Project Management Support - Senior Assistant for the Capacity Building Sector

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 Management Support – Senior Officer for the Capacity Building Sector, the Project Management Support - Senior Assistant for the Capacity Building Sector will provide assistance in implementation of activities within the Sector for Capacity Building. S/he will work closely with other Sector team members in order to contribute to efficient and effective monitoring of implementation of projects within this Sector, to assist in implementation of the activities related to integrated territorial development and technical assistance to local self-governments (LSGs), regional development agencies (RDAs) and the Ministry of European Integration (MEI). 

The Senior Assistant will undertake the following activities/responsibilities:

• Maintain relationship with the Sector beneficiaries 

• Provide assistance  in development of reports on Sector activities 

• Provide assistance in organisation of functions and events to present the Programme’s support provided under the Sector for Capacity Building

• With guidelines from the Senior Officer for Capacity Building, and in coordination with the Sector Associates, closely monitor implementation of Sector projects and activities  

• Conduct field visits to Sector beneficiaries

• 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 Senior Officer for Capacity Building, and in coordination with the Sector Associates, provide basic assistance to the Sector beneficiaries in development of plans and strategies and implementation of projects 

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

• Establish activity progress tracking sheets and regularly update with inputs provided by beneficiaries and services providers 

• Maintain archive related to capacity building activities, as per agreement with the Senior Officer for Capacity Building and in line with the UNOPS/EU PRO Plus requirements 

• Report on the key local developments that are relevant for the Sector 

• With the guidance of the Senior Officer for Capacity Building, liaise with retainers and service providers to support implementation of the Sector 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 

• Contribute to the successful administrative and financial closure of activities within the Sector for Capacity Building

• Provide support to Programme’s communication and visibility activities 

• Support organization of trainings, information sessions, and other events related to promotion of the activities and CFPs of the Sector and assist in capacity building of potential beneficiaries to adequately respond to the Calls

• Review documentation related to implementation of Capacity Building activities and grants, propose revisions and obtain approvals of the next phases of implementation.

• Provide feedback and support to Sector beneficiaries, as per guidance of the Senior Officer for Capacity Building and the Sector Associates

• Provide assistance to other 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.

• Secondary education is required. 
• Bachelor’s degree preferably in economics, social sciences, engineering or development studies is an asset

• Five years of experience in project support functions on projects with strategic planning or capacity building components in Serbia is required. Bachelor’s degree may substitute for some years of experience. 
• Direct experience with projects related to the EU Cohesion Policy and sustainable urban development is an asset

• Fluency in Serbian and English is required

Driving License 

• Driving license and ability to travel independently is required 

• 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.