UNDP Jobs - 95619- Project Officer for Output 2: Strengthening front-

Project Officer for Output 2: Strengthening front-line response services to mitigate the effect of the pandemic

Location :

Prishtinë/Priština, Kosovo, UNSCR 1244 (1999)

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

05-Jan-2021

Application Deadline :

18-Dec-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

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

Globally, as of 25 November 2020, there have been 59,204,902 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,397,139 deaths, as reported by WHO. While the pandemic began as a health crisis, it has now turned into a multi-dimensional crisis with far-reaching socio-economic implications. The speed and scale of the spread, the severity of cases, and the societal and economic disruption is dramatic for both developed and developing countries. The effects on people and the formal and informal economy is worsening an already weak and fragile world economy.
Recovering from disasters is a challenging process as it creates greater pressures on already limited human, institutional and financial resources. As part of Disaster Management phases, in the current context, UNDP has engaged at regional, national and sub-national levels, focusing on response, mitigation and recovery. Safeguarding human rights in times of crisis becomes a challenge, especially under current circumstances, with a confluence of health and socio-economic crisis.
Kosovo has a solid legal and institutional framework for decentralized social service delivery which must be complemented with adequate funding and resources. As such, the existing institutional social safety net is inadequate to respond to the needs of vulnerable people; a significant proportion of the poor already fall through the safety net. The inadequacy of the system has become more evident with the sharp increase of social vulnerability as a result of the pandemic. The Social Assistance Scheme (SAS) absorbs approximately 88% of the budget for social assistance with the relative total spending on SAS declining over the last decade. The pandemic has exposed a series of gaps in the governance system which has affected the work of institutions and service delivery not least in provision of social services; it has directly affected the work of Centres for Social Work (CSW) as they are also engaged in other activities to help their citizens - despite limited capacities - either through the provision of professional social services, administering measures of the emergency package, or through direct assistance in providing food and hygiene packages.

To address some of these issues, UNDP has developed a project with the objective to enhance the provision of social services by CSW and improve access to equitable, qualitative, integrated social protection for the most vulnerable groups, including women and girls.

The project is funded through EU IPA II/Action Document (Kosovo) - EU4 Social Protection.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, and in cooperation with the Portfolio Manager, the Project Officer will have the following duties and responsibilities:

Support the implementing activities by mobilizing goods and services, in accordance with UNDP Policies and the UNDP Kosovo Standard Operating Procedures:

Support the Project Manager in daily activities of the project, with a focus on implementing Output 2 of the project;
Develop Terms of References, Request for Proposal, Requests for Quotations, Bill of Quantities, and the other necessary documentation as required by the Output;
Organise and lead the review process of proposal as per UNDP Rules and Regulations;
Monitor the implementation of undertaken activities, specifically procurement and physical interventions, and provide feedback to partners and stakeholders when required, and suggest corrective actions when necessary;
Ensure that UNDP rules and regulations are implemented in all project activities;
Prepare regular updates, progress reports, work plans, and assist in drafting final project reports as per UNDP rules and regulations, and ensure that gender dimensions are highlighted in all activities/products;
Support the Project Manager in effective use of resources and compliance with UNDP rules and procedures;
Contribute to the production and dissemination of communication and promotion materials, in particular online resources;
Contribute to the planning and organisation of project board meetings;
Participate in regular internal meetings and training events.

Monitor progress and risks, ensuring that changes are controlled, and problems addressed; Reporting on progress including measures to address challenges and opportunities:

Contribute to knowledge management activities, including monitoring and evaluation, and ensure capturing of gender disaggregated results;
Facilitate the cooperation and liaising between beneficiaries and the project to ensure timely and qualitative implementation of project activities;
Monitor the off-line risk log and submit new risks to the Project Manager for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; update the status of these risks by maintaining the project risks log;
Identify changes in the external environment and promptly advise the project manager on necessary solutions or actions.

Support partnerships, advocacy, and knowledge management activities at project level

Support the project manager in developing partnerships with national and international stakeholders and partners to guarantee coordination, prevent overlapping of activities, ensure lessons learned are gathered and disseminated, and identify possibilities for organizing joint activities;
Ensure lessons learned are gathered and disseminated amongst stakeholders and identify possibilities for organizing joint activities with partners
Be familiar with the activities of other development projects in the sector/area, establish contact and keep up-to date with their work;
Support the Project Manager in developing/strengthening partnerships and advocacy activities agreed by the UNDP office in the area/sector covered by the project.

Impact of Results
The Project Officer’s inputs will have a direct impact on the implementation of the project and the achievement of results. Specifically, effective implementation of component activities and effective coordination of activities with project other components and the project team is the expected result.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treats all people fairly without favoritism
Excellent analytical and organizational skills
Actively promotes gender equality in all Project activities.

Functional competencies:

Excellent organizational and planning skills;
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to build trust;
Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects implementation;
Documents and tracks innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches;
Demonstrated ability to work effectively in teams, delivering through and with others;
Responds positively to new approaches;
Understands the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position;
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion;
Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
Responds to client needs promptly

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

BA degree in architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, or a related field.

Experience:

5 years of relevant professional experience in a similar project or role;
Proven track record in development sector working for an international agency, donor organization, or NGO;
Proven ability to develop plans, coordinate and implement complex activities with diverse range of partners in a multi-cultural context;
Proven experience in monitoring of work plans and project implementation, with a focus on reconstruction and renovation projects;
Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages. Experience in handling of web based management systems.

Language requirement:

Fluency in both oral and written Albanian and English languages is required. Knowledge of Serbian language is an asset.

Application Instructions:

All interested candidates must complete the UNDP PERSONAL HISTORY FORM (P11). Without the completed and signed P11 Form, your application will not be considered. P11 Form can be downloaded at http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/operations/jobs/

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

Download and complete the the UNDP PERSONAL HISTORY FORM (P11);
Click on the "Apply now" button;
Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. You can type in, or paste your short Resume into the last box;
Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload your Resume. Instead of uploading your Resume, please submit a fully completed and signed UNDP Personal History Form (P-11);
System will only allow one attachment. All docs (P11, academic qualifications/diploma) should be included as one attachment.