Programme Associate

Caracas | Maracaibo | San Cristobal | Ciudad Guayana

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Caracas | Maracaibo | San Cristobal | Ciudad Guayana
Grade: Administrative support - GS-6, General Service - No need for Higher Education - Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Legal - Broad
- Administrative support
- Project and Programme Management
Closing Date: 2025-12-31

Background and Organizational Context

OCHA is the office of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.

The coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is part of OCHA’s mandate to contribute to principled and effective humanitarian response through coordination, advocacy, policy, information management and humanitarian financing tools and services.

During the first half of 2019, the United Nations put in place a humanitarian coordination architecture in accordance with international standards, as outlined in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182 (1991) and based on the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. This included the appointment of the Humanitarian Coordinator, who leads the Humanitarian Country Team for strategic decision-making, the activation of eight thematic clusters and two areas of responsibility to operationalize the response and four regional coordination hubs to ensure assistance as close as possible to people in need. This coordination structure is essential to bring together all humanitarian actors, including national and international NGOs, UN agencies, funds and programmes and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as observers, all of whom have significantly increased their capacity to respond to the current situation.

In addition, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been established to support the entire structure. Since 2019, OCHA has expanded its presence in the country, through four regional coordination hubs in Caracas (Capital District), Maracaibo (Zulia), San Cristobal (Tachira) and Ciudad Guayana (Bolivar). OCHA is contributing to having a coherent and coordinated approach to the humanitarian response in Venezuela, to ensure that assistance reaches the most vulnerable populations in a timely, predictable and effective manner and based on the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence and in the framework of the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2022/23.

This position is located in the Coordination Unit of OCHA Venezuela and reports directly to the Head of Coordination Unit of OCHA Venezuela.

Position Purpose

The Programme Associate provides support to the national coordination unit of Humanitarian Affairs in Venezuela through the coordination mechanisms available monitoring and maintaining awareness of humanitarian developments in the country. The incumbent will also support the relationships with OCHA’s mandate stakeholders and the preparation of humanitarian affairs reports.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.) Provide assistance in support of planning and implementation activities/processes for, typically, a large and highly complex component of the departmental programme/project initiatives

Conduct daily monitoring of humanitarian information sources (media, partner reports, social media, etc.) to identify relevant changes in the national context.
Maintain an updated database of incidents, needs, and humanitarian responses reported by field offices and partners.
Prepare periodic summaries on emerging humanitarian trends for the coordination team.

2.) Researches, compiles, analyses, summarizes, and presents basic information/data on specific programmes/project and related topics

3.) Assists in the coordination of programme/project planning and preparation; monitors status of programme/project proposals; takes necessary action to ensure project documents are completed and submitted to relevant parties for approval

4.) 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

5.) 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

Support OCHA donor relations, including developing proposals, drafting donor reports in coordination with other colleagues and ensuring regular monitoring of performance indicators.

6.) Collaborates with programme/project managers on performance reporting; liaises with relevant parties on the interpretation of the activities/services scheduled in the PB and various planning instruments such as the medium-term plan and internal work plans; provides assistance on reporting requirements, guidelines, rules and procedures and ensures completeness and accuracy of data submitted

Collect and consolidate information from field offices and clusters for the development of weekly, monthly reports, annual reports, situation reports, flash updates, etc.
Draft internal and external reporting products, ensuring data accuracy and quality.
Coordinate the review and validation of reports with cluster focal points and key partners.

7.) Drafts programme/project summaries, coordinates review and clearance process, and coordinates with editor, translation services, etc. on finalization and publication of report multiple languages

Draft sections of humanitarian needs analysis and response plans.
Collaborate in the development of regional and thematic factsheets.
Review and edit documents produced by other team members to ensure consistency and quality.

8.) Serves as focal point for coordination, monitoring and expedition of programme/project implementation activities, involving extensive liaison with a diverse organisational units to initiate requests, prepare 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.

Support a coordinated approach to cross-cutting issues in the humanitarian response (including gender, disability, AAP, PSEA, centrality of protection, GBV mainstreaming), in collaboration with technical experts.

9.) 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

Develops and maintains reference/resource information on specific topics (including cross-cutting issues) or policy-related issues.
Maintain updated files and databases on humanitarian policies and cross-cutting issues.
Respond to internal and external information requests in a timely and accurate manner.
Prepare and disseminate informational bulletins on relevant humanitarian coordination topics.

10.) 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

Assists in the organization of meetings, seminars, conferences, workshops, etc. with other agencies and partners to facilitate exchanges of professional expertise
Support the logistics and organization of inter-cluster meetings, workshops, and seminars.
Prepare agendas, minutes, and attendance lists for coordination events.
Facilitate communication and information exchange among event participants.

11.) Provides guidance and training to new/junior staff

12.) Performs other duties as assigned

Competencies

Core Competencies

ACHIEVE RESULTS - LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.
THINK INNOVATEVELY - LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements.
LEARN CONTINUOUSLY - LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.
ADAPT WITH AGILITY - LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible.
ACT WITH DETERMINATION - LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.
ENGAGE AND PARTNER - LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.
ENABLE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION - LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional Competencies

BUSINESS DIRECTION & STRATEGY
- STRATEGIC THINKING: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with OCHA’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
- COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE DESIGN: Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information, ideas, and technology to solve problems and design solutions or services. Knowledge and understanding of Collective Intelligence Design principles, methodology and practices.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
- COMMUNICATION: Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate.

Technical Competencies

OPERATIONS
- HR – TALENT MANAGEMENT – EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE: Knowledge of theories and methods of creating holistic approaches around employee experience in the organization; knowledge of positive organizational psychology concepts and methods and ability to apply them in the design of the organizational strategies (e.g. determine barriers to the organization growth and employee productivity; design measures to examine workplace performance and job satisfaction; optimize the work environment to enhance employee experience; identify core personality traits that work best for specific roles and skills; research employee behaviours and trends).
EXTERNAL RELATIONS & ADVOCACY:
- PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT – RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding.
- COMMUNICATIONS – WRITING AND EDITING: Ability to create and/or edit written content in different UN languages.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary education is required.
Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Political or Social Science, Public Administration or related field will be given due consideration, but it is not a requirement.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills:

A minimum of 6 years (with high school diploma) or 3 years (with bachelor’s degree) of experience in programme or project administration, technical cooperation, social sciences, communication, public administration, international or political studies, administration or related field.
Three (3) years of relevant experience in programme or project administration, technical cooperation, social sciences, communication, public administration or related field.
Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners
Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel

Additional Desirable Criteria:

Experience working in the UN or other international humanitarian (NNGO or INGO) is desirable.
Knowledge in the usage of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), database packages, and web-based management systems such as ERP is desirable.
Knowledge of IASC regulations related to the area of humanitarian coordination, Knowledge of the composition, objectives, and interrelationships of the humanitarian coordination structure in Venezuela is desirable.
Knowledge of the cluster system, its objectives, and its functions within humanitarian coordination is desirable.

Languages:

Fluency in spoken and written Spanish is required.
Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

Important applicant information

All posts in the FTA categories are subject to local recruitment.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

We do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.

Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.

Programme Associate

Caracas | Maracaibo | San Cristobal | Ciudad Guayana

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