Programme Assistant - Project Coordination at UNESCO

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The post is located in the Abuja Office Education Sector and works under the overall delegated authority of the Head of Office and the direct supervision of the Education Programme Specialist. 

• As a team member, the Programme Assistant coordinates and performs a full range of office support, administrative and management support tasks for the smooth and efficient organization and delivery of programme activities/ projects. The focus is on information management and monitoring (programme and budget/financial administration of the Education and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria (2nd phase): Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to build teachers’ capacity and resilience project under Education sector), event orchestration and provision of administrative support in contracting property management.
• The post delivers a range of support services for information management and monitoring (programme/ project and budget/financial administration), event orchestration and provision of administrative support and guidance in contracting management activities. Work entails implementation of communication, documentation and internal managerial coordination support activities within the Section/Unit. The incumbent accurately and in a timely manner, researches and produces a range of documents, reports and other outputs. 
• The post has a critical role in identifying the source of errors and/or missed deadlines in budgetary data and following up with reconciliation of same. Inappropriate balance or report statements can be the result of data compilation or entry errors. Programme Specialists rely on this information for planning purposes.  
• Work requires a total understanding, application, analysis and interpretation of UNESCO`s Financial and Administrative rules, regulations, procedures, practices and use of a variety of UNESCO automated tools and systems associated with the management of data, records and information. procurement and event coordination. There is also a requirement to have knowledge of various software used to prepare correspondence, reports, graphs, presentations etc such as MS Word, Excel, Power Point etc.

Specifically, the incumbent will:

• Track and report on programme activities;  prepare project evaluations reviewing budgetary data/ information from current or past initiatives. Respond to enquiries; monitor the  budget of the projects and programmes within the Section/Unit in compliance with programme and budgetary requirements and financial regulations; alert the supervisor of errors/ omissions/ discrepancies observed and undertake corrective action. Collate information and draft regular and ad hoc budgetary/ financial updates, reports, statistics and/ or projections for use and scrutiny by management/ staff as well as donors. 
• Provide support in programme administration with regard to the preparation of outreach activities,  partnership initiatives and special events. Track, retrieve, research files, reports, other records and past practices; gather and collate background information; verify information for relevance and accuracy; analyze and summarize information; identify elements of interest; prepare draft dockets and charts; assemble documents, prepare reports, presentations, speeches, etc. according to standards and formats. Look for possible venues; prepare list of participants; draft invitation letters, etc. Process requests for translation, printing, dispatch of information documents for statutory meetings; coordinate the delivery of translation services; complete forms and process requests for reservations for webcasting, recording, transcription of debates and follow-up on progress.
• In collaboration with team members, assess administrative support needs for meetings/ events/ workshops/ seminars, travel, document processing/ publication production and consultants/temporary assistance, and coordinate office support services for the same.  Inform management and team members of process, procedures and timeframes to secure administrative services needed for programme/ project execution. Initiate a variety of contractual documents using examples or templates; identify consultants, suppliers (from a roster), and prepare purchase requisitions in accordance with instructions; verify requests for payments against contractual obligations in the financial system; process contractual transactions and provide information on payment status and remaining obligations to the responsible officer. Prepare minutes and monitor follow-up activities.
• Provide  guidance and support for project and programme reporting requirements; prepare paperwork, submit and prepare requests for approval of HR-related initiatives (e.g. recruitment of temporary personnel, transfer, etc.). This can also include processing visas, security cards and other documentation; preparing regular and ad hoc reports on HR movement, leave usage etc, for the supervisor, or on other staff resources funded via the extra-budgetary envelope. Initiate travel authorization and make travel arrangements, for team staff; provide assistance to partners and stakeholders as required. Provide guidance to  staff on general office processes and procedures, automated systems, computer applications, etc.
• Maintain/ update programme and project documentation and records, research, and track background information and documentation; maintain electronic and hard-copy files/ records/ data sources up-to-date on budgetary data, contract, personnel and other administrative matters; update staff and equipment listings; ensure the proper creation and closure of files and the safe retention of the same. Provide general office assistance, receive, register, review and draft correspondence, emails and type a variety of reports and tables to document/ transmit administrative or budgetary information; verify outgoing correspondence for completeness, accuracy and compliance with UNESCO format standards; maintain mailing lists and other contact lists. Handle routine administrative tasks, such as maintaining, assessing telephone billing, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of Office or the Supervisor.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)
• Professionalism (C)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Completed secondary education, technical or vocational education.

Work Experience

• Minimum three (3) years of relevant experience in administrative and/or secretarial tasks in programme support services.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent communication and coordination skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills.
• Capacity for accuracy and attention to detail in preparation of correspondence and documents. 
• Good interpersonal skills, discretion, good sense of judgement and capacity to deal efficiently and tactfully with people of different cultural backgrounds.
• Cooperative behaviour and attitude to work in a team successfully.
• Excellent IT skills with proficiency in the use of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel. PowerPoint, etc.).
• Ability to work under pressure and flexibility to adjust work schedules and priorities.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English.
• Knowledge of the local language.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• University degree in a relevant field, including education, social sciences or related fields.

Languages

• Knowledge of other official UNESCO languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian) would be an asset.