Operations Officer (Kassala) – UNICEF

Job Description

Job no	592962
Contract type	Fixed Term Appointment
Location	Kassala
Categories	Operations
Advertised	08 May 2026 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline	25 May 2026 E. Africa Standard Time

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 Hero

How can you make a difference?

As a Strategic Business Partner, you will be accountable for operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk‑informed, solution‑focused analysis, advice, and services, and contribute to programme and management decisions to deliver results for children in specific operational contexts.

Purpose of the job 

As a Strategic Business Partner, the incumbent will be accountable for operations functions, facilitate change, provide risk informed, solution-focused analysis, advice and services and contribute to programme and management decisions for delivering results for children in specific operational contexts.  Operations Officer will accomplish this by:

• Facilitating services in the functional areas of operations support: budget, financial management and reporting, facilities management, administration, supply and logistics management, information and communications technology, human resources, and safety and security;
• Understanding business needs for the office, to propose viable solutions aimed at value for money.
• Supporting the fundamentals of ICT management, information security and controls;
• Supporting supply and logistics strategies and interventions to meet programmatic needs while ensuring Value for Money (VfM), including procurement of fit for purpose products and services.
• Supporting the management of office premises and facilities with a specific focus on inclusive accessibility, eco sustainability and common premises;
• Facilitating business transactions processed by GSSC from a perspective of Efficiency, Performance, Risk Management and Fraud prevention
• Supporting the country office during external and internal audit reviews, contributing with responses to audit observations and monitoring implementation of recommendations.
• Supporting the management of PSFR operations, where applicable.

The Operations Officer will be entrusted with the following five pillars, the core focus of all operations functions: Valuing People, Valuing Money, Valuing Risk Management, Valuing Systems and Structures, Valuing Partners.

Valuing People: Implement people resources strategies to promote technical competence and foster career progression and retention of a “fit for purpose”/ agile workforce

• Facilitate an environment of management excellence, staff well-being and accessibility and inclusion through implementation of strategies, policies, procedures.
• Implement solutions related to people management and office culture.
• Support training strategy
• Keep abreast of industry standards in management and finance and share best practices and knowledge learned within the office.
• Support Excellence in Operations in UNICEF derived from the five strategic pillars.

Valuing Money: Champion strategic resources to achieve organizational goals and ensure Value for Money (VfM)

• Ensure effective identification and use of resources in various concrete Value for Money (VfM) areas, including eco-efficiency and inclusivity, common premises, costing, results-based budgeting financial monitoring etc.
• Support the financial oversight management, monitoring and reporting of all the country programme budget – and where applicable private sector fundraising budgets; make analysis as needed.
• Implement Supply plan for the office and stay abreast of the regional strategies.

Valuing Risk Management: Enhance Risk Management to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control 

• Support the office with up-to-date information to make operational and programmatic risk informed decisions with the enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (eGRC) platform.
• Contribute and participate in testing of business continuity plans to ensure UNICEF organizational resilience to disaster, risks and staff safety and security as well as Emergency Preparedness and Response to humanitarian situations.
• Support implementation of appropriate implementation of policies and procedures and provide feedback on policy and internal controls as appropriate.
• Support implementation of mandatory anti-fraud systems, processes and actions.
• Support mitigation of risks of engagement with external partners via appropriate, risk-informed due diligence.

Valuing Systems and Structures: Ensure further operational centralization and optimization for maximized efficiency gains

• Participate in the review of Operations processes and recommend measures to minimize cost, reduce duplication of work and maximize efficiencies while creating an environment of smarter controls to render the organization ready to respond to programme needs.
• Contribute to improving IT-enabled business processes to increase productivity and collaboration, better knowledge management, and ensure effective use of UNICEF assets.
• Contribute to CPMP

Valuing Partners: Strengthening internal and external-facing partnerships and leveraging UNICEF’s oversight and understanding of financial management across all areas of the office.

• Provide technical support on HACT implementation, including follow-up actions required on result of financial assurance activities.
• Support UNICEF Office resource mobilization partners through written financial reporting, resolve discrepancies and ensure donor