Programme Support Officer

Eligibility criteria

Candidate age: between 18 and 29 throughout the entire duration of their assignment. Nationals of the country of assignment are not eligible.

Description of task

Under the direct supervision of the IFAD Country Director (CD) for Sudan, the International UN Youth Volunteer will:

Programme development, supervision and implementation support:

• Under the leadership of the CD for Sudan assist and support the implementation and monitoring and evaluation of IFAD’s Livestock Merketing and Resilience Programme (LMRP).
• Provide advice to enhance the project management, including capacity building, with regard to loan administration and procurement, proper financial management and audit procedures, assist management in the development of an efficient M&E system which includes RIMS indicators, and develop exit strategies and institutional mechanisms for sustainability after project completion.
• In consultation with the CD, support the organization and participation in supervision and follow-up missions, contributing also to strategic assessments in his/her area of expertise, identifying constraints to implementation, making appropriate recommendations, and ensuring timely follow-up of the recommendations.
• Support the review of: (i) Annual Work Plans and Budgets (AWPBs), (ii) Audit Reports; and (iii) Progress Reports. Monitor project progress and implementation, anticipate problems and recommend to CD the preventive measures.
• Assist the timely and systematic completion of project activities and closure of loans and grants.
• Contribute to project supervision and/or implementation support missions and report writing in all areas for purposes of securing that thematic aspects are systematically and consistently considered in the supervision reports such as monitor the status of the implementation of the mission recommendations.
• Undertake any other task assigned by the CD.

Knowledge management activities

• Support horizontal collaboration and knowledge sharing among IFAD-funded projects

through meetings, workshops and exchange visits on different thematic areas including gender, and implementation issues.

• Support documentation of innovations and lessons learnt, by scouting for innovations; preparing articles, reports or briefs to websites, journals, newspapers, etc., and documenting pro-poor innovations emanating from the experience of IFAD projects.
• Contribute to knowledge management products by writing about achievements in promoting gender equality (e.g. impact on quality of life for women, equal job opportunities, family and maternity protection, fighting family and gender-based violence etc.)

Policy development

• Contribute to policy engagement activities and events based on the experience in IFAD projects on the policy areas in which the IFAD programme has comparative advantage.

Partnerships

• Contribute to the establishment of networks and build partnership with: UN agencies and other donors, private sector and civil society representatives and with projects and programmes in the region that are relevant to the country programme.
• Participate in different UN thematic working groups (gender, climate change, communication, Youth etc on behalf of IFAD Country Office)
• Identify funding opportunities with other donors that would help mobilize additional resources for rural poverty alleviation.

• Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• 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;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• 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.

Qualifications/Requirements Required degree level: Master degree or equivalent Education - Additional Comments:

• Advanced degree in social sciences, gender, economic, business management, rural development, agriculture, agricultural economics, rural finance, public policy or related disciplines.

• Demonstrated interest and/or experience (up to 2 years) in development institutions and/or government service. Qualifying work in gender equality, country programme analysis with International Financial Institutions, development cooperation agencies would be an asset.

• Motivated to contribute towards peace and development and to serve others;
• Good interpersonal, networking and communication skills;
• Willingness to contribute and work as part of a team;
• Flexible and open to learning and new experiences;
• Respect for diversity and adaptability to other cultures, environments and living conditions;
• Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded;
• Computer skills (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, social media, and others).

Required experience: 12 Months Experience remark:

At least 1 year.

Language skills:

• English(Mandatory), Level - Fluent
• Arabic(Optional), Level - Working Knowledge

Area of expertise: Knowledge management, archiving and documentation, Policy, regulation, planning and education and capacity building, Resource mobilization, partnership and donor coordination Driving license: No Competencies values:

Adaptability and Flexibility, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Integrity, Professionalism, Working in Teams

Application procedure:

Eligible candidates must be between 18 and 29 years of age throughout the duration of their service.

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

First register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup.

Important: After creating your account, complete all sections of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink. Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

First update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile.

Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call to which you would like to apply.

Application deadline: 30 January 2020