Associate National Project Officer

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

• UNESCO is supporting national educational institutions and stakeholders in Jordan to coordinate, transform and strengthen the education system to be more inclusive, responsive, resilient and innovative while building strong governance and management tools and mechanisms for evidence-based policy, planning, budgeting and monitoring.
• UNESCO Jordan currently has a large Education portfolio in support of the Government of Jordan focusing on system strengthening, TVET, and inclusion and diversity in education.
• UNESCO is currently implementing the System Strengthening Partnership (SSP) programme with the Ministry of Education (MoE), through a Multi-Year Trust Fund (MPTF) with the generous funding of Canada, the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation, Switzerland and Norway (through NORCAP). Through this multi-year programme, UNESCO is supporting the strengthening of the core functions of the MoE in planning and budgeting, monitoring and reporting, strategic planning, research and evaluation, data and information management, and coordination and partnership. Furthermore, the programme aims to further strengthen an enabling institutional environment for crisis-sensitive planning in Jordan, including risk management. As part of this system strengthening approach, UNESCO supports the collection and analysis of data through a comprehensive digitalized education management information system (EMIS) and WebGIS-based school mapping for informed decision-making to respond strategically to emerging challenges, evolving contexts and to address learning and equity losses. To complement on-going system strengthening support, a new partnership between MoE, UNESCO and the European Union has been launched under the project ‘Technical assistance to support Jordan’s MoE’s EMIS platform for enhanced evidence-based decision making’ (2023-2024).
• The EU supported project aims to support the MoE’s strengthening of its enabiling environment for OpenEMIS, through the operationalization of its EMIS Policy, while also supporting the MoE to migrate their EMIS towards a sustainable and robust hosting solution. In addition, enhancements to OpenEMIS will be undertaking to improve data quality, accuracy and utilization.
• In parallel, UNESCO, in in partnership with Canada, is implementing a program aimed to contribute to transforming the TVET system in Jordan to respond to labour market demands and address youth unemployment and gender disparities.
• Within this context, UNESCO is seeking to hire an Assistant Programme Officer to provide and oversee the administrative and logistical support to the Education Unit in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all programme activities.
• The EU supported project aims to support the MoE’s strengthening of its enabiling environment for OpenEMIS, through the operationalization of its EMIS Policy, while also supporting the MoE to migrate their EMIS towards a sustainable and robust hosting solution. In addition, enhancements to OpenEMIS will be undertaking to improve data quality, accuracy and utilization.
• In parallel, UNESCO, in in partnership with Canada, is implementing a program aimed to contribute to transforming the TVET system in Jordan to respond to labour market demands and address youth unemployment and gender disparities.
• Within this context, UNESCO is seeking to hire an Assistant Programme Officer to provide and oversee the administrative and logistical support to the Education Unit in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all programme activities.

Main duties and responsibilities:

Under the overall authority and guidance from the Head of the UNESCO Jordan Office, and direct supervision of the Head of the Education Unit and guidance of education project officers,  the Associate  Programme Officer will be responsible for providing and overseeing the administrative and logistical support to the Education Unit in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all programme activities, in particular for supporting the Education Unit activities on a day to day basis by carrying out the following tasks and responsibilities: 

Programme & Coordination

• Coordinate and oversee overall the administrative and logistical support within the education unit for a large portfolio of projects and programmes. This includes guiding and overseeing the work of any administrative support staff within the unit.
• Facilitate daily coordination with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and Education Research, development partners, consultants, UNESCO Headquarters, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States, and other relevant counterparts and partners to support project implementation.
• Assist in the preparation and organization of meetings, workshops, seminars, and other related events.
• Prepare meeting minutes and support in the follow-up of action items.
• Support in the update of project workplans; and development of terms of references for project activities.

Contract Management

• Assist in each stage of contract management, through the preparation of contracts, documents for contract committee (when necessary), follow up on deliverables and deadlines, and processing payments in line with UNESCO administrative rules and regulations.
• Support the development, and oversight of large and complex contracts, such as implementation partnership agreements through both preparation and implementation phases, while ensuring that effective monitoring and assurance mechanisms are in place in line with UNESCO administrative rules and regulations.

Budget & Financing

• Assist in budget and financial management of projects, tracking project expenditure, preparations of budget revisions.
• Conduct spot checks where necessary to ensure programmatic and financial compliance.
• Provide support in the preparation of project proposals and budget.
• Support in the preparation of requested information for audits.

Procurement

Carry out procurement procedures, including preparing request forms, obtaining quotations and preparing purchase orders in line with UNESCO administrative rules and regulations.

Translation

• Oversee the translation, finalization, layout, design, printing, and dissemination of project-related reports and publications.
• Provide support in interpretation and translation of documents from English into Arabic and Arabic to English as required.

Communication

• Support with the development and implementation of a communication and visibility strategy for Education Unit programmes.
• Support the development of communication and visibility materials.
• Upload and organize photos and other communication and visibility materials related to the project, and for the Education Unit to the Education shared drive.

Other

• Coordinate official travel of the Education Programme Specialist and the project team, including timely submission and follow up on Travel Authorizations, follow up on UNDSS security clearances, transportation arrangements, flight reservations, accommodation and travel claims.
• Draft routine correspondence, letters, reports, as well as documents related to administrative matters.
• Develop, maintain, and update database for files and records related to the project and other projects and programmes of the Education Unit.
• Undertake any other tasks assigned by the Head of Office, Education Programme Specialist, and Project Officers, and provide administrative and logistical support to the Education Unit as needed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced University degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in a field of management and administration, education, social sciences, development studies or in a related field.

Work Experience

• A minimum of two years of professional relevant experience in project management, project implementation including (operational/administrative support) in education or related fields.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent verbal communication and writing skills in English and Arabic Excellent coordination skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in basic office software tools (MS Office suite) and use of relevant IT solutions.
• Strong organizational, planning and prioritization skills.
• Ability to be proactive and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and in a multicultural environment.

Languages 

• Fluency in English and Arabic is mandatory.

Source: https://careers.unesco.org/job/Amman-Associate-National-Project-Officer/801643602/