Programme Officer at United Nations (UN) WCESA

Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the Director of SRO-EA and the direct supervision of the Head of the Business Support Cluster, the incumbent will be responsible for programme and project management functions at the SRO throughout their entire life cycle, including conceptualization, formulation, planning, resourcing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and closure. Specifically, the Programme Officer:

• Mainstreams results based management (RBM) and quality management in the operations of SRO-EA;
  Develops and implements assigned programmes and projects;
• Monitors, evaluates and analyzes programmes and project development and implementation;
• Reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and initiates corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; and ensures follow-up actions;
• Carries out research on selected programmatic and operational aspects of the work of SRO-EA including collecting, analyzing and presenting statistical data and other relevant information gathered from diverse sources;
• Provides substantive support for policy coordination and evaluation functions, including review and analysis of emerging issues and trends, participation in evaluations or research activities and studies;
• Generates surveys initiatives; designs data collection tools; researches, compiles, reviews, analyses, summarises and interprets responses and relevant information/data on a wide range of programmes/projects and related topics, highlighting noteworthy issues/trends for consideration by appropriate parties;
• Organises and prepares written outputs, e.g. draft annual report, background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, and other relevant inputs to publications;
• Provides full range of programme/project planning, preparation, management and implementation assistance at all phases of the SRO-EA programme/project cycle;
• Tracks UN mandates, resolutions and other legislative and statutory decisions and recommendations from other relevant bodies that affect programme/project content, distills relevant information for programmatic purposes and suggests options to incorporate in SRO-EA programmatic frameworks;
• Reviews, appraises and revises, as necessary, all submissions for substantive programmes/projects, ensuring compliance with mandates, guidelines and programme/project objectives and RBM principles;
• Supports resource mobilization efforts and works with funding agencies and development partners in arranging financing modalities; obtains requisite clearances; ensures establishment of proper monitoring systems through scheduled reporting, review meetings and missions;
• Supports activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.);
• Contributes to the formulation of SRO-EA business plans and to building-up of ECA partners profile and operationalises the ECA project management manual at SRO-EA;
• Drafts budget and forecasts based on submissions;
• Leads the preparation of monitoring checklists, identifying stages of programme/project development, funding source, and inputs by reviewing internal and external bodies, and follow-up actions required;
• Monitors budgetary commitments, including verification of charges and obligation documents in IMIS for all relevant financial transactions;
• Prepares periodic budget revisions and ensures appropriate resource allocations;
• Arranges for formal closures of projects, final budget revisions, and transfer of equipment, clearance, publication and distribution of final reports;
• Supports the organization of meetings, workshops and events organised by SRO-EA;
• Participates in the substantive activities of SRO-EA; and performs other administrative and technical duties as assigned.

Competencies
Proven ability to formulate policies, develop and coordinate projects; Demonstrated ability to research and rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from varied sources; Ability to prepare comprehensive reports with respect to key environment and development issues; Familiarity with UN common country programming process and United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes; Teamwork: Strong interpersonal skills with ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds; Ability to work independently and to participate effectively in a team based information sharing environment; Planning and Organizing: Excellent coordination skills, with ability to work under pressure and handle multiple activities and projects concurrently; Ability to develop clear goals for planned activities, foresee risks and allow for contingency plans; Ability to meet tight deadlines and handle conflicting priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• An advanced university degree in environmental policy/science, development or related field.
• A first university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.

Work Experience: At least seven years of professional working experience in developing and implementing environmental management policies and/or programme/project management in the field of environment, some of which should be at the international level, including relevant experience in the region, preferably with United Nations.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English and working knowledge of Spanish is required.
• Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.