Mission and objectives

UNESCO is an intergovernmental organization committed to fostering intellectual and moral solidarity for peace through cooperation in education, culture, the sciences, and communication and information. The organization is headquartered in Paris, France, and has a network of over 50 regional, cluster, and national field offices. UNESCO New Delhi is presently designated as a Cluster Office and is a platform for delivery of activities in all areas of UNESCO’s competence, namely, education, the natural and social sciences, culture, communication and information. It implements a biennial Cluster programme that is aligned with the overall goals of the Organization as defined in its quadrennial programme and budget, and medium-term strategy. The implementation of the cluster programme is undertaken through a fundamental operating principle – consultation and consensus with the National Commissions of the Member States, Regional Bureaus, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders and partners.

Context

The UNESCO New Delhi Office has been designated as a Regional Office for six countries of South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It has the mandate to provide strategic and programme guidance at the regional level, in accordance with the Medium-Term Strategy (C/4 document) and the Approved Programme and Budget (C.5 document), close coordination with the relevant programme sectors and central services at Headquarters. It will guide UNESCO’s work in the region with regard to the definition of priorities and their translation into regional programmes; coordinate programme design, planning and implementation in collaboration with other regional offices and the relevant national offices; be responsible and accountable for the direct implementation of national and regional programmes in all the countries under its jurisdiction, with the exception of Nepal and Bangladesh where UNESCO’snational offices exist, and it shall provide technical support to these offices where necessary. It will also coordinate with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) and United Nations Country Team (UNCT) of each country under its jurisdiction, with the exception of Nepal and Bangladesh, to identify strategic entry points for UNESCO’s programming aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) Guidance and ensure representation of UNESCO and its work in each country.

Task description

The Development Coordination Officer will work under the direct supervisor and will report to the Director of the UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office. The Development Coordination Officer will work closely with the Programme Specialists to provide support to the Director on sustainable development analysis, strategic planning, programming, communication and partnership across the Region. The Development Coordination Officer will be responsible for:

• Coordinating with the National Offices in Dhaka and Kathmandu, and the UNRCOs and UNCTs in Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka to ensure efficient and effective support to the Director, and adherence to organizational polices and procedures;

• Coordinating internally with Programme Specialists in five programme sectors and UIS, Partnership and Resource Mobilization Officer, Communication and Public Engagement Officer, and the Director’s Secretary to ensure substantive support to the Director, with a focus on planning and reporting for UNRC system and offices in Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka;

• Ensuring seamless coordination of New Delhi’s active participation in join programs and projects in alignment with UNESCO’s C/4 and C/5 as well as the UNSDCFs and their relevant Outcomes/Results Working Groups in Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka;

• Assisting in the development of strategies and plans to strategically position UNESCO in order to support regional and national objectives aligned with the UNSDCFs in the region;

• Coordinating with Programme Specialists to help support the Director’s engagement with government authorities, partner organizations, and stakeholders, to foster partnerships and secure support for UNESCO initiatives;

• Supporting an enabling environment for the knowledge generation, sharing collaboration, as well as usage of exiting good practices and lessons learnt within the Office through knowledge sharing and management tools;

• Keeping track of national government policies, regulations, and goals relevant to UNESCO’s work in respective countries;

• Undertaking other duties and responsibilities as directed by the Director to support UNESCO’s mission in the region. During the assignment, the National UN Volunteer will be able to:

• Gain insight and experience from working in a specialist UN Organization, including its mandate and organizational culture;

• Learn about the global, regional, and country-level work of an institution engaged efforts to build the resilience and preventative capacities of young people;

• Learn about the UNRC system and offices in Member States and gain experience in inter-agency coordination across different sectors of UNESCO’s mandate;

• Gather comprehensive insights into UNESCO’s programmatic efforts across its five core programme sectors, namely Education, Natural Science, Social and Human Science, Culture, and Communication Information, including its strategic approaches and partnerships in the region;

• Gain substantial experience in supporting senior officials within international organizations, with a special focus on high-level stakeholder engagement, a crucial aspect of diplomacy and international relations;

• Develop interpersonal skills in interacting with partners from various regions, languages, religions, and cultures.

Age

27 – 80

Nationality

Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Required experience

3 years of experience in a field relevant to UNESCO’s mandate;

• Experience in providing substantive support to senior officials in an international organization is desirable;

• Experience in strategic planning, sustainable development policy, project/programme management, or resource mobilization in the context of development cooperation is desirable;

• Experience in working in a large multicultural team at country, regional and global levels is desirable;

• Experience in the United Nations system or a comparable international organization is desirable;

• Experience with inter-agency or inter-organizational collaboration in the development sector is desirable; • Field experience in development cooperation is desirable.

• Excellent (oral and written) communication skills; including the ability to draft and produce a variety of written material in a clear and concise manner.

Area(s) of expertise

Education, Development programmes

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level

Master degree or equivalent in Education, International Development, International Relations, Public Administration, or related field.

Competencies and values

• Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresee risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues in a multi-cultural environment to achieve organizational goals; solicits inputs by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others, places team agenda before personal agenda, supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own positions, shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts join responsibility for team shortcomings.

• Communication: Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience.

• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

Entitlements

• Volunteer Living Allowance : 2,511.31USD

• Entry Lump Sum : 4,000USD (paid based on route for travel to the duty station and repatriation)

• Exit Lump Sum : 2,25USD (paid on completion of contract)

• Learning : Access to UNV’s learning and career development resources

• Annual Leave : 2.5 days per month

• Insurance : Comprehensive coverage for health, life and malicious acts