Senior Programme Officer

Level ICS-10

Department/office GPSO, Mine Action

Duty station: Kabul, Afghanistan

Contract type Local ICA Specialist

Contract level :LICA Specialist-7

Duration: 6 months

Application deadline :24-Apr-2013

Vacancy code VA/2013/B5001/2119

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Background Information - UNOPS

“UNOPS plays a critical role in providing management services for our life-saving, peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities help suffering people in troubled parts of the world.”

-Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

UNOPS employs more than 6000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Background Information - Afghanistan

Afghanistan

With more than 10 years of experience in the country, the UNOPS Afghanistan office supports national reconstruction and development efforts by providing projects with goods and services - from stand-alone, one-off solutions to long-term management and capacity development support.  Based in Kabul, UNOPS in Afghanistan has sub-offices in every region of the country. The team implements projects in support of the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, in a wide range of sectors including infrastructure, education, environment and agriculture, and governance and rule of law.

Functional Responsibilities

•     Managing MACCA Programme Department, including travel ;
•     Mobilizing resources for the Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (MAPA);
•     Tracking the overall MAPA financial status, identifying MAPA funding shortfalls;
•     Costing of the MAPA work plans including yearly and multiple year work plans;
•     Ensuring high professional standards of projects design, proposal writing and report writing;
•     Acting as the MACCA focal point for mainstreaming of monitoring and evaluation activities within MACCA;
•     Ensuring donor contributions match appropriately activities on the ground;
•     Attend meetings with MAPA donors to ensure projects and proposals are in line with requirements;
•     Briefing donors on progress of MAPA projects;
•     With colleagues at MACCA Kabul and MACCA Regional Offices contribute to the design and development of mine action projects;
•     Producing timely donor reports against contracted objectives in the project proposals;
•     Reviewing and endorsing Implementing Partners’ project proposals presented to the VTF or other bi-lateral donors, and analyzing them in terms of priority, productivity,proposed concept of operations, safety and cost effectiveness;
•     Maintenance of all documentation associated with the proposal review procedure to ensure audit able trail of decision making processes;
•     Providing required information and facts to Project and Implementing Partner Selection Process (PIPS) meetings to ensure effectiveness, effectiveness and transparency of MAPA resource allocation;
•     Coordinating with colleagues at MACCA to ensure the Programme Department maintains accurate and up to date information on the progress of all MAPA projects including those funded thorough the VTF and bilaterally;
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Competencies

•     Leadership – Proven supervisory ability and/or technical leadership.Ability to maintain effective working relations both as a team member and team leader.
•     Teamwork– Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
•     Planning& Organization – Ability to manage,organize, plan and implement work assignments, juggle competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
•     Judgment– Demonstrated ability to apply good judgment and decision making skills.
•     Communications– Strong spoken and written communication skills.
•     Problem Solving – Strong analytical and problem solving skills and ability to handle a range of management and coordination issues.
•     Empowering others - Able to make full and best use of subordinate, providing appropriate support through proper delegation
•     Professionalism– Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Remains calm in stressful situations
•     Managing Performance - Demonstrates Ability to monitor progress against milestones and deadlines and makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff members.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

     Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, finance or project management; professional certificate/or masters degree is an asset.

 Experience:

•     At least 7 years progressively responsible experience in the management of humanitarian and/or development programmes preferably in project management or programming.
•     Good knowledge of the roles and activities of the United Nations highly desirable.
•     Knowledge of Mine Action an asset.
•     Proven report writing and proposal development skills.
•     Proven experience of donor relations.
•     Excellent drafting ability and communication skills, both oral and written, and good computer skills.
•     Proven ability to produce reports and papers on substantive issues.
•     Ability to review and edit the work of others.
•     Proven ability to communicate complex problems orally.
•     Proven ability to work independently and handle many conflicting deadlines.
•     Good interpersonal skills and the ability to gain the assistance of others in team endeavors.
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 Language:

    Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement

Contract level: LICA- 7

Contract duration: 6 months

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx

Please note that the VA is only for Afghan nationals.

Additional Considerations

•     Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
•     Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
•     Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
•     Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
•     For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post

    The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

 To apply follow the link below

 https://gprs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=2119