Programme Management Assistant

Programme Management Assistant

UNDESA - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs New York City National GS-6, General Service - No need for Higher Education - Locally recruited position level Speaks English, French Application deadline: November 12, 2026 (12 days)

The Programme Management Assistant position is located in the Programme Management Unit of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The role involves supporting planning and implementation activities for the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan. Key responsibilities include assisting in project planning, budget preparation, monitoring and evaluation, and providing guidance to junior staff. The position requires collaboration with various organizational units to ensure effective project implementation and reporting.

Candidate Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Minimum seven years of experience in programme or project administration
• Experience with enterprise resource planning systems (e.g., SAP, Umoja)
• Experience in organizing international conferences and events
• Experience in recruitment processes
• Desirable experience in monitoring and reporting on project implementation
• Desirable experience in data analytics

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Programme Management Unit of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The Division serves as the global secretariat for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It supports Member States in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through policy analysis, capacity development, intergovernmental support, partnerships, and knowledge-sharing. For more information, please visit our website at . The Programme Management Assistant reports to the Senior Programme Management Officer and will support the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Responsibilities

Under the guidance and supervision of the Senior Programme Management Officer of the Programme Management Unit and the overall guidance of the Director, the Programme Management Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Provides assistance in support of planning and implementation activities/processes for the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan.
2. Researches, compiles, analyses, summarizes, and presents basic information/data on specific programmes/project and related topics.
3. Assists in the coordination of programme/project planning and preparation; monitors status of programme/project proposals; takes necessary action to ensure project documents are completed and submitted to relevant parties for approval.
4. Assists in the preparation and analysis of programme/project budget proposals; provides assistance in the interpretation of budget guidelines; reviews and coordinates submissions of programme proposals and budget estimates, ensuring that requisite information is included and justified in terms of proposed activities; propose adjustments as necessary; prepares reports and ensures that outputs/services are properly categorized.
5. Assists in the monitoring and evaluation of programmes/projects; categorizes, updates, tracks and analyses data related to programmes/projects, e.g. accounting records, outputs, resources utilized, deviations/revisions, etc.; carries out periodic status reviews, identifies issues and initiates requisite follow-up actions; prepares revised budget estimates; reports on budget revisions, expenditures and obligations, verifies availability of funds; ensures necessary approval and entry in computerized budget system; initiates financial authorizations for expenditures.
6. Collaborates with programme/project managers on performance reporting; liaises with relevant parties on the interpretation of the activities/services scheduled in the programme budget and various planning instruments such as the medium-term plan and internal work plans; provides assistance on reporting requirements, guidelines, rules and procedures and ensures completeness and accuracy of data submitted.
7. Drafts programme/project summaries, coordinates review and clearance process, and coordinates with editor, translation services, etc. on finalization and publication of report multiple languages.
8. Serves as focal point for coordination, monitoring and expedition of programme/project implementation activities, involving extensive liaison with diverse organisational units to initiate requests, prepare standard terms of reference against programme/project objec