Project Management Support Specialist

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York.  The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for Counter Terrorism to implement the activities of the Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme.

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) was established by the General Assembly in June 2017 (A/RES/71/291). The Office has five main functions: (a) provide leadership on the General Assembly counter-terrorism mandates across the United Nations System; (b) enhance coordination and coherence across the 38 Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force entities to ensure the balanced implementation of the four pillars of the Strategy; (c) strengthen the delivery of United Nations counter-terrorism capacity-building assistance to Member States; (d) improve visibility, advocacy and resource mobilization for United Nations counter-terrorism efforts; and (e) ensure that due priority is given to counter-terrorism across the United Nations System and that the important work on preventing violent extremism is firmly rooted in the Strategy.

This position is located in the United Nations Centre for Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT) of the Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT), within the Victims of Terrorism Unit. The overall vision of the Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme is to protect, promote, and respect the rights and needs of victims of terrorism, and to increase the capacity of Member States and civil society organisations. The Programme seeks to (i) show solidarity with and raise awareness on the plight of victims of terrorism; (ii) strengthen victims’ voices and their role in preventing violent extremism conductive to terrorism; and (iii) increase the capacity of Member States and civil society organizations as they assist and support victims of terrorism in protecting their rights and needs. In this regard, technical assistance and advocacy are a key component of the work of the Programme. The activities of the Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme that the contractor would implement include the include the development of the second phase of the Global Programme on Victims of Terrorism from 2024 onwards, the preparation of the International Conference on Victims of Terrorism in follow-up to the first United Nations Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism, the development of the concept for the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN) and the development of a handbook of good practices on victims of terrorism for Member States.

The incumbent of this position will be a personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

• Advise on the scope and structure of the Conference’s programme, including speakers.
• Lead on drafting of all substantive and logistical documents, including concept notes, the Chair’s summary, and the outcome report.
• Oversee implementation of all logistics throughout the entire duration of the Conference, both for all in-person events and for remote streaming of all panels.
• Oversee the development of all communications materials, including promotional films, thematic campaigns, pre-recorded events, social media posts, and op-eds and talking points.

• Conduct scoping missions, if/as relevant, to meet with relevant national officials and collect data about needs and best practices.
• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews, including civil society, research centers and think tank reports and relevant country reports and assessment recommendations by the The Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED).
• Conduct remote consultations with relevant experts, government officials, civil society representatives, academics, and officials.
• Draft the handbook.
• Design a dissemination strategy and a monitoring and evaluation programme to measure impact and level of use and distribution.
• Develop the concept and operationalization of the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN) in line with best practice and launch it as a formal network managed by the Global Victims of Terrorism Support Programme.
• Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.

• The implementation of the projects carried out in an optimal way according to the established guidelines and budgets.
• Assurance that the workflows of the assigned projects do not suffer major changes or delays in delivery.
• Maintains fluid and up-to-date communication with partners regarding project implementation processes.
• Visibility achieved around the victims of terrorism and strong attendance by high level governments’ representatives at the Congress.
• Additional commitment from Member States to ensure a victim-centric approach to counter-terrorism at the national level.

*FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

• Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) preferably in social sciences, psychology, political science, international relations, delivery of humanitarian assistance, or related field preferably with an emphasis on human rights.
• First level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in combination with 2 additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced university degree.

Required Experience:  

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in human rights, trauma-informed interventions, and/or victims of terrorism is required.
• Experience developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes throughout their entire life cycle, including through the design of logical frameworks and indicators and the management of programmatic substantive and financial elements, is required.

• Experience in the development of policies, tools, communications and guidelines to counter terrorism and prevention of violent extremism is highly desirable.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Fluency in French is highly-desirable.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) 
Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (I-ICA 2- ICSC10)
Contract duration: Ongoing contract (subject to good performance, availability of funds, organizational requirements and project duration)

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.