Project Assistant (NPSA-5)

The SDG Acceleration Framework Project, as a Development Services Agreement, is entered with the Government’s central authority – the General Secretariat of the Government, in order to provide services to a wider range of authorities at the national level, as the General Secretariat supports the work of the Government for general and operational affairs.

The Development Services Agreement is envisaged to provide a framework for services requested by the Government, for ongoing initiatives of the Government, for which it bears full accountability. The majority of development services envisaged under the Agreement relate to support to policy making through research, advocacy or policy alternatives, aimed at fulfilling priorities as articulated in the Government plans, presented before Parliament, and in line with progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Following the successful construction of two mass-testing laboratories for SARS-COV-2, a modern Centre for Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics was established at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Research (IMGGI) in the Fall of 2021. By the end of the same year, a new vaccine facility was being built in Belgrade. Both the aforementioned supercomputer and Centre for Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics are part of the critical infrastructure for bioeconomic R&D in Serbia – but they are also only the first steps. The Government of Serbia is planning to establish BIO4 Campus located in the immediate vicinity of the Institute for Vaccines and Serums "Torlak", as a powerful platform for cooperation between various stakeholders, and several joint biomedical and AI projects already started. The Consultant shall help the General Secretariat and the Government of Serbia to develop further the initiation phase of this project.

The duties of the Project Assistant will include:

• Pro-actively contribute to day-to-day project implementation and ensure conformity to expected results and project work-plans;
• Maintain project correspondence and communication;
• Collect, register and maintain all information on project activities;
• Advise all project counterparts on applicable administrative procedures and ensures their proper implementation;
• Contribute to the preparation and implementation of progress reports;
• Prepare agendas and arrange field visits, appointments and meetings both internal and external related to the project activities and write minutes from the meetings;
• Provide support to international consultants in the implementation of their tasks for the achievement of project results;
• Assist in logistical organization of meetings, training and workshops;
• Draft minutes of Project Board and other project-related meetings.
• When necessary, work together with the Project Team
• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need

Taken overall, the duties of the Project Assistant will cover:

• Assisting the Project Team in day-to-day management and oversight of project activities;
• Assisting the Project Team in matters related to monitoring and evaluation and knowledge resources management;
• Ensure all project documentation (progress reports, consulting and other technical reports, minutes of meetings, etc.) are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies in an efficient and readily accessible filing system.

The Project Assistant will perform his/her functions under the guidance and direct supervision of Technical Advisor – IT and Entrepreneurship.

Education:

• Completion of Secondary Education is required or
• Bachelor’s degree in management, tourism, development, mechanical engineering, technology, management or other social sciences will be given due consideration

Experience and Skills:

• Minimum 5 years (with Secondary Education) or 2 years (with  Bachelor’s degree) of  progressively responsible administrative support experience, preferably in development projects is required at the national or international level
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), advance knowledge of automated procurement systems, and experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in UN agencies or other international organisations would be a strong asset
• Experience in budgeting, planning, and reporting would be an asset
• Experience in event and training arrangements would be an asset
• Experience in procurement processes would be an asset

Languages: 

• Fluency in Serbian and English

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

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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.

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