OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall authority of the Director of UNESCO Almaty Regional Office, the direct supervision of the GEF Project Manager, and overall supervision of the Programme Specialist, Natural Sciences unit, the incumbent shall provide the overall programmatic assistance to the implementation of the GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Project (hereafter “Project”) on “Strengthening the resilience of Central Asian countries by enabling regional cooperation to assess glacio-nival systems to develop integrated methods for sustainable development and adaptation to climate change”

In particular, the incumbent will perform the following key functions:

A. Provide input to the project implementation for effective management and administration of the Projects.

1. Coordinate project stakeholders’ participation in larger regional events, and perform the organization of meetings, workshops and any other events organized in the framework of the project.
2. Coordinate in the documentation and reporting: research, locate, compile, review and update information and data used in the development of project related documents, work plans and budgets; report on programme delivery, statistics and/or projections for use and scrutiny by the supervisor.
3. Along with other project team members fully participate in the organization and set up of meetings, events, workshops organized in the framework of the Project.
4. Draft project content-related documentation with the assistance of Project’s Financial and Administrative Assistant when necessary.
5. Provide relevant inputs for publications, presentations, briefings, speeches and missions, including news and outreach materials, as needed.
6. Represent in relevant internal and external meetings, events, conferences, and undertake travels, when/if necessary.
7. Provide with translation and interpretation of working documents as needed.
8. Ensure smooth coordination of the activities of the Project with the country coordinators.

B. Provide input to the project financial and administrative management:

• Provide input from the position’s perspective to the preparation of all administrative and financial information pertaining to the project when needed.
• Provide input in drafting financial-administrative documentation from position’s perspective when needed.

C. Contribute to maintaining smooth communication with project stakeholders:

• Ensure smooth, timely and effective communication with the project stakeholders at local/national/international levels.
• Facilitate contacts with UNESCO’s partners, UNDP and project partners: draft correspondence, answer queries. Liaise with other UNESCO Field Offices and HQ services as needed for the implementation of the Project.
• Liaise with National Commissions, national partners and Headquarters on administrative and financial matters, as requested.

D. Undertake any other tasks or assignments necessary for the successful implementation of the Project, provided those tasks are consistent with the incumbent’s professional qualifications. The contract holder undertakes to carry out the tasks with care and diligence and due attention to detail.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Completed higher education degree in natural sciences, water resources related field, public administration, management, international studies or international relations, regional development and other related social and/or natural sciences field.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• At least six years of relevant work experience in programme/project support and/or administrative service acquired at the national or international level

OR

At least four years of relevant work experience in programme/project support and/or administrative service acquired at the national or international level AND a completed Master’s degree in natural sciences, water resources related field, public administration, management, international studies or international relations, regional development and other related social and/or natural sciences field

• Experience in handling web-based management systems

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES

• Ability to work as part of a multi-cultural team, to take initiative and to provide quality and timely support and services
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to draft correspondence and correct documents
• Good organizational, coordination skills and flexibility
• Ability to take ownership of given tasks and demonstrate proactivity
• Ability to interpret rules and manage priorities in order to meet tight deadlines
• Discretion and capacity to deal efficiently and tactfully with people of different cultural and social backgrounds
• Ability to work under stress and cope with multiple tasks
• Good ICT skills with proficiency in the use of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of English and Russian (written and spoken).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Working experience within UNESCO, UN or similar agencies as an asset
• Experience in national and international projects would be an asset
• Experience working with international organization would be an asset
• Knowledge of Kazakh language would be an asset