Mission and objectives

For 40 years, UNICEF has financed programs to help children in Poland, bought equipment for health centers, and imported raw materials for the production of children's articles. During martial law, National Committees from Western Europe provided Polish children with medicines, clothes and supplements. Since 2002, the scope of UNICEF's activities in Poland has changed. Like other highly developed countries, UNICEF currently focuses its activities in Poland on promoting and protecting children's rights and collecting funds to help children in the most needy regions of the world.

Context

UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, works in over 190 countries and territories globally to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. Humanitarian action is central to UNICEF’s mandate and realizing the rights of every child. Our presence in many countries before, during and after emergencies, delivers a continuum of humanitarian and development support to reduce risk and strengthen preparedness, recovery and resilience of communities and services critical to children. In March 2022, at the invitation of the Polish government, UNICEF opened a Refugee Response Office in Poland to support the government efforts in providing protection, care and support for Ukrainian families, children and adolescents fleeing the war. Until September 2025, UNICEF has reached over 800,000 children with humanitarian support. UNICEF is providing critical services as well as system strengthening initiatives in the area of education, child protection, health and others. UNICEF is working in close collaboration with central and local government institutions for the provision of humanitarian support and services for the refugee children and families. As part of its interventions UNICEF has also delivered substantive capacity building and training for both local government official as well as NGOs to enhance local service delivery in support of refugee children. As a result, a number of innovative service models were established in partnership with local governments delivering specialized and tailored services. Majority of those services are considered important for local communities and will be sustained in the longer term by the respective local governments. As the refugee situation in Poland evolved from an acute emergency into a protracted crisis UNICEF’s approach has moved away from intense humanitarian service delivery towards a focus on partnerships and technical assistance to strengthen the inclusiveness and resilience of government systems at all levels ensuring they can sustainably reach all refugee children with critical services and support their integration in the longer term.

Task Description

Under the supervision of a Country Coordinator, the Administrative Support Assistant is accountable for procedural communications, operations and administrative support services, as well as specialized administrative functions, including supporting the organization of key events for the RRO to enhance the smooth running of the supervisor’s and office day-to day activities, as well as other sections Administrative Support Assistant also represent the supervisor in initiating, following up on and resolving issues pertaining to administrative requests. Summary of key functions/accountabilities: • Communications Support • Administrative Support • Operations Support, including support for events management COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT: • On behalf of supervisor, manage incoming and outgoing correspondence, e-mails and telephone calls. • Manage office mail and correspondence • Communicate sensitive information to higher level managers and coordinate responses to sensitive inquiries. • Coordinate communication and exchange of information withing the office, between section and teams, ensuring effective flow of communication to all team members • Provide routine information pertaining to the work of the division/office. • Draft responses to written inquiries on routine questions. • Follow up on established deadlines ensuring timely submissions by staff of reports, correspondence and other documents • Manage the office document registry and official documentation and files, maintaining a library of key documents • Support office hand-over and exit strategy through ensuring coordination of the office handover SharePoint site ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: • Maintain the supervisor’s calendar and arrange meetings • Arrange official travel for the supervisor. • Preparing briefing materials for official trips or meetings. • Prepare documentation for the supervisor’s signature reviewing for style, factual and grammatical accuracy. • Organize and coordinate internal office meetings, take notes for key office meetings for the Emergency Management Team, Programme Planning Meetings and others and maintain a library for all official meeting notes. OPERATIONS SUPPORT: • Supports the organization of events, conferences and meetings for all teams in RRO in coordination with section teams and with the Operations team, including the preparation of specification for events companies, identification of hotels, communication and coordination of initiations and invitees. • Maintains and updates a system which monitors the absence of staff. • Prepares and maintains records, documents, and plans for the implementation and monitoring of project/programme implementation, including Annual Work plans. • Facilitate the processing of contracts for consultants and external partners that provide a service to the RRO in relations to the activities listed in this ToR. This includes preparing standard Terms of Reference, filing documents, completing necessary forms and templates, and making necessary logistical arrangements. In addition, she/he is accountable for applying a broad range of specialized administrative rules and procedures in the coordination of administrative support to the senior staff member and his/her section served. In addition, they represent the supervisor in communications involving the exchange of non-routine information, coordinating, and following up on deadlines as well as establishing and maintaining communications with counterparts within UNICEF and partner organizations. Efficiently initiating, monitoring, and ensuring provision of such services allows the supervisor to focus on substantive core work.

Competencies and values

• Accountability • Adaptability and flexibility • Creativity • Judgement and decision-making • Planning and organizing • Professionalism • Self-management

Living conditions and remarks

Warsaw, the capital and largest city of Poland, has a population of approximately 1.79 million (World Population Review, 2023). It's a vibrant and modern city with a rich history, diverse culture, and a thriving economy. The city offers a diverse cultural landscape with numerous museums, galleries, theaters, and green spaces for leisure and recreation. The climate features cold winters with temperatures below zero and warm summers ranging from 20 to 35 degrees Celsius. Safety in Warsaw is generally good, though occasional exceptions may occur, typical of any urban area. Compared to other European capitals, Warsaw is relatively affordable, attracting tourists and expatriates. Its efficient public transportation network includes buses, trams, and a reliable metro system. The city offers a variety of fresh and affordable food options, and families can find international schools and kindergartens for their children's education. Warsaw has two major airports, Warsaw Chopin Airport and Warsaw Modlin, providing domestic and international flight options. Quality healthcare is readily available through a mix of public and private hospitals and clinics. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. Real estate options in Warsaw are diverse, with recommended neighborhoods like Śródmieście, Wola, Mokotów, and Żoliborz. These areas are well-communicated and offer excellent transportation links, ensuring there's no problem reaching the country office. They provide convenient access to amenities and are ideal choices for those seeking a central and well-connected living environment in Warsaw. More information can be found through Poland - Traveler view | Travelers' Health | CDC. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. Contingent on specific eligibility criteria, location of the volunteer assignment and contractual type and category, the payment of allowances will begin from the date of Commencement of Service For more information on entitlements please read the Condition of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos) and use the entitlement calculator (https://app.unv.org/calculator) for the most up to date information. Monthly Living Allowance (Per month): PLN 8096.66* Entry lump sum (onetime payment) USD: 400 * may be subject to change due to USD/PLN changes Leave entitlements: Annual leave: 2.5 days accrued per calendar month Certified sick leave: 30 days Uncertified sick leave: 7 days Learning leave: 10 working days per consecutive 12 months Maternity Leave: 16 weeks Paternity Leave: 10 days