Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Office/Unit/Project Description
The Volunteer Services Centre (VSC), part of UNV’s Management Services, supports a growing global portfolio of over 15,000 UN Volunteers (2025), delivering timely and high-quality services across the full volunteer lifecycle. This includes recruitment, pre-assignment processing, contract administration, payroll, separation, and evacuation support for UN Volunteers serving with UN agencies, funds, programmes, and missions. With a presence in 13 locations worldwide, VSC ensures consistent and compliant service delivery across diverse operational contexts.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Operations Associate/Team Leader (G7) for the duty station, the Operations Associate supports the delivery of end-to-end volunteer lifecycle services within the VSC. The role contributes to timely onboarding, contract administration, and accurate management of benefits & entitlements, and lifecycle events.

The incumbent ensures the integrity, transparency, and accuracy of service delivery in line with the UN Volunteers Conditions of Service (COS), policies, and procedures, while maintaining high-quality outputs and consistency across multiple countries and stakeholders.

VSC collaborates closely with the Volunteer Solutions Section (VSS), headquarter units, Regional Offices, Field Units, the UNDP Global Shared Services Centre, and other UN partners to deliver coordinated services. The Operations Associate advises stakeholders on policies and procedures, promotes a collaborative and client-focused approach, and supports the timely implementation of the VSC work plan.

Scope of Work

3.1. Identification of suitable candidates primarily UN Volunteer assignments

Provide recruitment services in adherence to established UN Volunteers’ Conditions of Service, regulations and policies;
Verify quality and consistency of Description of Assignments (DOAs), and provide guidance on designing DOAs to UN host entities, UNV Regional Offices and Field Units;
Advertise relevant assignments in line with established processes;
Identify suitable candidates for UN Volunteer assignments in diverse areas of expertise and for various host entities, as per corporate Key Performance Indicators, and according to DOA requirements and in compliance with UNV’s Recruitment and Selection policy;
Alert supervisor about deficiencies or risks, liaise with Regional Offices and Field Units on exceptional situations and provide guidance on applicable regulations, rules and policies to ensure full compliance with accountability framework;
Keep relevant parties updated on status of identification and negotiate adjustments when required;
Contribute to a fair workload distribution by supporting the identification and submission of candidates for UN Volunteer assignments across regions when needed;
Record actions and data in the volunteer management systems;
Ensure accurate data management in official databases;
Facilitate timely resolution of queries related to volunteer recruitment.

3.2 Outreach and support to talent acquisition

Coordinate with the Volunteer Solutions Section, Regional Offices and Field Units to remain informed of evolving demand for UN Volunteer profiles;
Use social media and other sourcing channels to identify candidates, identify gaps in the existing talent pool, and support regional and national outreach campaigns and networks of talent sources in coordination with the Talent Acquisition team and relevant communication colleagues;
Manage communication with candidates as it relates to the outcome of their applications;
Contribute to the production of insightful recruitment analytics reports with regards to critical vacancies taking into account UNV’s priorities of gender parity and workforce diversity.

3.3 Recruitment compliance, clearances and case management

Conduct reference checks, obtain relevant pre- and post-submission clearances, and verify performance appraisals for selected candidates against established standards of competence and integrity;
Flag deficiencies, risks and exceptional situations to the supervisor; liaise with Regional Offices, Field Units and Host Entities; and provide guidance on applicable rules, policies and the accountability framework;
Keep relevant parties informed of recruitment status, negotiate adjustments when required, record actions and data in volunteer management systems, and support the timely resolution of recruitment-related queries.

3.4 Knowledge building and continuous improvement

Contribute to recruitment training materials and corporate activities that strengthen the recruitment capacity of UNV personnel;
Capture and share lessons learnt from candidate identification; contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice; and provide input on recruitment policies, systems and processes to improve the timeliness and quality of VSC services;
Serve, on a rotational basis, as a VSC focal point on assigned topics and perform other duties within the functional profile as required for the efficient functioning of the office and the organization.

4. Institutional Arrangement

The Recruitment Associate is part of the Volunteer Services Centre and is administratively supported by the respective Regional Office. The position will report to the Operations Associate, Recruitment (G6) under the substantive guidance of G7 Operations Associate, Volunteer Recruitment and overall leadership of Chief, Volunteer Services Centre (VSC). The position has no supervisory or managerial responsibilities.

Competencies

CORE

Achieve Results

Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline

Think Innovatively:

Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements

Learn Continuously:

Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility:

Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible

Act with Determination:

Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner:

Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Recruitment design and management

Knowledge of, ability to design and manage end to end recruitment processes.

Talent sourcing and outreach:

Knowledge of and ability to develop and implement strategies, mechanisms and platforms to ensure the effective outreach to the relevant segments of the labour market, active and passive candidates internally and externally..

Digital Awareness and Literacy

Ability to monitor new and emerging technologies, as well as understand their usage, potential, limitations, impact, and added value.
Ability to rapidly and readily adopt and use new technologies in professional activities, and to empower others to use them as needed. Knowledge of the usage of digital technologies and emerging trends

Customer satisfaction/ client management

Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs;
Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy; Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests; Ability to anticipate clients' upcoming needs and concerns.

Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Knowledge Generation

Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches.
Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary Education with at least six (6) years relevant work experience, or Bachelors’ degree in Human Resources, Business or Public Administration, with relevant work experience of at least three (3) years will be given due consideration

Experience:

Minimum six (6) years of relevant experience with Secondary Education, or three (3) years with a Bachelor’s Degree, in human resources management, including experience supporting recruitment processes, is required at the national or international level.

Required Skills

Advance user of MS Office packages (MS Word, Excel etc.).
Experience using web-based systems to manage recruitment cases, records or candidate data accurately.
Ability to use digital collaboration tools to coordinate recruitment work with colleagues and stakeholders across locations.

Desired skills

Experience as recruiter is a distinct asset;
Experience using cloud-based applicant tracking system (ATS) and/or customer relations management platforms (e.g. Salesforce, ServiceNow, etc.);
Experience supporting recruitment processes in the UN common system or another international organization;
Experience supporting clients or stakeholders in a service-delivery role, including understanding their needs and resolving enquiries in a timely manner, is an asset.
Experience working with volunteers.

Languages:

Fluency in English, Spanish and Portuguese is required.

Professional Certificates:

HR certification desirable although not required.

Disclaimer:

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
The successful candidate will hold a UNDP NPSA contract.
This vacancy announcement is open to internal & external applicants
Open to nationals of Colombia ONLY

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

Data Privacy

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Operations Associate, Volunteer Recruitment (Open to internal & external applicants)