Programme Management Assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

• This position is located in the regional structure of the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and Peace Operations (DPO). The incumbent will support the work of the Middle East (MED) and North Africa Divisions (NAD), and will report to both Directors of MED and NAD.

Responsibilities

• Provides assistance in support of planning and implementation of activities/processes for the extra-budgetary projects funded by DPPA’s Multi-Year Appeal (MYA), including the planning and execution of key project events and initiatives.
• Serves as focal point for coordination, monitoring and expedition of programme/project implementation activities, including managing key project events and making all arrangements such as travel, logistics and consultancy recruitments. This involves extensive liaison withdiverse organisational units to initiate requests, preparing 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.
• Researches, compiles, analyses, summarizes, and presents basic information/data on specific programmes/project and related topics.
• Assists in the coordination of programme/project planning and preparation of extrabudgetary projects; 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.
• Assists in the monitoring and evaluation of programmes/projects; categorizes, updates, tracks and analyses data related to programmes/projects, e.g. accounting records, outputs, resources utilized, deviations/revisions, etc.; carries out periodic status reviews, identifies issues and initiates requisite follow-up actions; prepares revised budget estimates; reports on budget revisions, expenditures and obligations, verifies availability of funds; ensures necessary approval and entry in computerized budget system; initiates financial authorizations for expenditures.
• Drafts programme/project summaries, coordinates review and clearance process, and coordinates with editor, translation services, etc. on finalization and publication of report multiple languages.
• 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.
• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provides insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Ensures that requirements and background information used for data analysis are documented.
• Provides guidance and training to new/junior staff.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Work Experience

• Seven years of work experience in programme or project administration, technical cooperation or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 5 for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Experience in preparation and/or implementation of extra-budgetary projects is desirable. Experience in supporting teams in mandated and/or programmatic activities is desirable. Experience with SAP or similar ERPs, such as UMOJA, is desirable.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position(s) advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/242495?language=en