General
Description of assignment title: Admin & Logistics Assistant (Education)
Assignment country: Sri Lanka
Duty stations: Colombo
Work location: On UN premises
Expected start date: 12/01/2026
Duration: 6 months (with possibility of extension)
Sustainable Development Goal: 4. Quality education
Host entity: UNICEF
Modality: Onsite
Type: National
Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026
Work schedule: Full-time
Number of Assignments: 1
Details
Mission and objectives
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF insists that the survival, protection and development of children are universal development imperatives that are integral to human progress. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a "first call for children" and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children – victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation, and those with disabilities. UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children. In coordination with United Nations partners and humanitarian agencies, UNICEF makes its unique facilities for rapid response available to its partners to relieve the suffering of children and those who provide their care. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. UNICEF aims, through its country programmes, to promote the equal rights of women and girls and to support their full participation in the political, social and economic development of their communities. UNICEF works with all its partners towards the attainment of the sustainable human development goals adopted by the world community and the realization of the vision of peace and social progress enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
Context
Under the overall guidance of the UNICEF Sri Lanka Chief of Education, the UNV will provide coordination, operational, administrative and logistical support to facilitate the timely and effective implementation of Education Section activities.
Task description
- Event and Meeting coordination
- Support the planning and coordination of workshops, meetings and events.
- Identify and liaise with venues and other vendors regarding availability, quotations and bookings.
- Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to ensure the smooth execution of workshops, meetings and events.
- Provide on-site coordination support as required.
- Supply Management Support and Vendor Coordination
- Follow up with the Supply Team on procurement requests within the section, including printing of resource materials.
- Coordinate with programme teams and implementing partners on supply status tracking.
- Maintain accurate records of requests, timelines and delivery status through appropriate tracking systems.
- Facilitate communication between programme teams and the Supply Unit to avoid delays.
- General Administrative and Logistical Support
- Provide administrative and logistical support as required by the team.
- Support improvements in coordination processes, follow-ups and tracking systems.
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 - 80
Required experience
3 years
Nationality
Candidate must be a national, legal resident or hold refugee status in the country of assignment.
Assignment requirements
Relevant experience
3 years
Languages
- English, Level: Fluent, Required
- Sinhalese, Level: Fluent, Desirable
- Tamil, Level: Fluent, Desirable
Required education level
Secondary education
Competencies and values
The core values of UNICEF of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability need to be maintained at all times.
The functional competencies required are:
- Builds and maintains partnerships
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical-awareness
- Drive to achieve results for impact
- Innovates and embraces change
- Manages ambiguity and complexity
- Thinks and acts strategically
- Works collaboratively with others
Skills and experience
- Minimum 1–2 years of relevant professional experience in administrative, coordination, logistics, or programme support roles.
- Experience in organizing events, meetings, or workshops and supporting procurement or supply tracking processes is desirable
- Familiarity with UN/UNICEF procedures and working with government or development partners is an advantage
- Strong organizational, coordination, and time management skills with attention to detail
- Ability to manage multiple tasks, follow up proactively, and meet deadlines under pressure
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); experience with tracking tools is an asset
- Fluency in English and Sinhala or Tamil required; familiarity with both national languages an asset
- Basic understanding of supply and logistics processes, tracking tools, or procurement workflows is an asset.
- Familiarity with child development, curriculum implementation, and conducting research/surveys/census is beneficial.
- Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to manage multiple tasks and work with tight deadlines.
- Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); familiarity with platforms such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or other information‑management systems is an advantage.
Area(s) of expertise
Administration, Logistics, procurement, commodities, Event organisation, protocol services
Driving license
Other information
Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.
Living conditions and remarks
Sri Lanka is an island nation located off the south coast of India. It’s home to an estimated population of over 21 million people. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi- religious country. It is a tropical country with moderate temperate and high humidity all throughout the year. The climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year but humidity is usually high. From March to April the temperature averages around 32 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit). The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the monsoon seasons from May to August and October to January when heavy rainfalls occur. Colombo is situated in the Western Province of Sri Lanka and is the commercial capital of the country. The city is located on the west coast of the island, adjacent to the administrative capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. Bandaranaike International Airport is located 35km from Colombo and is served by the main international airlines. Sri Lanka currently has stable and safe living environment. Cost of living is relatively high with increased food and accommodation costs. The UN Volunteer will be based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Colombo is the administrative centre and offers a range of accommodation, transportation, medical, banking and other services. Sri Lanka is classified as a Family Duty Station. The security level in Colombo is UNDSS Level 1 (Low).
You may check the full benefits and allowances applicable to the duty station using the UVP calculator. Please see the Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers for more information and details.”
All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Reasonable accommodation
UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.
Scam warning
The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.
UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.
