behavior to respond to different situations.
• Choose appropriate words, tone and tailors' messages respectfully and persuasively to suit different audiences.
• Write clear, concise and well-structured reports and documents using appropriate language.
• Pay close attention to what others are saying, asking questions for clarification.
• Present ideas and information clearly in front of groups.

1. Problem Solving

• Analyze data, identify trends, patterns and anomalies.
• Evaluate information, analyze problems, identify underlying causes and risks.
• Summarize and communicate findings, focusing on actionable insights to support decision-making.
• Make decisions in time-sensitive situations, even with incomplete information.
• Assess the potential impact of solutions (costs, benefits and risks).

1. Digital Dexterity

• Utilize AI-powered tools and platforms to automate data analysis.
• Apply prompts to improve the quality of reports and data, ensuring alignment with internal regulations and policies.
• Use specialist technology business systems and software.
• Analyze and summarize data from various business systems to generate reports and insights.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.