UN WOMEN Jobs - 70681- Project Assistant

Project Assistant

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Ankara, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Mar-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women maintains a large presence throughout Europe and Central Asia region, covering 14 countries, with programme presence in Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244), Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and Ukraine; country offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova; and remaining countries are covered through a multi-country office in Almaty that covers Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), and the fact that countries have to harmonize national legislation with the EU’s acquis as part of the accession process, has created an opportunity to step up UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office’s (ECA RO) capacity to bring a regional perspective to human rights-based programming in relation to regional and international agreements, and the European Union (EU) normative frameworks for accession countries related to gender equality discrimination, and more particularly, on ending violence against women in Western Balkans and Turkey.

“Implementing norms, changing minds” is a UN Women regional programme, which aims to support a reduction in discrimination and violence against women and girls in Turkey and six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia), anchored in the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Istanbul Convention, and also in alignment with European Union accession standards. The programme supports the development of an enabling legislative and policy environment on eliminating violence against women and all forms of discrimination; promotes favorable social norms and attitudes to prevent gender discrimination and violence against women; and pursues empowering women and girls (including those from disadvantaged groups) who have experienced discrimination or violence to advocate for and use available, accessible, and quality services. The programme will channel its interventions through and for women’s organizations, with an emphasis on those working with women from disadvantaged groups.

Within this context, UN Women is recruiting a Project Assistant who will support the Programme Manager in the daily implementation and management of the programme. The Project Assistant works in close collaboration with the programme staff, and the UN Women ECARO team to ensure consistent service delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Support with Programme Implementation; and
Administration and Finance

Support with Programme Implementation:

Provide support in day to day implementation and monitoring of the programme activities;
Ensures logistics are properly undertaken pertaining to the organization of workshops, seminars, events, and other activities, and prepares relevant budgets and participant lists;
Assists in the preparation of field visits, special events, meetings, missions, including the development of background materials and other relevant reports and documentation;
Support in the preparation of budgets and related delivery report;
Maintains ongoing contact with partners, including government, civil society organizations, international organizations, UN agencies, and donors;
Assists in monitoring and evaluating the performance of partners under contracts/agreements with UN Women;
Assist in setting and implementing reporting arrangements to ensure that the reporting requirements are met in a timely manner (these will include reports from implementing partners);
Provide guidance to implementing partners so as to ensurefull compliance with operational UNW rules and regulations in terms of procurement, human resources, and finance;
Assist in drafting programme reports and updates, including consolidation from participating countries, minutes of meeting, terms of reference and contractual documentation;
Assist in the preparation in managing programme budgets and monitoring expenditures against established allocations;
Drafts routine correspondence, and translates as necessary;
Provides translation from English to Turkish and vice versa;
Performs any other tasks assigned by Pogramme Manager and Regional Office in Istanbul;
Provides assistance in relation to any preparatory work related to new UN programmes related to the scope of the programme, in which UN Women is a leader or participates as a partner.

Administration and Finance:

Supports day-to-day administrative work related to the smooth running of the UN Women office, including oversight of communications/electronic/IT systems, and the coordination of meetings, note taking and follow-up;
Supports and coordinates all logistics related to staff travel such as lodging, transportation and prepares Travel Authorizations and ensures Travel Claims are properly filled and original documents kept on file;
Receives and approves invoices for procurement of goods and services and submits them to the Regional Office in Istanbul for payments in a timely manner. Ensures that correct information on vendors is provided to the Regional Office. Ensures all original financial records are kept on file, including both vendor and partner contracts and documentation;
Manages petty cash (as applicable) and attends to small value procurement of office supplies, stationery, and ensures timely re-order of stock;
Prepares requisitions to the Regional Office for purchase orders;
Keeps and updates annual leave and absence monitoring records;
Manages electronic /manual registry of all correspondence received, ensures correct distribution, monitors and tracks correspondence to ensure responsiveness;
Creates and manages the filing system for the programme;
Provides general advice and information on UN rules and regulations relating to the Programme and Operations Manual (POM) ensuring that all project activities are in compliance.

Impact Key Results:

Efficient and timely achievement of the results directly affects programme delivery;
Inaccuracy in information supplied, inefficiency in support services provided, inadequacy in organizational and logistical arrangements made and insufficient client orientation will have a significant negative impact on programme efficiency and Organization’s reputation.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

Communicate sensitively and effectively across different constituencies;
Demonstrate excellent judgment, particularly with regard to being able to prioritize according to importance and urgency;
Highly organized, with particular ability in devising systems to ensure follow-up;
Enjoy multi-tasking and managing several activities at one time;
Focus on impact and result;
Ability to work as a positive and valued member of task teams and demonstrate conflict resolution skills;
Consistently approach work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Build strong relationships with clients and external actors;
Respond positively to critical feedback and differing points of view;
Display high level of discretion;
Teamwork, a collaborative spirit and the ability to inspire and motivate others to achieve established goals;
Ability to respect individual/cultural differences;
Client-oriented readiness to provide support based on knowledge about the needs of counterparts.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

University degree is required.

Experience:

Minimum 3 years of relevant administrative and programme experience at national and/or international level;
Experience in administration and finance is required;
Strong skills in drafting, writing, and editing in English;
Excellent computer skills (with, at the very least: MS Word, Excel, and Power Point) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages required;
Knowledge of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System, such as ATLAS, UMOJA, or other SAP/Oracle type software is an advantage;
Experience in working with international organizations and supporting similar programmes an asset;
Experience in supporting complex projects/processes that include extensive communication, coordination and facilitation;
Experience in organizing events and conference;
Experience with preparing summaries and reports of meetings; and
Previous UN experience is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Turkish, both written and verbal is required.