Job Description

Deadline for Applications

April 13, 2026

Hardship Level

H (no hardship)

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

NOA

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

National Professional Officer

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Target Start Date

2026-06-01

Standard Job Description

Assistant Administrative Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Administrative Officer is responsible for supporting the Office/Bureau in the implementation of general administrative and resource management tasks. The incumbent assists the Supervisor in all administrative matters addressing day to day tasks and contributing to deliver administrative activities.
S/he will contribute to establish and maintain efficient administrative control mechanisms to ensure compliance with UN administrative, financial and human resources rules and procedures. Contacts on administrative/budgetary related issues are mainly with Sections/Units/Offices within the organization both at HQ and in the Field and with local suppliers/services to ensure provision of services and resolution of difficult problems. Frequent external contacts are counterparts in other organizations or in national Governments at working level related to issues of importance to the Organization's programmes.

Direct supervision is received from the immediate supervisor. The incumbent will also refer to UNHCR and UN handbooks and policy papers concerning administrative rules and regulations.

The incumbent may directly supervise general service staff.

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 frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Monitor the day-to-day personnel and administrative operations of the office.
- Participates in the recruitment and training of General Service staff for specialized and non-specialized work and assign General Service staff to meet work requirements.
- Supervises activities concerned with office and grounds maintenance, security, transport and similar services.
- Briefs international staff on general administrative matters, provide advice and ensure administrative support as required.
- Contributes to the preparation of submissions of new or revised procedures and practices.
- Prepares correspondence, special reports, evaluations and justifications as required on general administrative matters.
- Handles all personnel matters related to attendance records leave, issuance of visas, licence, etc.
- Coordinate training and capacity-building activities to staff in administrative related areas.
- Facilitate the mission travel of staff, including following up on travel authorizations, bookings, tickets.

- 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
For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Public or Business Administration; Economics; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified.
Desirable
Good knowledge of UNHCR's administrative rules and procedures. Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of the position.

Functional Skills
*IT-Computer Literacy
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
CO-Strategic Communication
CO-Drafting and Documentation
SC-UN/UNHCR Procurement Rules and Procedures
BU-PeopleSoft EPM/Budget
MG-Resource Management
(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.

Desired Candidate Profile

DESIRED CANDIDATE PROFILE:

Essential Attributes:

- The candidate must have a strong understanding of UNHCR Policies and Procedures and concrete experience in their application in a Field / Country Office.

- The candidate must have demonstrated experience as a user of UNHCR’s ERP cloud system.

- The candidate must have demonstrated team management experience

- The candidate must have a solid track record developing local policies and mechanisms.

- The candidate must have a good employment track record as demonstrated by positive performance evaluations or similar.

Desirable attributes

- The candidate should have excellent drafting skills, and be detailed oriented

- He/She should demonstrate a good understanding of UNHCR mandate and context in the operations covered by the RCSEE.

- The candidate should be proactive, able to work autonomously and have the ability to organize work across several countries.

- Strong interpersonal skills are desired given the size and structure of the Representation.

- Prior experience as head of unit a value add

- Knowledge of more than one language spoken in the region covered by the RCSEE a value add

Remuneration:

In case of appointment, a competitive compensation and benefits package is offered.

NOA salary range: NET HUF 1,140,016 - NET HUF 1,379,001

Benefits:

Annual leave: UNHCR staff members holding a fixed-term appointment will accrue annual leave at the rate of 2.5 working days for each full calendar months of service (i.e. 30 working days per year).

Pension system:

Staff members holding a fixed-term appointment will become participants in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF).

Health insurance plan:

Locally recruited staff members in Hungary will be enrolled in the Medical Insurance Plan (MIP). The coverage is also optionally available for eligible family members.

Eligibility:
This position is advertised to internal applicants and UNHCR experience applicants.

