Project Associate

UNDP Turkey works for progress in four core areas:

1) inclusive and democratic governance,

2) inclusive and sustainable growth,

3) climate change and environment,

4) Syria crisis resilience and response.

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 programmes. 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 and programmes. 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 initiatives on women, youth, internally displaced persons and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Turkey is the country with the highest number of refugees in the world. The current number of registered Syrians under temporary protection is almost 3.5 million as of March 2020. Around 97 percent of the refugees live outside the camps, majority concentrated around the border provinces, with significant impact on national/local labor market. This creates additional demand for services to be delivered by service providers, i.e. national and local governments. Syrians are mainly located in Southeast Anatolia region bordering Syria, but as the crisis is prolonged, the population expands to other regions as well.

UNDP supports the Government of Turkey to respond to this large-scale displacement through its Syria Crisis Response and Resilience Programme in Turkey to strengthen the resilience of refugees, host community members, local municipalities and relevant national institutions to cope with and recover from the impact. UNDP’s resilience response strategy is to invest in existing national and local systems to ensure they can adequately serve both host and refugee communities.

Within the scope of Syria Crisis Response and Resilience Programme of UNDP Turkey CO, “Employability, Entrepreneurship and Social Stability for Syrian and Turkish Youth - in response to the Syria Crisis” (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”), will be implemented in line with the UNDP strategic objectives and national development strategies and policies.

The overall objective is to increase social stability and enhance the socio-economic integration of Syrian and Turkish youth through entrepreneurship, skills development and access to labour market.

The specific objective of the project is to increase social stability and enhance the socio-economic integration of Syrian and Turkish youth through entrepreneurship, skills development, access to labour market and enhancement of social cohesion. The project will have special focus on young women.

The project will consist of three outputs:

Output 1: Increased Technical and ICT skills of Syrian and Turkish youth. This output will provide Syrian and Turkish youth Technical and Vocational Education Trainings and other types of skills development, including ICT through Youth Centers (Ministry of Youth and Sports).

Output 2: Syrian and Turkish youth increased their access to employment and entrepreneurship. The trainings will allow youth to develop their skills in business proposals writing, budgeting, marketing, and customer services. Complementary to these trainings, a mentorship programme will be established to provide both in-kind and small grants to entrepreneurs that have feasible business plan to establish or scale-up their businesses.

Output 3: Syrian and Turkish youth improved level of social cohesion.  To reduce risks of social exclusion, this output will organize activities and/or events for social cohesion through trained staffs of Youth Centers and youth focal points.

The implementing partner of the Project is the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Associate will be based in Ankara (50% of the time at MoYS premises) and responsible for mid-level Project administration of the Project. Main responsibilities of the Project associate include day to day project monitoring, administration and reporting along with the organization of Project events (including coordination of events associated with communication and visibility of the Project). S/he is also responsible from providing administrative support to Projects implemented under Syria Crisis Response and Resilience Programme.

The Project Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations colleagues under the Project to ensure smooth and timely management of inputs as well as other Project Associates under the Syria Crisis Response and Resilience Programme.

The Project Associate is expected to assume the following tasks:

Reporting Structure

The Project Associate reports to Project Manager of the Project.

5. Performance Indicators for Evaluation of Results

1. Qualitative inputs provided for project formulation, AWP and budgets; timely LPACs organized.

2. Project activities organized in a timely manner; qualitative inputs prepared to project reports; high-quality correspondence, briefs, reports prepared.

3. Timely and qualitative inputs prepared to procurement process; canvassing carried out correctly according to UNDP rules; selection processes carried out in a timely manner; RDPs prepared correctly.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity 
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
• Self-development, initiative-taking
• Acting as a team player and facilitating teamwork
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively
• Creating synergies through self-control
• Managing conflict
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others.
• Informed and transparent decision making

Functional Competencies:

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: encouraging colleagues to work within and respect an enabling gender equality environment on non-hierarchical bases.
• Promotes gender sensitive environment in the office through leadership and personal example.
• Ability to manage gender barriers and gender-blind behaviors within the project team and with our partners.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of national counterparts.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors.  
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure. 
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities. 
• Team player, self-motivated and initiative taking, dedicated, creative, resourceful, flexible, energetic with sound judgment.
• Capacity to work under pressure, manage stress and adapt to rapidly evolving situations. 
• Excellent analytical, communication, writing and presentation skills. 
• Ability to function at both policy advisory and project implementation levels.
• Ability to consider that men and women are affected differently from different interventions and needs to be approached differently.

Notes:

·    Internships (paid/unpaid) are not considered professional experience.

·    Obligatory military service is not considered professional experience.

·    Professional experience gained in an international setting is considered international experience.

·    Experience gained prior to completion of undergraduate studies is not considered professional experience.

The incumbent of the position should strictly avoid

• any kind of discriminatory and abusive behaviour including gender-based discrimination
• any kind form of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse

The incumbent of the position should ensure that

• human rights and gender equality are prioritized as an ethical principle within all actions.
• activities are designed and implemented in accordance with “Social and Environmental Standards of UNDP”.
• any kind of diversities based on ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, class, gender is respected within all implementations including data production.
• differentiated needs of women and men are considered.
• inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as disability gender language barrier is created.
• necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings etc. introduced.
• zero tolerance principle to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse is prioritized. 

UNDP prioritizes gender equality and women's empowerment approach in all its actions, workplace relations and implementations as well as gender parity in representation to create a workplace which is equally inclusive of women, men and persons with other gender identities. Temporary special measures will be instituted to ensure appointment of personnel of under-represented genders at grades and in roles where they are under-represented.

Qualified women candidates are encouraged to apply.

Important applicant information

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

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: 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.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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