Senior Programme Assistant

May 15 2026

A (least hardship)

Family

GS5

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Senior Programme Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Programme Assistant would normally receive guidance from more senior programme staff in the operation/bureau/division. The incumbent may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country/region programme(s). UNHCR Manual Operations Plans UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the Senior Program Assistant.
S/he is expected to have contacts within the organization and outside the duty station as well as with partners and other stakeholders to collect information monitor programme activities and implement administrative requirements. The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter UN Staff Regulations and Rules UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability addition staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core functional cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCRs core values of professionalism integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Provide administrative assistance and support in routine services and activities within Programme thus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern.
- Assist in organizing and documenting the selection of partners in accordance with the policy on selection and retention of partners ensuring due diligence to meet the requirements of projects.
- Provide support to ensure partnership agreements are established in a timely manner regularly monitored and reported on in compliance with established guidelines and procedures included in the framework for implementing with partners.
- Guided by the MFT approach support the development and implementation of monitoring plans for activities implemented through partnerships and those under direct implementation in line with Programme Manual and programming instructions.
- Contribute to the review and analysis of operations plans mid-year and year-end reports ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies guidelines procedures and standards. Generate and maintain records of implementation rate (performance progress and expenditures) on a regular basis.
- Assist in ensuring compliance with issuance of audit certificates for partners in line with the Policy on Risk-Based Project Audits.
- Use UNHCRs ERP system for core activities related to planning budgeting implementation and reporting generating data for evidence-based programmatic decisions and analysis.
- Actively contribute to UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contributing to improvements of programming tools and processes.

- Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Demonstrated experience in Programme Management Operation Management Cycle and related processes.
Knowledge of Results Based-Management.
Computer skills (in MS office) including advanced Excel skills (pivot tables data management etc)

Desirable
Completion of UNHCR Learning Programmes or specific training relevant to function of the position including Programme Management Level 1. E-tutoring of PM1 Framework for Implementing with Partners Learning Programme.
Experience in programme management training and capacity building activities.

Functional Skills
*IT-Computer Literacy
PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)
PG-Results-Based Management
DM-Database Management
PG-Programme Analysis
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse harassment including sexual harassment sexism gender inequality discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Relevant Job Experience

Essential
Demonstrated experience in Programme Management Operation Management Cycle Results Based-Management Monitoring and Evaluation process reporting and donors proposal coordination with partner and stakeholders. Management of operational and implementing partner network. Computer skills (in MS office) including advanced Excel skills (pivot tables data management PowerBi etc).

Desirable
Bachelors degree analytical and effective communication skills. Knowledge of Donors priorities and financial logic. Completion of UNHCR Learning Programmes or specific training relevant to function of the position including Programme Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. Framework for Implementing with Partners Learning Programme. Experience in programme management training and capacity building activities. Use of collecting data tolls as Kobo.

The candidate should demonstrate mastery of the programme cycle using a results-based management approach including partner management design and monitoring of project work plans analysis of financial and narrative reports and budget implementation and follow-up. Proven experience in programme or project support strong skills in planning tracking and reporting high attention to detail and accuracy and ability to manage deadlines and workload are required.

The candidate must demonstrate solid practical experience in the rigorous tracking of output outcome and impact-level indicators. This includes the ability to: (i) support the definition of baselines targets and means of verification within logical frameworks or results plans; (ii) collect clean consolidate and analyse databases derived from partner monitoring satisfaction surveys or independent verification exercises; (iii) calculate rates of physical progress versus planned targets identifying deviations in the achievement of expected results; (iv) apply disaggregated analysis (by sex age diversity) to measure change among specific population groups; and (v) translate quantitative and qualitative findings into actionable recommendations to adjust program or project implementation. Experience using dashboards (Power BI) and corporate systems (COMPASS PROMS Cloud ERP OSMOSYS etc.) for real-time monitoring of indicator performance will be highly valued.

Field(s) of Education
*International Relations Political science Economy Administration and other related with the position

Certificates and/or Licenses
Project Management - monitoring and evaluation

English

Spanish

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

DM-Database Management IT-Computer Literacy PG-Programme Analysis PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards) PG-Results-Based Management

High school diploma (Required)

Certifications

HCR Learning Program - UNHCR

Competencies

Accountability Client & results orientation Commitment to continuous learning Communication Empowering & building trust Organizational awareness Stakeholder management Teamwork & collaboration

Additional Information

N/A

The English version is considered original and authoritative translation to other language(s) serve the purpose of advertisement of local positions where applicable but are not considered as official translations

N/A

Functional clearance

This position doesnt require a functional clearance