Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Associate - Environmental Management

Position Title Health, Safety, Social and Environmental Associate - Environmental ManagementJob Category Health, Safety, Social and EnvironmentalDuty Station(s) MykolaivSeniority Level AssociateICS Level ICS 06Contract Type ICA - LICA - Support - RegularContract Level LICA 6Posting Start Date 27-Mar-2026Posting End Date 10-Apr-2026Duration Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds, and satisfactory performanceJOB HIGHLIGHTA hands-on role dedicated to supporting the implementation and maintenance of UEMCO Health, Safety, Social and Environmental (HSSE) management system. The HSSE Associate will work closely with the project team to ensure compliance with Ukrainian regulations, internal standards, and best practices, contributing directly to a safe and sustainable workplace culture.ABOUT THE REGIONThe Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR), based in Geneva, is responsible for the effective management, coordination and oversight of UNOPS operations across the region. The ECR region spans the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Türkiye, where UNOPS works with partners to achieve sustainable impact in health, education, environmental management, housing, rule of law, good governance, economic development, and social inclusion. With a wealth of experience in procurement, infrastructure, project and grant management, UNOPS in the region directly implements projects, provides technical advisory services and capacity building to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in support of national governments.ABOUT THE GROUPThe UNOPS Ukraine and Eastern Europe MCO (UEMCO) operates in Ukraine, Moldova, and Poland, supporting urgent humanitarian needs while building pathways for recovery and development. In Ukraine, UEMCO delivers large-scale infrastructure, energy, housing, education, and mine action projects in partnership with UN agencies, international financial institutions, the European Union, and bilateral donors. Its agile portfolio responds to fast-evolving needs with strong procurement and implementation capacity. In Moldova, UEMCO supports justice sector reform and is exploring opportunities to expand its role across public sector modernization and infrastructure. In Poland, UEMCO works with government and private sector actors to strengthen ties with UN procurement and contribute to Ukraine’s recovery, leveraging Poland’s EU experience to support Ukraine’s future accession and integration.JOB SPECIFIC CONTEXTOn 24 February 2022, the military of the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine, with strikes across the territory of Ukraine. Since then, Russia’s invasion imposes a severe humanitarian and socio-economic toll, global energy and food crisis, large-scale destruction of the country's infrastructure, and disruptions in the provision of critical services and degradation of social fabrics and communities’ ties, triggering one of the world’s most significant forced displacements.Severe attacks on energy and critical infrastructure facilities leave millions of people without electricity, water or heating supply, struggling to access water, food, health services, materials to repair homes, among others. The continued attacks cause substantial damage to the country’s economy and agricultural production, and also affect the poorest countries worldwide.UNOPS support to partners spans the humanitarian-development nexus from emergency response to building back better, across the housing, health, education, transport, energy and mine action sectors, through infrastructure, procurement and technical assistance / project management interventions, with the ultimate aim of supporting the country on its EU accession and in its achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.ROLE PURPOSEThe primary purpose of the HSSE Associate is to provide essential operational support and coordination for all HSSE activities across the project. This role is crucial for:* Ensuring Compliance: Monitoring adherence to all relevant local and national HSSE legislation, permits, and internal policies. * Risk Mitigation: Assisting in the identification, assessment, and control of workplace hazards and environmental risks. * HSSE Culture Development: Supporting training, communication, and engagement initiatives to promote a proactive safety and environmental awareness among employees. * Operational Support: Managing HSSE documentation, coordinating inspections, and facilitating incident reporting and investigation processes.Key responsibilities:* Technical Support Services * Office Administration * Knowledge Building and Knowledge SharingTechnical Support Services* Support the Project Team on various health and safety and environmental related matters in the ongoing projects. * Contribute to the development of the HS plan. * Assist in monitoring and reporting on site-specific ESMPs for activities conducted by the UNOPS field Offices. * Support field level review of health, safety, social and environmental management plans on a regular basis and ensure these are up to date at all times. * Assist in coordination of the implementation, monitoring and reporting of Environmental and Social Management Tools including Labor Management Procedures (LMP), Gender Based Violence Action Plan, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Prevention Action Plan and Child Protection Action Plan. * With the guidance of the HSSE Specialist, perform field inspections and monitoring visits to the project’s sites to highlight possible areas/issues of non-conformity (e.g. unsafe work at heights and in excavations), draft project’s health and safety related reports on occurrences, and provide statistical information. * Ensure that relevant safety risk assessments are complied and support the enforcement of preventative measures on HSSE for all project activities. * Support in the development and review of HSSE guidelines and operating procedures.Office Administration* Carry out a series of spot checks to ensure mitigation measures are properly implemented in line with the guideline. * Provides general administrative services for the work area, managing the information flow, following up on the timeliness of responses for initiatives, correspondence, and queries, with internal and external stakeholders. * Participate in regular site meetings to report on relevant HSSE matters and to provide necessary advice. * Record relevant project HSSE reports in line with UNOPS policies and procedures.Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing* Liaise with the Project Team to ensure their respective contractors meet their statutory obligations in all areas pertaining to health, safety and welfare at work, including statutory training, reporting, permit to work system, equipment utilized on site etc. * In coordination with the HSSE Specialist, implement existing procedures for reporting all health and safety and environmental incidents. * Carry out training and capacity building on HSSE and learning initiatives for UNOPS personnel, contractors and partners.Impact of ResultsThe effective and successful achievement of results by the Senior Security Officer directly impacts on the security, safety and performance of UNOPS' personnel, local programmes, projects and operations and therefore the organization's credibility as an effective service provider in project services and management. This promotes the image of the office and enhances UNOPS' competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services in the country/region served.SKILLSAccident Investigation, Computer Operations, Environmental Compliance, Health & Safety, Inspection, Reporting, Risk Assessment, Safety Management Systems, Training DeliveryEDUCATION REQUIREMENTS* High School Diploma is required; * A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Health and Safety Management, Environmental Management, Civil Engineering, Natural Resource Management or any other relevant discipline will be considered as an asset and may substitute some of the required years of experience.Certification:* Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) certification is desired (when education is different from OH&S); * Internationally recognized certification in Occupational Health and Safety, such as NEBOSH IGC/ IOSH / OHSAS 18001 is highly desired.EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTSRequired:* A minimum of 6 years of work experience (or less depending on academic credencials) in Occupational Health and Safety; * Experience in H&S risk assessments OR on site inspections OR permit to work system OR incident investigation OR H&S reporting.Desired:* Work experience on international projects.Training facilitation in HSSE matters; * Experience with third party certification audits for Health & Safety and Environment Management. * Experience of working at UN agencies or other international Humanitarian/ Development organizations. * Experience in working with the G-Suite platform including, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides.LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTSUkrainian - Fluent RequiredEnglish - Basic RequiredADDITIONAL INFORMATION* Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. * Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind. * Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. 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. * UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. * For more details about the contract types, please click 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.HOW TO APPLYPlease use this direct link for applying.