Project Associate, G-6, (Parental leave coverage), Temporary Appointment (7 months), Digital Impact Division, Digital Core - CIO Office, #00138312 (Open to EU Citizens or Valid Spanish Work Permit Holders)

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 Digital opportunities

How can you make a difference?

Digital Impact Division (DID) is at the heart of reshaping how UNICEF delivers lasting results for children. We are committed to harnessing the full potential of emerging digital technologies to advance UNICEF’s mission. 

DID works in close collaboration with regional Digital Impact teams and colleagues across headquarters divisions, regions, and country offices to leverage technologies and capabilities that accelerate progress on UNICEF’s goals, strengthen community resilience, and expand access to essential digital services and information.

Our mission is to enhance UNICEF’s global digital impact by promoting equitable access to information and services, empowering communities to create lasting, positive change for children, and foster a more inclusive, interconnected, and sustainable world for every child, everywhere.

The Strategic Enablers pillar is a core element of UNICEF’s Digital Impact Strategy 2026–2029, acting as the structural backbone of the division. This pillar brings together key enablers—People & Culture, Communications, Operations and Artificial Intelligence — to create an integrated ecosystem for sustainable digital impact. Together, these enablers anticipate trends, foster innovation, and ensure UNICEF can deliver inclusive, future-ready digital solutions that advance child rights globally.

Under the supervision and guidance of the designated supervisor, the Administrative & Finance Associate will provide PMO, project, procurement, financial, cost recovery and operational coordination support to ensure continuity of critical digital operations.

The role will support work planning, project meetings and documentation, project monitoring and reporting, end-to-end procurement processing, individual contractor recruitment coordination, vendor and consultant follow-up, budget monitoring, chargeback processing and service request follow-up.

The position requires a highly organized, service-oriented and detail-focused colleague who can work independently, coordinate across multiple stakeholders, manage competing deadlines, maintain accurate records and help ensure that operational processes are completed in a timely and compliant manner.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. PMO and Project Support:
• Support the PMO Specialist in work planning, including annual planning, individual consultant planning, events, supplies and related PCM processes.
• Support project meetings, documentation, coordination, follow-up and record keeping.
•Support project monitoring and reporting by maintaining trackers, compiling updates, identifying pending actions and following up with relevant focal points.
• Support project-related audit queries, including collection of supporting documentation, coordination of responses and follow-up on outstanding information.
• Perform other PMO-related tasks as required during the coverage period.
2. Procurement, Contracts and Consultant Coordination:
• Support end-to-end procurement processes, including requisitions, pre-payment approval request, purchase orders or contracts, payments, closure and related documentation.
• Coordinate with contract managers, Supply Division, GSSC and other relevant stakeholders to ensure procurement actions are complete, accurate and processed on time.
• Coordinate with CM/GSSC for recruitment of individual contractors, including follow-up on documentation, approvals and related administrative steps.
• Support contract managers with CRC case submission and defense by verifying completeness of documentation, confirming pricing alignment with applicable agreements and ensuring required procedural steps have been followed.
• Liaise with UNICC/UNGSC and relevant contract managers on statements of work and service agreements, ensuring that operational and procedural requirements are documented and followed up.
3. Vendor, Consultant and Service Coordination:
• Coordinate vendor and consultant follow-up related to onboarding, replacement of existing consultants, invoicing issues, billing estimates and SOW clarifications.
• Serve as an operational focal point for service requests from other divisions, headquarters offices and country offices for services paid by them and managed by DID, including hosting, consultants, contract extensions and funding source changes.
• Prepare draft emails, briefing notes, status updates, summaries, meeting notes and follow-up lists for supervisor review.
• Maintain clear records of vendor contacts, service ownership, subscription or service dependencies, deadlines and required follow-up actions.
• Escalate risks, blockers and unresolved issues to the supervisor, contract managers or relevant business owners as appropriate.
4. Budget, Financial Management, Cost Recovery and Chargeback:
• Assist business owners and team leads with budget planning, including information on current service costs, budget monitoring and new service cost estimates.
• Act as a focal point for budget queries, including WBS-related questions, activity creation, budget transfer requests and related follow-up.
• Monitor budget consumption by generating reports on expenses, available balances and lists of existing DFRs, FCs and FRs, and follow up with team leads on required actions.
• Assist technical teams with implementing new services that require cost recovery, and support the chargeback process along with the required procurement activities.
• Liaise with the Senior Budget Associate to reconcile purchase order discrepancies, including SES or goods receipt reversals and other required corrections.
• Support the review and improvement of the chargeback tool and its related business processes. Contribute to creating the governance framework for this mechanism to ensure sustainability at scale. Process related service orders.
5. Knowledge Management, Handover and Process Continuity:
• Maintain structured documentation, trackers and filing systems for PMO, procurement, finance, cost recovery, chargeback and operational support activities.
• Support the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures, checklists, templates and handover notes for recurring Project Associate processes.
• Ensure that key decisions, approvals, assumptions, deadlines and dependencies are documented and accessible to relevant colleagues.
• Back up other Project Associate colleagues according to functional needs and agreed coverage arrangements.
• Work with the PMO and Operations teams to strengthen processes and SOPs
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of demand management, procurement planning, cost recovery, budget monitoring and service renewal processes.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR Project Associate TA-00138312 .pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have… 

• Minimum requirements

1. Education: Completion of secondary education is required.
2. Work Experience: A minimum of six years of progressively responsible administrative, programme, project, procurement, finance or operations support experience is required.
   Skills: We are seeking a highly organized, service-oriented, and detail-focused professional who excels at working independently, coordinating across multiple stakeholders, managing competing deadlines, and maintaining accurate records to ensure that operational processes are completed efficiently, timely, and in full compliance with organizational standards. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong project management, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, along with confidence in using digital tools and adapting to new technologies.
3. Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

• Desirables

1. Knowledge of Spanish or another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is an asset.
2. Supplemental formal training in business administration, finance, procurement, project management, information technology, or another relevant field is desirable.
3. Experience supporting PMO processes, project monitoring, project documentation, work planning or project reporting is highly desirable.
4. Experience supporting procurement, contracting, purchase requisitions, purchase orders, invoice follow-up, consultant recruitment coordination, vendor coordination or financial administration is highly desirable.
5. Experience with budget monitoring, cost recovery, DFRs, chargeback processes, service orders, WBS queries or purchase order reconciliation is an asset.
6. Experience working with digital services, software licensing, cloud services, enterprise technology agreements, ICT operations, UNICC/UNGSC services or technology service renewals is an asset.
7. Relevant experience in the UN system/UNICEF is considered an asset.
8. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

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 are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

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 female 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.

At the time of application, candidates must possess Spanish citizenship or be nationals of EU/Schengen countries or in possession of a valid work permit. Temporary and/or sponsored visas are not accepted. Applicants must be holders of acceptable permits already at the time of application. Applicants with non-EU citizenship must attach copies of their valid Spanish work permits, otherwise their application will not be considered. Please note that General Service (GS) staff are locally recruited staff and candidates are personally responsible for any travel and accommodation arrangements.

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.