Programme Assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA unescwa.org) forms part of the United Nations Secretariat and, like the other regional commissions, operates under the supervision of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. ESCWA comprises 21 Arab countries in Western Asia and North Africa. ESCWA provides a framework for the formulation and harmonization of sectoral policies for member countries, a platform for congress and coordination, a home for expertise and knowledge, and an information observatory. ESCWA activities are coordinated with the divisions and main offices of the Headquarters of the United Nations, specialized agencies, and international and regional organizations, including the League of Arab States and its subsidiary bodies, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The SDG Stories Team was established to mainstream the United Nations values and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among young people in the Arab region, through the production and dissemination of the “SDG Stories” comic book. Against this background, ESCWA is seeking the services of a Programme Assistant to contribute to the drafting, translation and dissemination of the comic book, and to assist selected schools in the Arab region in designing and implementing SDG related activities. This position is in Cluster 5, 2030 Agenda and SDG Coordination, at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).The Programme Assistant will report to the Cluster Leader and/or to a designated Officer.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Programme Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provides assistance in support of planning and implementation activities/processes for the project.
• Researches, compiles, analyses, summarizes, and presents basic information/data on topics related to the implementation of the project.
• 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.
• 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.
• Collaborates with programme/project managers on performance reporting; liaises with relevant parties on the interpretation of the activities/services scheduled in the PB 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.
• Drafts programme/project summaries, coordinates review and clearance process, and coordinates with editor, translation services, etc. on finalization and publication of report multiple languages.
• Serves as focal point for coordination, monitoring and expedition of programme/project implementation activities, involving extensive liaison with a diverse organisational units to initiate requests, prepare standard terms of reference against programme/project objectives, obtain necessary clearances, process and follow-up on administrative actions and resolve issues related to project implementation, e.g. recruitment and appointment of personnel, travel arrangements, organisation of and participation in training/study tours, authorization of payments, disbursement of funds, procurement of equipment and services, etc.
• Prepares, maintains and updates files (electronic and paper) and internal databases; designs and generates a variety of periodic and ad hoc reports, statistical tables, graphic content, and other background materials/notes to facilitate inspection and other reviews.
• Drafts correspondence and communications related to all aspects of programme/project administration, including work plan and budgets, revisions and other related issues, as well as prepares unit contributions for a variety of periodic reports.
• Provides guidance and training to new/junior staff.
• Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making.
• Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures.
• Contributes to the timely drafting, production and dissemination of the SDG Stories comic book in Arabic; and assists in the translation into English.
• Contributes to the development of relevant training material in Arabic on the use of the comic book as an educational tool to help mainstream the SDGs within youth.
• Liaises with and maintains regular communication and follow-up with different internal and external stakeholders, including ministries of education, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and National Commissions for UNESCO schools, schools, SDGs Advocates, NGOs and potential donors in support of the project activities.
• Plans for and participates in field visits to beneficiary schools to support and document the implementation of relevant activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience

• At least seven years of experience in programme or project administration, technical cooperation or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five (5) years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. At least five (5) years of experience in outreach or public relations is desirable. At least three (3) years of experience in the field of education, journalism, editing, or any other related field/industry, in the Arabic language, is desirable. At least three (3) years of experience in transformative education, youth and SDGs is desirable. At least one (1) year of experience in working with the United Nations or similar international organizations, NGOs, or governmental agencies is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. In addition, Arabic is a working language at ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English is required. Fluency in Arabic is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/240209?language=en