Project Management Support - Senior Assistant

The European Union for Local Development Programme - EU PRO Plus will contribute to more balanced socio-economic development in Serbia by enhancing territorial development management, supporting economic growth, and improving social infrastructure and social cohesion of 99 local self-governments in two regions: Šumadija and Western Serbia and South and Eastern Serbia. The European Union (EU) has allocated 30 million Euros through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) 2020 to fund the Programme which will be led by the Ministry of European Integration and  implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) over a period of 36 months.

There are three results that the Programme will achieve in targeted municipalities:

• Result 1: Improved development planning and introduction of the Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI) concept

• Result 2: Enhanced economic growth 

• Result 3: Improved social infrastructure and social cohesion

While building on the momentum created by its three predecessors, the Programme also focuses on four cross cutting aspects: good governance, digitalisation and innovations, environmental and climate change aspects and gender equality. In addition, EU PRO Plus will, through its activities, where relevant and feasible, strive to remedy some of the negative COVID-19 effects.

The direct beneficiaries of the EU PRO Plus are the Ministry of European Integration, 99 local self-governments, local administration structures, regional development agencies, other business support organisations, local SMEs, and civil society organisations (CSOs). The final beneficiaries are the inhabitants of 99 municipalities. 

All programme activities will be undertaken in partnership with the Government of Serbia, while respecting the national policies and priorities, in order to ensure national ownership and help develop national capacities. The EU PRO Plus is based on the National Priorities for International Assistance in the Republic of Serbia until 2025 (NAD), crucial for economic and social development and the EU integration process, while particularly contributing to preparation for the fulfilment of the requirements under Chapter 22 of the EU acquis - Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments.

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Management Support - Senior Assistant will assist in establishing the archive, register, monitoring and tracking tools as well as in compilation of plans, presentations and reports. S/he will also provide assistance to Programme visibility and assist in implementation of the Programme communications activities.

The Senior Assistant will undertake the following activities/responsibilities:

• Provide assistance  in development of reports on Programme activities 

• Provide assistance in organisation of functions and events to present the Programme’s support 

• Liaise with the support services team to support successful implementation of contracts and grant agreements by maintaining regular communication between the programme and Support Services units in order to ensure timely exchange of information on the status of provision of services, procurements and grant agreements

• With guidelines from the Project Manager, and in coordination with the Senior Officers managing different Programme Sectors, liaise with Programme beneficiaries and collect information relevant for Programme monitoring and evaluation efforts and Programme communications

• Provide assistance in collection, preparation, and archiving of documentation related to processing of Programme related financial transactions 

• Establish activity progress tracking sheets for the Programme and regularly update with inputs provided by beneficiaries, services providers and Programme Sectors

• Maintain archive related to the Programme, as per agreement with the Project Manager and in line with the UNOPS/EU PRO Plus requirements 

• With the guidance of the Project Manager, liaise with retainers and service providers to support implementation of the Programme communications activities including gathering data on their engagement, collecting and storing their reports, communicating directly with retainers in relation to administrative and procedural issues 

• Contribute to identification and assessment of risks and assist in implementation of mitigation measures in accordance with the Risk Management Strategy 

• Assist in drafting reports as envisaged by the Programme Document

• Assist in development of the Programme’s plans 

• Assist in monitoring and reporting on the progress of activities against the Logical Framework Matrix indicators 

• Contribute to identification and sharing of Programme’s lessons learned and best practices 

• Contribute to efficient and effective use of EU PRO Plus and UNOPS tools for monitoring of Programme’s performance, outputs and benefits 

• Support organization of trainings, information sessions, and other events related to promotion of the activities and CFPs of the Programme 

• Assist in the implementation of the External and Internal Communications Action Plans

• Assist in the researches and drafting of social media, website and newsletter content and other Programme related correspondence

• Provide inputs on Programme social media statistics to internal and external reports and publications according to set formats

• Assist in monitoring the correct use of Programme brand on web and print content produced by partners

• Continuously maintain Programme photo archive and selection of appropriate graphics/images for inclusion with written content

• Assist in the maintenance of the Programme website, by ensuring that online content is kept accurate, relevant and up-to-date

• Establish and continuously maintain all Programme monitoring tools of EU PRO support to LSGs including but not limited to all Projects tables, Programme Calendar of Events, Municipal profiles, Various Tracking Tools, Programme and Communication Sector database and similar; 

• Provide translation of short and simple documents from English to Serbian and vice versa

• Provide specific assistance to Programme Sectors including but not limited to monitoring, and field visits to beneficiaries, within efforts to optimise use of resources

Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.

Education 

• Secondary education is required. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Journalism, Communications or Social Sciences is an asset

Work Experience 

• Five years of experience in project support functions. Bachelor’s degree may substitute for some years of experience. 

• Direct experience in assisting with Communications, Digital Marketing, Monitoring and Evaluation efforts in development projects will be considered as an asset

Language Requirements

•  Fluency in Serbian and English is required

Driving License 

• Driving license and ability to travel independently is required

This is a local position, it is therefore open to nationals of the Republic of Serbia and to individuals who have a valid residence/work permit.

Contract type: Ongoing ICA
Contract level: Local ICA 5
Contract duration: Open-ended subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and/or to satisfactory performance

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been active in Serbia since 2000, and the operations of UNOPS Serbia Project Office (RSPO) have since 2017 expanded to North Macedonia and Montenegro.

UNOPS has been a reliable partner primarily of the Government of Serbia, and later of the Governments of North Macedonia and Montenegro, in providing support for demanding socio-economic reforms and facilitating accession to the European Union.

Currently, the RSMCO is implementing 14 projects focussed on sustainable socio-economic development, social cohesion, creating environment for employability, business and infrastructure growth, increased security, improved education, enhanced social inclusion either via enabling durable housing solutions or providing access to health, education and jobs for the most vulnerable population. All projects have good governance and gender equality as transversal themes. UNOPS projects are contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals framework and objectives.