General
Description of assignment title
Programme Associate
Assignment country
Kenya
Expected start date
02/12/2024
Sustainable Development Goal
15. Life on land
Volunteer category
National UN Youth Volunteer
Host entity
UNEP
Type
Onsite
Duration
12 months
Number of assignments
1
Duty stations
Nairobi
Details
Mission and objectives
Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP works through its divisions as well as regional, liaison and out-posted offices and a growing network of collaborating centres of excellence.
Context
This UNV position is in UNEP’s Ecosystems Division, Programme Support Unit. The Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and advisory services for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Programme Support Unit (PSU) oversees the application of quality standards for project planning, project life cycle management including monitoring and reporting. The unit produces guidance and standards to aide project life cycle management, improve operational efficiency, and organizational learning and management information to enable managers in the Ecosystem Division to steer project implementation and exercise adaptive management. PSU is a Focal Point in the Ecosystems Division for the projects funded through the European Commission support, on matters related to Division’s legal in-struments under the delegated authority framework, and project evaluations and publications planning for the approval of the Publications Board. The incumbent will contribute to Ecosystem’s Division Programme Support Unit work in the areas of project portfolio design, management, monitoring, and reporting including Ecosystems Divisions publications planning and completion of legal instru-ment processing through an online platform (Partners Portal).
Task description
Under the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Assistant and overall guidance of the Chief, Programme Support Unit, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Keep under review Division’s project implementation progress and reporting through Ecosystems Division Project Portfolio Dashboard, Integrated Planning, Monitoring and Reporting (IPMR), and UMOJA. Follow up closely Division’s project life cycle management including project closure. • Maintain the project portfolio management dashboard, and continuously ensure the dashboards update regularly, and information is up to date. • Keep project lifecycle management under review and inform the respective managers of requirements in line with the corporate standards (evaluations/performance assessments, administrative closure. • Undertake assessments of quality of project reporting of ongoing programme of work portfolio and communicate the findings to relevant project managers/teams. • Guide data entry of project-related information in IPMR and analyze the status of financial implementation through available information systems. • Track the processing of legal instruments in the Partners Portal. Follow up on a monthly basis processing of pending agreements in the Portal and advise the responsible agreement creators on actions needed to complete processing. • Track resolutions and evaluations recommendations that affect programme/project content and assist in the preparation of the relevant database(s). • Keep track of Division’s publications: consolidate submissions of publication proposals for presentation to the publishing review bodies, review finalized publications for clearance, monitor the compliance with UNEP’s Publishing review comments. Support the Division’s staff on publication procedures • Provide flexible and ad hoc support to unit functions, as and when required Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country. • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publica-tions/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. Results/Expected Outputs • Improved project lifecycle management • Up-to-date project information in the Project Portfolio Dashboard • Quality assured project documents and project IPMR structures • Quality-assured publications
Eligibility criteria
Age
18 – 80
Nationality
Candidate must be a national or legal resident of the country of assignment.
Requirements
Required experience
1 years of experience in implementation of environmental-related programme support, projects, and activities is required. • Experience working in the UN or other International Organizations is required. • Excellent computer skills, proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerBi is required. • Excellent oral and written skills is required. • Experience, Integrated Planning, Monitoring and Reporting (IPMR), and UMOJA is desirable. • Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development is desirable. • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of interna-tional and national personnel. • Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines. • Sound security awareness. • Have affinity with or interest in environmental matters volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.
Area(s) of expertise
Development programmes, Economics and finance, Energy and environment
Driving license
–
Languages
English, Level: Fluent, Required French, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable
Required education level
Bachelor degree or equivalent in statistics, economics, environment, international development, project management or equivalent experience is required
Competencies and values
Client Orientation Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication Integrity Planning and Organizing Professionalism Working in Teams
Other information
Living conditions and remarks
The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighbouring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya’s population of more than 39 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at a rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services are available locally at cost. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that is serves as the headquarters for both the UN-HABITAT and UNEP.
Inclusivity statement
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements
Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy
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