Org. Setting and Reporting

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The SMART Project Coordinator reports to the Director of Planning on project coordination and the Director of Infrastructure and Camp Improvement on technical, implementation matters.

Responsibilities

Oversees the UNRWA Sustainable Management and Resource-efficient Transformation (SMART) project across all Agency fields of operation and related HQA Departments and Divisions. Ensures effective management, planning and coordination to achieve project goals and objectives within UNRWA rules, regulations, and donor requirement / grant condition. Develops strategies for achieving project goals; creates a detailed project plan in coordination with HQ focal points and manages progress and reporting against the plan; monitors the project’s, timeline and budget and cooperates closely with all project personnel. Manages issues and risks associated with the project (scope, time, budget, project’s impact, and outcomes) and maintains a risks and issues register. Escalates issues to the project Steering Committee in a timely manner. Oversees expenditure planning and management against the project budget and coordinates the preparation of disbursement payment requests to the German Bank for Reconstruction (KFW). Ensures accurate project documentation including expenditure reconciliation and forecasts including timely documentation of any proposed re-programing and utilization of contingencies, timelines, extension requests and other required documentation for subsequent phases of the SMART project under implementation, if any, as per the signed grant agreements. Develops and maintains effective, efficient, and regular communication, documented and otherwise, with internal stakeholder groups in all concerned Fields and HQ, as well as external stakeholder groups, including donors and governmental bodies. Serves as the entry point for donor queries in relation to the SMART project. Coordinates with concerned HQ and Field teams to prepare periodic financial progress reports, high quality narrative reports, technical briefs, status reports and other documents that may be required for internal and external stakeholders. Develops appropriate formats for all reports, compiles inputs from HQ teams, and from field staff through HQ focal team, oversees report quality, including editing and formatting as required. Provides substantive support to SMART project monitoring and evaluation processes in the Fields, in close coordination with each HQ related Department / Division and counterpart Field Project / Programme Support Office; coordinates the implementation of external evaluations and other monitoring/evaluation exercises related to the SMART project, ensuring that the appropriate logistics and administrative support are provided. Coordinates and finalizes needs assessments, concept notes and proposals for the donor(s) in coordination with Fields and relevant HQ Departments / Divisions, for any future phases of the SMART project. As required, implements re-programming requests. Contributes to the development of organizational capacity of staff recruited for the SMART project in all Fields and HQ; and facilitates access to information, knowledge, and good practices; shares information and lessons learned between the Fields on UNRWA’s Project Cycle Management processes, as needed. Coordinates with other UNRWA Departments/Offices (HQ and Field) to ensure full coordination, oversight and accountability for the advancement and implementation of relevant policies (Environmental Sustainability Policy, Environmental and Social Management Framework, Framework for Accountability to Affected Populations, etc.) within the context of the SMART Project. Acts as secretariat to the SMART Project Steering Committee.

Competencies

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Default managerial competencies may apply. Planning and Organizing Delivering Results Leading and Supervising Managing Complexity and Change Applying Technical Expertise Creating and Innovating Negotiation Skills Presentation Skills and research, proposal writing and report/drafting skills Detail and Quality Orientation/ Methodical Work Practices Excellent knowledge of office software applications, such as MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and project management software. For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews: https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

Education

An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in business, public administration, engineering, international affairs, social sciences, or a related field.

Job – Specific Qualification

Internationally accredited certification in project management (e.g., PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMP, or similar is desirable. Professional membership of an environmental or energy management professional body such as Chartered Environmentalist, Certified Energy Manager or similar is desirable.

Work Experience

At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in project management of environmental sustainability programmes and/or renewable energy projects in low-income and disadvantaged communities is required. Experience in building and managing partnerships with host governments, donors, UN agencies, development banks, NGOs, and private sector is required. Experience in drafting high quality programmatic and financial reports, briefings and concept notes, proposals, papers and presentations is required. Experience in establishing and maintaining project documentation, including risk registers, daily logs and meeting minutes in line with global standards for project management is required. Experience of United Nations procurement principles and practice is required. Experience in directly supervising staff and coordinating cross-functional project teams is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, a candidate for an international post must have at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number is required. Prior working experience in the Middle or Near East is desirable. Knowledge of Arabic at the intermediate level or above is desirable.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English. Knowledge of Arabic at the intermediate level or above is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Type of Contract and duration: 1 year project funded appointment subject to availability of funds, extendable based on need, funds and performance. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA’s online e-recruitment system inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/United Nations

United Nations Considerations

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.