UNDP Jobs - 65297- Project Assistant

Project Assistant

Location :

Ankara, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

UNV

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

08-Apr-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

UNV

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months

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

UNDP Turkey works for progress in three core areas: 1) capacity building for democratic governance; 2) action and advocacy for poverty reduction; and 3) environment and sustainable development.

In addition to these core areas, UNDP Turkey is emphasizing the role of women, private sector, capacity development, and information and communication technology in its policies and programs. To achieve progress in these areas, UNDP seeks to establish partnerships with the central government, local administrations, civil society, academia and private sector to strengthen its contribution to Turkey's development. UNDP works closely with line ministries to support the efficient implementation of development projects. UNDP Turkey also collaborates with other UN agencies present in Turkey to maximize the impact of the UN's activities in the country, including through joint projects on women, youth, internally displaced persons and the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP Turkey is based in Ankara, with project offices in Istanbul, Erzurum, Adiyaman, Mardin, Diyarbakir and Sanliurfa, through which it implements projects with non-governmental organizations, women and youth groups, the business community, universities, and regional and local administrations to directly address the development issues in these regions.

An effective access to justice is one of the fundamental conditions for the establishment of the Rule of Law. The right to access judicial protection meant essentially the aggrieved individual’s formal right to litigate or defend a claim. Effective access to justice has increasingly been accepted as a basic social right in modern societies.

As a means of access to justice, legal aid is a primary issue of human rights law which concerns fundamental principles such as equality of arms and right to a fair trial. Furthermore, legal aid should not be merely seen as a service provided by Bars but it should be seen as a part of civil and criminal justice policy. Thus, the European Court of Human Rights and UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice foresee that the states have full responsibility for the operation and nature of legal aid systems. Despite the initiatives for improvement of the legal aid services in Turkey, it is addressed by both EU progress Reports as well as international and national analysis that legal aid system in Turkey need to be improved in terms of its procedures, quality and impacts on citizens.

Within this framework, addressing the gaps in legal aid practices for disadvantaged groups, UNDP, Union of Turkish Bar Associations (UTBA) and Ministry of Justice (MoJ) initiated a joint Project for “Support to the Improvement of Legal Aid Practices for Access to Justice for All in Turkey” in September 2015. The Project aims for the elimination of the gaps and needs for an effective functioning legal aid system and ultimately better access to justice in Turkey. The main target group of the Project is disadvantaged groups including women, children, youth and disabled and local, age and gender specific approaches to legal aid will be developed under the Project.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

The key function (KF) of the Project Assistant is the provision of managerial, operational and administrative support for the smooth implementation of the Project’s activities. In this sense, the Project Assistance is expected to perform the following tasks and duties as demonstrated below:

- He/she should assist the Project Team in carrying out their functions for the efficient and timely administration and implementation of the project activities.

- He/she will ensure proper communication among project partners.

- He/she will maintain high standards of service delivery, including adherence to deadline, quick response time, accuracy and completeness of information and sensitivity to client needs.

Specific Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the direct supervision of the Human Rights and Rule of Law Cluster Lead, the UN Volunteer is expected to perform the following tasks;

Assist the project team, specifically Human Rights and Rule of Law Cluster Project Associate, in the administration and implementation of the daily project activities,
Provide administrative and logistical support for the organization of events, workshops, meetings, trainings and conferences,
Translate documents from English to Turkish and vice versa
Develop initial drafts of the reports/minutes of meetings in Turkish and (if deemed necessary) in English
Ensure proper communication among UNDP and key project partners,
Assist the project team, specifically Human Rights and Rule of Law Cluster Project Associate, in making the necessary program related travel arrangements (travel tickets, hotel reservations, DSAs, etc),
Provide soft assistance to the project team, specifically Human Rights and Rule of Law Project Associate, during procurement, contracting, financial and human resources processes as required and when necessary,
Provide assistance to the project team, specifically Human Rights and Rule of Law Project Associate, in keeping related information, documentation and correspondences,
Facilitate communication and project activities among the project partners as requested by the Human Rights and Rule of Law Cluster Lead,
Assist in telephone inquiries, fax, post and e-mail transmissions and co-ordination of appointments,
Assist in keeping close contact with relevant consultants and experts,
Perform any other administrative and logistical duties as requested by the Human Rights and Rule of Law Cluster Lead.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to:
Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Competencies

Basic presentation and facilitation skills
Basic project and time management skills
Strong written communication skills both English & Turkish
Strong initiative, drive for results, and self-assessment skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Willingness and able to travel frequently

Required Skills and Experience

University degree (BA/BS) in social sciences, administrative sciences or other relevant field is required. Relevant higher university degree (i.e., Master and Ph.D.) is an asset.
Hands-on experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).
Full proficiency in Turkish and conversant in English is required.
Analytical skills and ability to coordinate numerous ongoing initiatives.
Experience in administrative and logistical support functions is an asset.
Experience in human rights and rule of law initiatives is an asset
Additional skills and requirements as per the UNV Conditions of Service:
Citizenship: Turkish.
Age: 22 and above.

UNV Conditions of Service
A 12 month contract; with subsequent contract extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.Travel to duty station (if applicable) and a Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment. A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of 2,653 TRY is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.