Internal Candidates: current National Professional Officer staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment who, at the date of the deadline for application, are serving in the country of the vacancy at the grade of the position or one grade below or above, as well as any candidates serving at higher grades who fulfil the criteria as per the job advertisement. Staff members must serve for a minimum of one year following assignment before being considered eligible to apply for another position within the same category.
The minimum one-year requirement is waived in respect of staff members whose position is being changed or who encumber a position identified as ‘suitable’ in a comparative review process and staff members whose assignment/appointment through the AC is in a replacement capacity.

Candidates with UNHCR experience: Regardless of the category of the position, the following candidates are considered candidates with UNHCR experience: Junior Professional Officers; Temporary Appointment holders; affiliate workforce; interns; staff loaned/seconded from another UN organization/ international organization/ government entity, or former UNHCR international and local staff members who held an indefinite or fixed-term appointment (within two years of separation for males and five years females).
Staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying for a vacancy in a category different from their own are considered candidates with UNHCR experience.

Locally recruited staff members applying for a position two grades above their own are considered candidates with UNHCR experience.

Applicants must be nationals of Hungary or other EU/Schengen country OR in the possession of a valid Hungarian residency and work permit. Temporary and/or sponsored visas are not accepted.

Applications:
All applications must be submitted online in Workday. Email applications will not be accepted. Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal.

Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at inspector@unhcr.org or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

English

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Budapest is classified as a H duty station. To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The position supports the UNHCR Representation for Central and South-East Europe (RCSEE). RCSEE covers 9 operations (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Kosovo* with different structures: 3 multifunctional offices (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia), 6 Workforce presence locations and the Multi-Country office in Budapest where the position of Assistant Admin Officer is based.

Within the Representation, the Admin and Finance Unit is centralized in Budapest and reports directly to the Senior Operations Coordinator - Deputy Representative. The position of Assistant Admin Officer heads the department. The unit is comprised of 7 positions (4 in Budapest and 3 located in national offices for which the post has a technical supervision role).

As the most senior dedicated Admin and Finance position in the MCO structure, the Assistant Admin Officer will be responsible for the oversight of all Admin and Finance matters within the structure working closely with each office, via the relevant admin and finance colleague and in collaboration with program and protection focal points, to ensure timely and cost – efficient management of the ABOD budget in line with UNHCR procedures.

The position is responsible for the management and supervision of General Administration, Finance, IT, and Fleet functions. The incumbent provides strategic guidance, operational oversight, and technical support to ensure efficient, compliant, and well-coordinated administrative and operational services in line with UN policies and procedures.

Beyond the day-to-day management of the operation, the incumbent will be expected to develop a clear vision and strategy to optimize the delivery of support services within the operation ensuring cost-effective and practical solutions are in place in all 9 offices - adapted to their size and needs - with harmonized regional solutions being prioritized where possible to minimize transaction costs.

The position requires occasional travel to all countries covered by the MCO.

(*) References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Living and Working Conditions:

Hungary is located in a temperate climate zone having 4 seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). Winters are becoming milder with average temperatures around -5 centigrade on average during the daytime. Summers are hot, occasionally reaching around 35 centigrade, especially in July and August.

Accommodation is easy to find; short-, mid- and long-term. The city offers a wide range of hotels, Airbnb, long-term rents, etc. Accommodation can be fixed using the services of property agencies, but online solutions are also numerous.

• Regular medical facilities are available;

• There is a number of international schools in Budapest;

• General sanitary and hygiene conditions are adequate;

• Good local banking facilities are available (use of credit cards, ATMs);

• Communication services (domestic and international) are available on a regular basis;

• Availability of food, furnishings and other necessities is adequate (various grocery stores and markets with fresh food products, shopping centres, etc);

• Public transportation is available;

• Public water supply, electricity and sewerage system are in place;

• Various leisure, recreational and sports facilities are available;

No specific security conditions pertain to Hungary. Budapest is a safe metropolitan city, however as in any other city caution shall be exercised when using public transport to avoid pickpocketing.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

BU-PeopleSoft EPM/Budget, CO-Drafting and Documentation, CO-Strategic Communication, IT-Computer Literacy, MG-Resource Management, SC-UN/UNHCR Procurement Rules and Procedures, UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Public Administration

Certifications

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn't require a functional clearance