Operations Analyst

Operations Analyst

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.

Background and Organizational Context

The Volunteer Services Centre (VSC) is part of UNV's Management Services, supporting ever growing number (over 15,000 in 2025) and providing timely and high-quality delivery of services on volunteer HR pre-assignment activities, contract administration, payroll, and evacuation UN Volunteers assigned to agencies, funds, and programs, and UN missions throughout the UN system.

With a presence in nine locations globally, VSC ensures timely and high-quality delivery of services in volunteer HR pre-assignment activities, contract administration, payroll, and evacuation support.

VSC collaborates closely with the Volunteer Solutions Section (VSS) and other relevant sections at Headquarters, Regional Offices, Field Units, and the UNDP Global Shared Service Centre (GSSC) to deliver seamless, consolidated services in accordance with UN Volunteers Conditions of Service, regulations, policies, and best practices. In delivering its functions, VSC also liaises with UNDP Country Offices, other UN Agencies, Service Centers and operations counterparts.

Position Purpose

Reporting to the Deputy Chief, VSC, the Operations Analyst manages day-to-day activities of the integrated volunteer management pillar, with a focus on timely and quality delivery of volunteer deployment and lifecycle management services. S/he oversees the work of regional teams outposted to multiple locations, monitors service risks and supports consistent application of agreed workflows, validation points and escalation arrangements. The incumbent works in close collaboration with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders contributing to the provision of operational services to candidates, UN Volunteers and their host entities. The Operations Analyst promotes a collaborative, client-oriented approach and supports the maintenance of high-quality service delivery and client satisfaction.

Key Duties and Accountabilities

Oversight of volunteer deployment

• Coordinate and monitor the timely provision of volunteer deployment services as per business objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs);
• Monitor deployment speed across regional portfolios; identify bottlenecks and propose improvement measures for consistent application;
• Support consistent implementation of agreed workflows and validation points related to UN Volunteer deployment globally.

Oversight of volunteer lifecycle management

• Coordinate and monitor the quality and timeliness of volunteer lifecycle administration, including hiring, contract management and separation as per corporate policies, procedures and key performance indicators (KPIs);
• Ensure timely follow-up on open items and complex cases;

Identify operational hurdles, queue and backlog patterns and recurring issues, and propose improvements to workflows and controls;

• Support consistent implementation of agreed workflows and validation points related to volunteer lifecycle management globally.

Coordination of payroll impacting lifecycle actions

• Coordinate with VSC Payroll Team to support timely and accurate handover of lifecycle actions with payroll impact, including effective dates, extensions, separations, funding updates and retroactive changes;
• Support first-line validation of lifecycle data before payroll-impacting actions are triggered, in line with agreed workflows and escalation arrangements;
• Ensure timely follow-up on open items and operational cases, escalating complex, sensitive or policy-related matters to the Deputy Chief, as required;
• Monitor open items originating from lifecycle administration and ensure timely follow-up or escalation through agreed coordination channels;
• Coordinate with the VSC Payroll Team on communications and process interfaces lifecycle actions impacting payroll, without assuming functional ownership of payroll processing, validation, reconciliation or controls.

Ensure Performance monitoring and operational analysis

• Monitor and analyze volunteer lifecycle performance data, including deployment pipeline, queue ageing, transaction volumes, backlogs, service timeliness, exceptions and regional trends;
• Support first-line monitoring of compliance with agreed workflows, validation points, SOPs and escalation protocols across volunteer lifecycle processes.
• Identify operational bottlenecks, recurring issues, workload imbalances and service risks across lifecycle stages, and propose practical corrective actions to improve timelines, quality and consistency;
• Manage planned and ad hoc reporting inputs related to volunteer lifecycle management, in coordination with relevant VSC teams and technical counterparts;
• Produce timely and accurate inputs to section-level reporting, corporate monitoring and audit requirements, as they relate to volunteer deployment and contract administration and post EOD lifecycle actions;
• Contribute to improving reporting requirements, dashboards, data quality and workflow monitoring to strengthen visibility, accountability and evidence-based operational management
• Provide inputs on policies, processes, workflow streamlining, system enhancements, optimization and automation in coordination with relevant subject matter experts;
• Keep abreast of relevant trends and benchmarks in areas related to deployment, contracting and administration of personnel and use these insights to support continuous improvement of VSC service delivery;
• Contribute to the analysis of the integrated volunteer management services results by region and portfolio, report on trends and propose operational adjustments to improve workload distribution, service quality and delivery timelines.

Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Lead knowledge management efforts for volunteer lifecycle management, including capturing lessons learned, compiling and updating internal guidance materials, and overseeing; maintenance of the content of the internal knowledge management platform, in coordination with relevant VSC teams;
• Co-create and facilitate local onboarding process of new personnel, leveraging corporate tools, in close consultation and coordination with direct supervisors;
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in personnel management;
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial

Responsibilities

• Direct supervision of 3 GS staff (Team Leads) with indirect oversight of about 40 GS staff at multiple locations. Responsible for creating an empowering work environment, performance management, and capacity development, as well as establishing and monitoring the implementation of annual work plans for the teams.

Education

• Advanced University degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Law, Human Resources, Finance or related field is required. or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qu