UNESCO : Project Cycle Support Specialist - International UN Volunteer Specialist

Onsite Cameroon 12 months
1 assignment(s)

Open recruitment (advertised)

Advertisement end date:23/08/2024

General
Description of assignment title
Project Cycle Support Specialist

Assignment country : Cameroon

Expected start date : 01/01/2025

Sustainable Development Goal
17. Partnerships for the goals

Volunteer category : International UN Volunteer Specialist

Host entity : UNESCO
Type Onsite

Duration 12 months
(with possibility of extension)

Number of assignments 1

Duty stations
Yaounde

Details
Mission and objectives
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945. UNESCO’s office in Yaounde was established in 1991 as a cluster office but with a regional status in the sector of Communication and Communication covering countries of West and Central Africa. In January 2014, the Office was transformed into a Multisectoral Regional Office covering 10 countries: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tomé e Principe. The Yaounde Office has the mandate to implement programmatic activities and projects within UNESCO’s areas of competence: Education, Culture, Science, Communication, Information, Social, and Human Sciences. The UNESCO Regional Office in Yaounde is actively represented in the United Nations’ Country Team (UNCT) in Cameroun and in other countries of the region that it covers, cooperating actively as well with Peace Keeping missions in the region. UNESCO also participates all UNCT working groups; Governance, Communication, Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (HDPN), etc., and is a member of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT).
The Yaounde office implements programmes and activities in all thematic areas (youth and civic engagement, gender equality, marginalized communities, media pluralism, cultural diversity, artificial intelligence, employment) and pursuant of the 2014 2021 Medium Term Strategy, which contributes to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, and sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, sciences, culture, communication and information.

Context
The reform of the field office network strengthens the role of field offices as key drivers for organization impact and implementation based on regional and national priorities. Within this reform, Regional Offices have received increased responsibilities and need to increase their capacity, particularly regarding portfolio management.

UNESCO Regional Office for Central Africa in Yaoundé covers 10 countries, 3 national Offices (Libreville, Brazzaville and Kinshasa) and 3 Antennas (Ndjaména, Bujumbura and Luanda). The Office implements the 41 C/4 and 42 C/5 in the region and ensures alignment with UNESCO overall strategy, specific Africa Priority Program, and UN adopted frameworks in the region.

Starting in the 2nd Semester of 2024, a new generation of Extrabudgetary Projects will start implementation. Some are already confirmed, like a large Global Partnership for Education (GPE) funded project in Chad (> 45 millions $ over 4 years), others are still being negotiated for a combined sum in excess of 100 millions $ in volume by the end of 2024, mostly in the education and science sectors.

This sharp increase in resource mobilization calls for enhanced capacities to manage the Regional Office’s project portfolio. Therefore, the Regional Office seeks to create a new Project Management Office (PMO) to support sector teams in their responsibility along the whole project cycle, from project design to implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The PMO will ensure the Regional Office permanent capacity and institutional knowledge of UNESCO and UN processes relating to portfolio management, as well as assist the Director to ensure strategic planning and alignment with the UNESCO strategy as well as UN regional and national frameworks. The PMO will be the Regional Office designated interface with the Bureau for Strategic Planning (BSP) at Headquarters.

Task description

As Project Cycle Support Specialist, the incumbent will support the Head of the PMO and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in providing technical expertise, leadership, and management to set up and maintain the PMO as detailed below.

Main duties and responsibilities include:

I.Set-up and management of the PMO

-Support the Head of the PMO in undertaking an inventory of the Regional Office’s portfolio, including the following:
o-Identify and organize strategic objectives, business values, etc.
o-Identify project and organization objectives, budgets, project attributes, and priorities
o-Categorize, classify and organize projects
o-Identify gating projects
o-Map projects to strategic goals
o-Launch the portfolio of projects
-Using best practices, standards, and principles and in collaboration with project managers, the Director’s Office and the Administration, contribute to setting up a model for projects that facilitates consistent planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and closing.
-Update project schedules and contribute to planning the delivery of projects, i.e. contracts.
-Support the Head of the PMO and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with other tasks as necessary.

II.Project cycle and delivery support

-Provide programming and project support as well as quality assurance to project coordinators throughout the project cycle for individual and interlinked VC projects and RP programmes, including for the following steps:
o-Initiation of new projects
o-Definition of project objectives and theories of change
o-Project planning
o-Budget creation and revision
o-Implementation
o-Monitoring and evaluation
o-Reporting
o-Project closure
-Support project coordinators in delivering projects successfully and meeting targets and requirements within defined timeframes and budgets.
-Provide guidance to project coordinators on procedures and next steps, increasing productivity and accelerating turn-around times.

III.Risk management

-Support the Head of the PMO in evaluating and managing external and internal risks to project delivery.
-Review internal and external capacity and contribute to working with Heads of Sectors and project coordinators to ensure that projects are estimated more accurately and that the right resources are put into the right work at the right time to minimize risks.

IV.Collaborative and evidence-based decision-making

-Using the Organization’s tools and processes, contribute to stimulating a culture of collaboration and evidence-based/data-driven decision-making to strengthen collaborative relationships and promote trust within and beyond project coordination teams.
-Support the Head of the PMO and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in streamlining data, providing real-time updates on project metrics, and sharing insights with the Director, Heads of Sectors and project coordination teams for proper decision-making and improved project performance.

Results/expected outputs:

In collaboration with the Head of the PMO and the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, the Project Cycle Support Specialist will contribute to providing professional expertise and guidance to Heads of Sectors, project coordinators and other UNESCO colleagues throughout the project cycle to ensure effective project management and delivery, the strategic alignment of programmes and projects, risk management, quality assurance, and evidence-based decision-making.

As an active UNESCO team member, the UN Volunteer provides efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support to UNESCO and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions.

Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.

A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

Eligibility criteria
Age
18 - 80

Nationality
Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Requirements
Required experience
3 years of experience in organizational accountability, strategy, internal audit, oversight, and change management;
-Knowledge of and work experience in project, programme and portfolio management;
-Knowledge of management, compliance, and monitoring and evaluation is desirable;
-Understanding of UNESCO governance, decentralization model, and Field Office Network is desirable;
-Familiarity with United Nations policies, procedures, rules, and regulations is an asset.

Area(s) of expertise
Business management, Development programmes, Facility management

Driving license
-

Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required
French, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level
Master degree or equivalent in Advanced university degree in international relations, public administration, social or natural sciences, or a related discipline

Competencies and values

All applications must be submitted ONLINE at :
https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1764460047344896