Operations Associate, G-6, FT Position, Office of Internal Audit & Investigation, Internal Audit & Investigation, #00133713, Outposted to Budapest, Hungary (open to EU citizens or valid Hungarian 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 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 programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

The Office of Internal Audit and Investigations (OIAI) is an independent office reporting to UNICEF’s Executive Director and the Executive Board. The Investigations Service investigates reports of possible violations of rules or regulations, mismanagement, misconduct, waste of resources or abuse of authority. The position is located in Budapest, Hungary.  

Purpose for the job:

Reporting to the Operations Specialist, the Operations Associate is responsible for delivering comprehensive administrative and operational support to OIAI sections across New York Headquarter and the outposted offices in Budapest and Nairobi. The incumbent applies in-depth knowledge of UNICEF policies, procedures, and administrative processes to ensure efficient operations, compliance, and high-quality service delivery.

General Administrative and Operations support

• Assist in the review and continuous improvement business processes workflows.
• Support management of office related administrative supplies, office equipment, and update the inventory of such items.
• Support management of office assets, including asset counting and asset tagging.
• Provide support in maintaining and updating a system to monitor staff travel, leave entitlements, and flexible working arrangements (e.g., annual leave, duty travel, TODS1, and TODS2).
• Liaise with relevant CSC New York, CSC Budapest and CSC Nairobi for any administrative support as needed.
• Provide support in Operations and office knowledge management via SharePoint Collaboration site and organizing document repositories.
• Provide support to management of the division budget and resource mobilization.
• Act as HR focal point and support the HRBPs as needed. Assists in the management of the transcription services, including liaising with specialized vendors and performing transcriptions of interviews;
• All other administrative support to the Audit and Investigations that may be required.
• Provide other operational technical support as assigned by the supervisor.

Budget Monitoring

• Monitors budgets and financial expenditures of the Division, ensuring compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, keeping supervisor informed and advised on actions for decision/follow-up.
• Provides support on budget revision/preparation, implementation status, determination position of funding utilization, operational, and financial closure.
• Prepares and maintains records, documents, and control plans for the budget monitoring of project/ programme implementation.

Procurement

• Facilitates the processing of contracts and Long-Term Agreements for consultants and external partners that provide a service to the division. This includes communicating with consultants in gathering documentation and certifications, preparing and filing documents, creating contracts in VISION, completing necessary forms and templates, uploading TORs in VISION, and making necessary logistical arrangements. Act as a liaison between the Sections and Operations team and GSSC / IT when required.
• Provide support pertaining to the Supply procedures and activities, including on RFP, RFP and LTA processes
• Guides sections on policy and procedures, SOPs, and best ways to manage the contracts

Travel

• Provides travel assistance to staff and consultants for travel arrangements and entitlements based on the organization’s rules and policies. Liaises with relevant travel focal points to ensure that the organization obtains the best service and price for all travel.
• Assists in the preparation of budgets on travel costs and maintain travel plan and budgetary control records.

Invoice Processing

• Responsible for collecting invoices and filing documents for approval, thereafter, processing through Service Gateway
• Uploads electronic files and verifies results to the destination system.
• Responds to client transaction status and other inquiries.

Supplies/Equipment

• Supports management of administrative supplies, office equipment, and updating the inventory of items. Acts as Asset coordinator or counter and help with yearly asset count and register.
• Monitors and supervises adequate and appropriate use of supplies. Ensures that services and maintenance of premises are in accordance with organizational standards.
• Arranges for the purchase and timely distribution of office supplies.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Classified Job Descriptions - 133713 Operations Associate_.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 6 years of relevant administrative or clerical work experience is required.
3. Skills: Professional experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, knowledge of integrated management information systems (e.g. SAP); 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.
4. Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables

1. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
2. Experience with the Purchasing, Financial & Materials Management Modules in SAP/VISION is desirable.
3. In-depth knowledge of UNICEF organizational structure, administrative policies and procedures is an asset.
4. Professional and/or university courses related to the field of work are highly desirable.
5. 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, discrimination, fraud, corruption and other forms of serious misconduct. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference, safeguarding and background verification checks. These checks may include verification of academic credentials and employment history, screening against relevant United Nations misconduct databases, and requests for misconduct disclosures from current and former employers, professional associations, other relevant organizations and participating organizations under inter-agency safeguarding initiatives, including the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), where applicable. Appointment, selection and continued engagement are subject to the satisfactory completion of all required checks. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information and consent to enable UNICEF to undertake these 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, 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 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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

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 Hungarian 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 Italian 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.

Advertised: 14 Oct 2026 Central Europe Daylight Time
Applications close: 21 Oct 2026 Central Europe Daylight Time

Back to search results Apply now Refer a friend