OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and enhancing cross-cultural understanding. The Organization comprises 194 Member States and 12 Associate Members and employs over 2,300 staff members from 170+ nationalities at its Headquarters and 54 field offices worldwide.

This position is located in UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS), which strives to accomplish a fundamental humanist mission by enhancing efforts against violence, racism and discrimination, combatting gender stereotypes, deploying the power of sports for social inclusion, promoting intercultural dialogue and supporting youth, women and people with disabilities.

SHS also focuses on fostering inclusive societies and ensuring the ethical development of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), in line with UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.

The Inclusion, Rights, and Intercultural Dialogue Section is at the core of the Social and Human Sciences Sector at UNESCO and manages a cross-cutting portfolio of research, capacity-building, and advocacy to help build more inclusive and sustainable communities

The project officer will work under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, guidance of the Chief of Section of Inclusion, Rights and Intercultural Dialogue and the direct supervision of the programme specialist in charge of the project. In close cooperation with team members, the incumbent will support the implementation and coordination of the work of UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme which seeks to empower Young Leaders (25 to 40 years old) and to advance impactful local actions in favor of intercultural dialogue for peace allowing them to leverage their experience and expertise in order to advocate for meaningful structural and policy improvements which favor more effective intercultural exchange.

In this context the candidate will perform the following tasks:

• Provide overall coordination for the delivery of the project, actively steering the substantive and administrative direction of the project, including through the provision of oversight over the budget, direct supervision of two other project staff, liaison with internal and external implementation partners/contractors, and management of relationships with the donor (including the organization of an annual Programme Steering Committee meeting).
• Provide overall coordination and substantive leadership over the process for selecting and engaging the 50 Young Fellows who will be the direct beneficiaries of each annual cycle of the project. This include guiding and contributing to the substantive and logistical management of the annual residential training programme and peer-learning event (Global Youth Dialogue for Peace), in close cooperation with the donor for the project (the Kingold Group).
• Provide technical direction for the development of two research-led knowledge products (guidelines, toolkits, or research reports) related to the annual theme of the project, helping to establish concepts for them, whilst also contributing to the research and drafting for their development and overseeing the production, quality assurance, and outreach to ensure rigour and relevance.
• Provide oversight over the distribution, management, and implementation of grants to the 50 Young Fellows, including overseeing a mentoring, training, and knowledge support programme for them, and ensuring their compliance with the terms of receiving the grants, including through providing updates for communications purposes.
• Provide direction for various activities to sustain and scale the impact of the work of the direct beneficiaries of the programme, including the production of an annual ‘Insights Report’ capturing the lessons learnt from the community projects to help shape enabling structural environments for their replication/scaling; the development of the Global Intercultural Action Observatory, an online portal which will serve as a repository of good practices from the work of the Young Fellows; and the development of a programme of ongoing exchange and learning among different cohorts of the programme through an Alumni Network.
• Produce relevant information and communication materials for the project.
• Support other tasks relevant to the project and the work of the Section as directed by the supervisor.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Master’s degree in the Social or Human Sciences (social and human sciences, human rights, international relations, economics, gender studies, social communication, education or another relevant field).
• A first-level university degree in combination with additional four years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• A minimum of four years of professional experience in social and human sciences issues, intercultural dialogue, human rights, peace, and/or social inclusion.

Skills and competencies

• Good analytical/synthesis skills
• Excellent (oral and written) communication skills, including the ability to draft and produce a variety of written material in a clear and concise manner
• Excellent organizational skills, and demonstrated project management capacities
• Experience managing trainers and facilitators for capacity-building
• Experience managing donor relations
• Experience managing external contractors
• Experience managing a team
• Ability to work effectively in a team and to maintain good working relations within a multi-cultural environment
• Ability to work independently, take initiative and learn quickly and on the job.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English or French and good knowledge of the other.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Work Experience

• Experience with UNESCO and understanding of the Organization.
• Experience in UNESCO’s Programmes and Social and Human Sciences.
• Experience in international settings.

Languages

• Knowledge of Chinese would be a significant asset.
• Good knowledge of other languages (Arabic, Russian, Spanish).