Diversity Equality and Inclusion Intern

UNOPS South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine Business Units (BUs): Thailand, Indonesia,  Pacific Operations Cluster, Papua New Guinea, China, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Philippines and Cambodia.

In 2023, UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 75 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi-Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi-Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

Background Information – Job specific

UNOPS strategic focus places increased emphasis on national capacity development and sustainable approaches to project management, procurement and infrastructure services. A key objective is to be recognized as an organization that delivers world-class infrastructure and project management, which is both economically and socially sustainable, even in the most challenging environments. 

To support UNOPS commitment to Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GESI), networks of GESI Focal Points; Prevention and Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH) Focal Points; and Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Focal Points work across each Business Unit (BU) to ensure the safety of all and promote equal rights and opportunities for people to live full lives.

The networks work to mainstream the UNOPS GESI in projects strategy; the UNOPS Gender, Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) in the workforce strategy; and the UNOPS PSEAH strategy, across EAPMCO. The work in each BU is led by a BU GESI & PSEAH Focal Point. This effort is coordinated by an MCO-level Focal Point, who liaises with EAPMCO leadership, the Asia Region and HQ teams.

To expand our ability to apply an intersection and inclusive approach, within our workforce and in the projects UNOPS delivers for its partners - to save lives, protect and promote human rights and build a better world - an intern is required to support the network of Focal Points, under the supervision of the GESI Focal Point Coordinator (Partnership Specialist) at the EAPMCO level. A secondary reporting line to the HR Senior Officer at EAPMCO will cover the PSEAH and HSSE tasks of the internship.

Within the above context, the incumbent will be assigned all or part of the following duties which will be performed according to organizational needs and structure: 

At UNOPS, interns join our teams as equal members and are offered a good mix of support work and independent assignments with substantial responsibility.

Under the direct supervision of the EAPMCO Partnerships Specialist/GESI Focal Point Coordinator, and a secondary reporting line to the EAPMCO HR Senior Officer, the intern’s role is to support the mainstreaming of GESI, GDI, PSEAH and HSSE at UNOPS. Among the tasks assigned to the intern:

Support the implementation of the GESI Strategy and EAPMCO GESI Work Plans

• Organize meetings of UNOPS GESI Focal Points network, and provide administrative support to maintain its functioning, including sending invitations, drafting minutes and following up on the completion of all agreed actions 

• Support the functioning, coordination and active participation of the network, including supporting the daily communication and follow-up required

• Review and track all EAPMCO GESI Action Plans before each monthly call and monitor progress against targets through additional spot checks, including checking whether activities listed in the plans are supported by budgets

• In collaboration with GESI Focal Points, support further indicators and propose improvements to help the unit reach the goals in their GESI Action Plans  

• Collect and report on GESI achievements, including collecting regular stories on GESI mainstreaming and measurements of progress against KPIs

• Draft reporting and visibility communications on GESI successes and achievements, for sharing with the Senior Management Team of EAPMCO and the Asia Region

• Support in the preparation of briefing materials ahead of GESI/GDI meetings 

• Support Business Developers. Project Managers, Support Services with GESI/GDI inputs and reviews as is required

• Perform other GESI/GDI related duties as is required.

Support the implementation of the PSEAH Strategy and EAPMCO PSEAH Work Plans

• Provide administrative support to maintain the PSEAH network’s functioning

• Review and track all EAPMCO PSEAH Action Plans and monitor progress against targets

• Backstop the work of PSEAH Focal Points across each BU

• Support, prepare and facilitate training activities for UNOPS teams, contractors and partners, on PSEAH

• Support and inform non-experts on PSEA concepts, and UNOPS policies,  UNOPS reporting mechanisms, UN principles and code of conduct

• Provide advice to project/programme managers on work site aspects to be included to reduce the possibility of of SEA to happen

• Coordinate key information days such as 16 days of activism.

• Collect and report on PSEAH achievements, including collecting regular stories and measurements of progress against KPIs for reporting to the Senior Management Team of EAPMCO and the Asia Region, and broader UN system

• Support Business Developers, Project Managers, Support Services with PSEAH inputs and reviews as is required

• Perform other GESI/GDI related duties as is required.

Support Health, Safety, Security and Environment Monitoring and Quality Assurance

• Monitoring of HSSE requirements and compliance checking across BUs

• Backstop the work of HSSE Focal Points across each BU

• Provide advice to project/programme managers on work site aspects to be included to reduce the possibility of of HSSE to happen

• Collect and report on HSSE achievements, including measurements of progress against KPIs for reporting to the Senior Management Team of EAPMCO and the Asia Region, and broader UN system

• Support Project Managers, Support Services and Business Developers with HSSE inputs and reviews as is required.

Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Identify training needs and liaise with external and internal experts to enrich the knowledge and understanding of colleagues across UNOPS 

• Facilitate and encourage knowledge sharing within the EAPMCO GESI and PSEAH networks 

• Support in organising events (webinars, campaigns) to celebrate and commemorate international days with examples highlighting GESI mainstreaming in Projects

• Identify opportunities to engage with relevant communities and civil society organisations for collaboration with UNOPS, to broader understanding and engagement

• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learnt and disseminating best practices

• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and put them to use productively.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Responsible for meeting and setting goals, targets and performance standards; reporting on own progress against work plan.

• Track the network's ability to meet deadlines for the timely delivery of activities under the workplan 

• Establish and maintain a planning and progress monitoring tool for tracking activities and Performance Indicators in GESI and PSEAH work plans

Education: 

• Minimum first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in social policy, public policy, gender studies, international development studies, geography, law, architecture, engineering or a related area is required

• Must be enrolled in a university programme such as Bachelor’s or Master's or Ph.D. (or the equivalent) or have graduated from such studies within three (3) years prior to the application date of the internship.

Experience:

• Professional experience in mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion is an asset; preferably in the fields of International Development, Project Management, Engineering, and infrastructure
• Strong computer literacy and knowledge of Google Workspace, preferably Google sheet, Google doc, Google slides and Google drive is required
• Ability to work in an international/ multicultural environment required

Language:

• Fluency in both written and oral English is required. 

• Fluency in a local language in one of the countries of operation for EAPMCO is an advantage

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.