Project Assistant (ED) -SC 5/1-BAG-24-ED-0010 (Basrah, Iraq) contract

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Basrah

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff/ Service Contract

Duration of contract : 1 year

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 20-01-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

1. Overview of the functions of the post:

Under the overall supervision of the Director of the UNESCO Office for Iraq, Chief of Education and the direct supervision of the Project Officer based in Baghdad, the incumbent will be responsible for providing assistance through the delivery of a range of office, financial, and administrative activities in support of the project.

The candidate will be responsible for providing the administrative support to the project staff in implementation of two projects, the first project is “Improving Access to Inclusive Quality Education in Southern Iraq” funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation / Government of Italy, the main objective of this project is to ensure all learners in Iraq, especially vulnerable OOSC in southern governorates, are able to access and complete quality, inclusive and gender responsive primary and secondary education. This will ensure institutionalized support is in place to ensure access to primary and secondary education for 40,000 OOSC in Basrah, Dhi Qar and Maysan governorates. 
The second project is “Teach for Future: the future of Zubair is in my classroom today” funded by Eni Iraq BV, the project is to be implemented in the Al Zubair district of Basra Governorate that directly responds to the teaching and learning needs of the children, teachers, parents and school management community and district of 131 primary schools in the Al Zubair district.
 

2. Main duties and responsibilities:

• Produce draft documents, and correspondence related to the work of the Section/Unit from draft texts.  Search, locate, compile, review and update information and data used in the development of documents, work plans and budgets; enter and update approved work plans/budget data in the automated system, ensuring accuracy and compliance with the approved amounts; run reports from the automated systems in order to support preparation of regular and ad-hoc budgetary/financial updates, reporting on programme/project delivery, statistics and/or projections for use and scrutiny by the supervisor or responsible manager. 
• Prepare a variety of administrative documentation using examples or templates; initiate administrative procedures/transactions and ensure follow-up, including payment follow-up in collaboration with the Administrative Unit.  Inform team members of specific administrative processes and related procedures to support work planning and timely and coordinated execution of work; alert team members of outstanding obligations, timeframes and bottlenecks.
• Organize official meetings, events and workshops by booking venues, equipment and providing other related logistical support.  Organize official travel in conjunction with meetings, events and workshops; make travel arrangements; track and prepare itinerary and agenda; facilitate travel by providing/clarifying information and preparing the necessary documentation.  Provide administrative support for the events; collate/format information and data for presentation in final form; inform participants; organize the distribution of documentation; collect minutes/information/documentation and prepare associated documentation.
• Receive, analyse, register, and distribute incoming correspondence and other documents; determine the importance and priority of documents received; prepare correspondence and answers to requests for information on programs and activities, attaching relevant documentation; verify invoices against contract terms and conditions and prepare contract modifications and requests for payments; carry out informal translation of documents.

• Respond to enquiries and follow up on routine outstanding matters; route information and queries as appropriate; provide information to supervisor and colleagues; make appointments, receive visitors, and take telephone calls, answering inquiries and/or referring them to the specialist concerned. As directed, liaise with various internal services to obtain additional information/clarifications.
•  Assist in other administrative tasks, including i) logistics support; ii) preparation of relevant documentation for missions; iii) preparation of minutes of meetings; and iv) overall administrative support for the Project team.
• Additional activities that may be required to ensure the success of the project and the unit
   

4. Required Qualifications: 

Academic qualifications:

• Completed secondary, technical, and/or vocational education.

• A certificate or specialized training in one or more of the following disciplines: administration, finance, accounting, and/or procurement is desirable.

Years of relevant work experience:

• Minimum five (5) years of relevant experience and progressively responsible work experience in program management and/or assistant functions.
• Experience in monitoring financial and activity reporting of implementing partner is required.
• Experience in monitoring the key performance indicators of partners and preparing the acceptance notes with the supporting documents to release payments
• Highly desktop competent with experience in the usage of corporate financial systems and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) 
• Previous relevant experience in UN organizations in similar roles is desirable.

Language requirements:

• Excellent/very good knowledge and drafting skills in English and Arabic;
• Knowledge of another UN official language (French, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish) is desirable.

Competencies:

• Integrity, reliability, and sense of commitment in the execution of duties.
• Excellent coordination skills.
• Good knowledge of results-based and budget management tools.
• Ability to build and maintain partnerships.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage heavy workloads and to meet tight deadlines, paying close attention to detail and quality of work.
• Strong IT skills including good knowledge of standard office software.
• Strong analytical, problem solving and organizational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbally and in writing), and sensitivity to the local context.
• Excellent project implementation skills.