Senior Programme Assistant

H (no hardship)

Family Type

Family

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

GS5

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Remote work accepted

No

Target Start Date

2024-04-01

Job Posting End Date

December 29, 2023

Standard Job Description

Senior Programme Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Senior Programme Assistant would normally receive guidance from more senior programme staff in the operation/bureau/division. The incumbent may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country/region programme(s). UNHCR Manual, Operations Plans, UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the Senior Program Assistant.

S/he is expected to have contacts within the organization and outside the duty station, as well as with partners and other stakeholders to collect information, monitor programme activities and implement administrative requirements. The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual, ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Provide administrative assistance and support in routine services and activities within Programme thus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern.
• Assist in organizing and documenting the selection of partners in accordance with the policy on selection and retention of partners, ensuring due diligence to meet the requirements of projects.
• Provide support to ensure partnership agreements are established in a timely manner, regularly monitored and reported on, in compliance with established guidelines and procedures included in the framework for implementing with partners.
• Guided by the MFT approach, support the development and implementation of monitoring plans for activities implemented through partnerships and those under direct implementation in line with Programme Manual and programming instructions.
• Contribute to the review and analysis of operations plans, mid-year and year-end reports, ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures and standards. Generate and maintain records of implementation rate (performance progress and expenditures) on a regular basis.
• Assist in ensuring compliance with issuance of audit certificates for partners in line with the Policy on Risk-Based Project Audits.
• Use UNHCR’s corporate tools (e.g. Focus Client, Global Focus Insight and FOCUS Reader, MSRP) for core activities related to planning, budgeting, implementation and reporting, generating data for evidence-based programmatic decisions and analysis.
• Actively contribute to UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contributing to improvements of programming tools and processes.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

G5 – 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Demonstrated experience in Programme Management, Operation Management Cycle and related processes.

Knowledge of Results Based-Management.

Computer skills (in MS office) including advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, data management, etc)

Desirable

Completion of UNHCR Learning Programmes or specific training relevant to function of the position including Programme Management Level 1. E-tutoring of PM1, Framework for Implementing with Partners Learning Programme.

Experience in programme management training and capacity building activities.

Functional Skills

• IT-Computer Literacy

PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)

PG-Results-Based Management

DM-Database Management

PG-Programme Analysis

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

It is desirable that the candidate has experience in supporting interventions implemented directly by UNHCR, most prominently in coordinating on Core Relief Items (CRIs) and Non-Food Items (NFIs), including budgeting and monitoring of release requests, tracking of expenditures, consolidating, and analysing data on needs assessment and forecasting. S/he shall also provide programmatic guidance to multi-functional teams at CO Athens and field level and liaise with various stakeholders to ensure a harmonised approach from planning to reporting on results achieved. In addition, it is desirable that the incumbent has experience in partnership management, selection of partners’ process and developing of partnership agreements with NGOs and Refugee-Led Organizations, throughout the programme cycle (PLAN for, GET and SHOW results) in collaboration with the multi-functional team.

Knowledge/user experience with UNHCR corporate tools (including but not limited to Board, PROMS, Aconex and Oracle) as well as familiarisation with financial and budgetary rules and procedures would be considered an asset. Excellent and advanced knowledge of Excel is also needed. Proficiency of Greek and English languages (C2 level) is mandatory. S/he will be expected to be able to deal with multiple tasks in a courteous and result-oriented manner, often with short deadlines and fluctuating workload. Ability to work as part of a team in a diverse work environment is one of the key competencies. This function normally requires strong analytical skills, dealing with budgets and numbers, precision, accuracy, and personal integrity. Relevant experience in programme management/ logistics/ finance is desirable, as well as previous experience in process to pay workflows (requisitions, vouchers, reports, partnership transactions).

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

Greek

,

English

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

Currently, some 91,000 asylum-seekers and refugees are hosted in Greece. So far in 2023, over 28,500 people have arrived either by sea or land. UNHCR provides expert advice to the State and evidence-based information that helps inform programmes and policies for asylum-seekers and refugees. Access to international protection, identifying durable solutions and support to vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees, such as unaccompanied children and survivors of gender-based violence, are UNHCR’s key priorities. UNHCR also works with national and local authorities, the private sector, civil society and refugee communities to advance inclusion, develop support networks and create employability and training opportunities for refugees. The Office retains a readiness to respond to emergencies and new arrivals, with a focus on immediate support to the most vulnerable. UNHCR Greece plays a strong advocacy role since continued support is needed particularly from EU countries and EU institutions in providing immediate protection to those most at-risk through sufficient resources, ensuring capacity in the country and responsibility-sharing. UNHCR will continue to assist Greek authorities in responding to both short and long-term challenges.

Living and Working Conditions:

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens is a family duty station, classified as H by ICSC. Public Transportation and medical facilities are well-developed and easily accessible. The educational institutions at all levels are available. The climate can be described as Mediterranean, with hot and dry summers and cool and mild winters.

In accordance with UNDSS security risk assessment, the whole Greek operation is classified as Security Level 2 (low). Security Clearance is required for travelling in the country.

For more detailed information please consult the continuously updated living conditions booklet on Intranet.

Skills

Additional Qualifications

Education

Certifications

HCR Learning Program – UNHCR

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for a written test and will have to undergo an oral interview.

Functional clearance

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance