Programme Assistant

Eligibility criteria

Minimum age: 22 years old. Applicants must be nationals of or legal residents in the country of assignment.

Description of task

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the UNEP Climate Change Mitigation Unit Task Manager for Africa or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV Programme Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

Project Design (concept phase):

• Verify Project Identification Forms (PIFs): grammar, spelling, acronyms, uniformity in presentation / formatting, consistency of information in tables and text, completeness of all required sections and ensure that all necessary corrections are incorporated.
• Upload PIFs and responses to GEF Sec reviews on the GEF Portal.
• Ensure all documents are properly archived in the Climate Mitigation Unit shared database, using the standard file naming convention.

Project Development (PPG phase):

• Assist the Task Manager and Administrative Officer in preparing Small Scale Funding agreements (SSFAs) / Terms of Reference for Project Preparation Grants (PPGs).
• Ensure the project developers have the latest templates to prepare the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Endorsement Requests, including all required GEF and UNEP annexes / appendices.
• Verify CEO Endorsement Request and annexes: grammar, spelling, acronyms, uniformity in presentation / formatting, consistency of information in tables and text, completeness of all required sections and ensure that all necessary corrections are incorporated.
• Perform consistency checks on the information provided in the different interlinked CEO Endorsement Request annexes (i.e. Budget, Workplan, Procurement Plan and Terms of References).
• Upload CEO Endorsement Requests and responses to GEF Sec reviews on the GEF Portal.
• Support the Task Manager in coordinating with other UNEP units / teams, whenever needed.
• Ensure all documents are properly archived in the Climate Mitigation Unit shared database, using the standard file naming convention.
• Review PPG expenditure reports submitted by partners, whenever applicable.

Project Implementation:

• Assist the Task Manager and Administrative Officer in preparing Project Cooperation Agreements (PCAs) and/or Internal Cooperation Agreements (ICAs) as well as compiling the standard appendices for recently CEO endorsed GEF projects in the Africa portfolio.
• Track circulation of new project internalizations and all projects revisions for the Africa portfolio through UNEP clearance and approval process.
• Assist the Task Manager in reviewing agendas, terms of reference, presentations slides, participant lists and other documents prepared by the Executing Agencies for project inception workshops and steering committee meetings of the Africa portfolio.
• Assist the Task Manager and Administrative Officer in communicating / coordinating with Executing Agencies on timelines to submit all required UNEP/GEF reports as per the requirements of the PCA / ICA.
• Ensure the Executing Agencies use the right templates to meet these reporting requirements, and that all sections of the reports are duly completed.
• Support the Task Manager in reviewing the required GEF/UNEP reports submitted by the Executing Agencies from the Africa portfolio.
• Support the Task Manager in uploading the annual PIR information on the GEF Portal.
• Support the Task Manager in reviewing budget and workplan revisions for assigned projects from the Africa portfolio, and in providing guidance to the Executing Agencies as necessary for them to complete the documents correctly.
• Assist in the follow-up on outstanding financial and progress reports with the Executing Agencies.
• Support the Task Manager in coordinating with other UNEP units / teams, whenever needed.
• Ensure all project reports from the Africa portfolio are properly named and filed in the Climate Mitigation Unit shared database.
• File and archive by Component and Output all project deliverables developed / issued by the Executing Agencies from the Africa portfolio into the Climate Mitigation Unit shared database.
• Develop a tool/worksheet to track the submission, review and approval of all required GEF/UNEP reports of projects from the Africa portfolio, and keep the tracking tool up-to-date.

Project Evaluations and Closure:

• Assist in creating / populating the evaluation database / repository with relevant project information, reports, deliverables and documents.

General:

• Provide general administrative and coordination support to the Task Manager and the Administrative Officer.
• Maintain and keep up-to-date project folders / files.
• File and archive documentation and reports in the Climate Mitigation Unit shared database, following the standard file naming convention.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Task Manager.

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

Bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, environmental policy, environmental engineering, natural resources management, natural sciences, physical sciences, economics or in a related field

Required experience: 36 Months Experience remark:

• At least 3 years of relevant professional work experience at the national level; experience in assisting with project administration / coordination is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization;
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;
• Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners;
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
• Computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet;
• Self-motivated, ability to work with tight deadlines;
• Sound security awareness;
• Have affinity with or interest in climate change related issues, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Language skills:

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

Area of expertise: Development programme/project administration Driving license: No Competencies values:

Accountability, Commitment and Motivation, Commitment to Continuous Learning, Communication, Integrity, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Working in Teams

Application procedure:

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool? Please 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? Please 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:04-10-2020