Job: Programme Officer

Location: Juba, South Sudan
Deadline: Monday, 02 September 2013 

Description

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need. Working in some of the world's most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness. By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground. UNOPS employs more than 6000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries. UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Background Information -South Sudan

South Sudan

The UNOPS South Sudan office helps a wide range of local and international partners improve the lives of the South Sudanese people by implementing infrastructure and procurement projects. All UNOPS operations have an increasing emphasis on developing national capacities and considering gender, environmental and community concerns. UNOPS is working in a range of sectors in South Sudan including: transport, education, health, post-conflict stabilization and emergency response. UNOPS – South Sudan Operations Centre (SSOC) is based in Juba, Republic of South Sudan. Current SSOC operations are largely focused on assisting partners with the implementation of physical infrastructure projects including designing, constructing and rehabilitating roads and bridges, schools, clinics and Government and Ministry offices. SSOC also procures goods and services for a number of partners and provides logistics and operational support to institutions in South Sudan with the overall objective to support partners in achieving their programme goals. UNOPS–SSOC works with various partners including the government ministries of South Sudan, donors, and United Nations agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Union (EU), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank.

Functional Responsibilities

Reporting to the ERU Programme Manager, the Programme Officer will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following duties and responsibilities: Programme Management Support:

• Advise the programme team on compliance with the programme's provisions and aspects of other agreements with UNOPS;
• Draft, edit and manage the compilation and submission of periodic programme/project progress reports to donors in a timely manner;
• Serve as the focal point for liaison and coordination with donors on programme-related matters;
• Manage the public relations aspects of the programme, e.g., project start-up and closure ceremonies;
• Assure the programme's compliance with the terms of the Agreement, e.g., compliance with co-branding & marketing strategies, compliance with programme plans on environment mitigation and other cross-cutting issues;
• Coordinate with the SSOC Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for formulating project monitoring and evaluation frameworks and data gathering;
• Draft official correspondence to donors on programme/project matters;
• Keep abreast of developments with donor priorities and assistance in South Sudan;
• Support the Programme Manager in any other matter as required.

Programme Delivery Support:

• Provide quality assurance for the programme and highlight quality in programme/project proposal documents; provide assistance for new project proposal documents for other donors as needed;
• Manage the submission of project documentation and obtain internal approval through the UNOPS Lead System;
• Manage the storage and dissemination of programme and project documents using the UNOPS intranet-based Management Workspace Project Document Centre (PDC);
• Advise the programme on document management using the PDC;
• Serve as the focal point and train donors on the use of the UNOPS Partner Centre for accessing programme and project documents and monitoring resource usage;
• Provide timely and accurate tracking of ERU projects;
• Work with the SSOC Programme Coordinator in the development of SSOC's annual work plan;
• Support the SSOC Programme Coordinator in any other matter as required.

Strategic Planning and Management Support:

• Monitor UNOPS business development portfolio by tracking the development of new ERU projects and assisting in the preparation of revenue forecasts;
• Attend SSOC management meetings;
• Assist SSOC management with planning and reporting duties.

Education

• Masters Degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Economics, Business Administration, Engineering, Development Studies, or other relevant fields;
• Certification in Prince2 or Project Management Professional (PMP) methodologies desirable;
• Certification in Managing Successful Programmes an asset.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of full-time relevant professional experience required. (Additional 2 years of relevant work experience in combination with a relevant bachelor degree, may substitute for the requirement for a masters degree);
• Experience working with the UN or another international organization is desirable;
• Experience with report and proposal drafting is required;
• Professional experience in South Sudan highly desirable;
• Previous experience working on a Government of Japan/JICA funded-project or other funded schemed is a strong advantage;
• Experience in project management - experience implementing PRINCE2 methodology in project management systems and reporting is an advantage;
• Previous experience with infrastructure programmes is an advantage.

Competencies

• Strong project management skills;
• Professionalism, integrity and commitment to programme demands;
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills;
• Accountability;
• Planning and organizing;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Patience, tolerance and flexibility;
• Competent in the use of all commonly used computer software – spreadsheets and other computer programmes;
• Knowledge of the UN system and familiarity with UNOPS procedures an advantage;
• Excellent writing skills required;
• Knowledge of the political and economic context of South Sudan is an advantage;
• Ability to work independently, handle multiple tasks, work under pressure and deliver assignments on time;
• Team player with excellent coordination and personal interaction skills;
• Ability to work in a stressful and difficult environment.

Languages

• The candidate must be proficient in written and spoken English;
• Fluency in Japanese is also required.

Additional Considerations

• This is an urgent recruitment: UNOPS requires the position to be filled by 1 March 2013.
• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET);
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered;
• Only those candidates who are short-listed for interviews will be notified;
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply;
• For any inquiries on this recruitment please contact recruitmentssoc@unops.org. Please do not submit an application through this e-mail! Applications will only be accepted on GPRS;
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement;

Contract level: IICA-2;

Contract duration: One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx

More Info and Application