Programme Title:     “EU Support to the East of Ukraine – Recovery, Peacebuilding and Governance”

Post Title:                  Project Specialist

Post Level:                 SB4/Min

Position number:      00164750

Duration of the          12 months with possible extension

service:                       Full time

Duty Station: Mariupol

Full/part time:         Full time

Supervisor:                Senior Project Coordinator

Background Information:

In accordance with the organizational mandate and national development priorities of Ukraine, the United Nations Population Fund implements a country programme of technical assistance to Ukraine for 2018-2022. The programme focuses on the needs of adolescent girls, young people with disabilities and those who have suffered from armed conflict, as well as key populations for HIV prevention. The programme isaimed at contributing to strengthening the national and subnational partnership frameworks for reducing gender inequalities in social, economic and political spheres of life, as well as strengthening national gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response mechanisms, including in humanitarian settings.

 In the East of Ukraine UNFPA is working together with UNDP, UN Women and FAO within the framework of the “EU Support to the East of Ukraine – Recovery, Peacebuilding and Governance” project. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to peace, economic revitalization and reconciliation in Eastern Ukraine through social and economic recovery, with a special focus on the Government Controlled Areas (GCAs) of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as as well as Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and other targeted oblasts. To enhance the regions’ overall resilience to destabilization such as the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic.

UNFPA is focusing on the issues of response and prevention of  gender based violence, youth empowerment and inclusion into the recovery and peacebuilding process as well as well employment opportunities for youth and women, including in eastern Ukraine.

UNFPA will contributes to the achievement of the following specific objectives of the project:

1. To address the consequences, on regional/local economies, of the economic lockdown imposed to fight the COVID-19 epidemic and stimulate medium and long-term employment and economic growth by providing assistance to micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development in Donetsk (GCA), Luhansk (GCA), Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts through demand-driven business development services, professional skills training and financial support. (Component 2).
2. To enhance community security, social cohesion, confidence in state institutions and reconciliation through promotion of civic initiatives and partnerships between communities and security and justice service providers in Donetsk (GCA), Luhansk (GCA), Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. To strengthen young women and men empowerment and engagement in community development  (Component 3).

Project Specialist  (based in Mariupol) will be responsible  for day-to-day management of the project activities  including timely and efficient delivery of the project technical, operational, financial and administrative outputs and substantive project inputs specifically linked with project components/activities assigned to UNFPA; regular outreach and coordination with the project partner  and beneficiaries  to ensure coherence and complementarity. 

 Organizational context:

Under the supervision of the UFNPA Senior Project Coordinator, the Program Specialist organizes and manages daily activities and tasks related to implementation of UNFPA activities under the Joint Programme of UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and FAO “EU Support to the East of Ukraine – Recovery, Peacebuilding and Governance” by ensuring delivery of all planned results. He/she will be responsible for contributing to the achievements of project`s objectives and quality management throughout the programme life cycle.

He/She works in a client, quality and results-oriented manner in close collaboration with all programme personnel, implementing partners (IPs), different units of UNFPA Country Office (CO), personnel of other UN Agencies and partners to exchange information and to ensure smooth programme functioning in line with the approved work plan, indicators and milestones.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• In line with approved work plans and results framework (RRF), coordinates UNFPA project component implementation, all envisioned events and activities in the targeted regions of  Ukraine ensuring delivery of all planned results;
• Acts as UNFPA technical focal point for the Component 2 of UN Joint Programme of UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and FAO on “EU Support to the East of Ukraine – Recovery, Peacebuilding and Governance” with responsibility to ensure implementation of component project activities on the ground according to the approved work plan; liaise and interacts with all relevant project partners at the regional level on all matters related to the component project implementation in the assigned regions within the project and beyond it;
• Contributes to project monitoring, evaluation, reporting and knowledge management as well as to ensuring project visibility;
• Analyzes the project implementation and provide regular updates to the project management and UNFPA office on project implementation highlighting progress, bottlenecks and possible solution;
• Supervises, provides necessary support and ensures that implementing partner of UNFPA within the component fully share vision of the project’s objectives, timelines and deliverables;
• Liaises and interacts with the implementing partner at the local level, on all matters related to the project implementation for the timely, successful and efficient implementation of all activities planned under the project component;
• Contributes to establishing or strengthening partnerships with respective local government authorities, non-government actors, UN agencies to ensure effective coordination and cooperation;
• On behalf of UNFPA ensures adequate communication, flow of information and technical expertise between the relevant local and international partners;
• In consultation with supervisor prepares, updates, implements and monitors the calendar activity plan for the project component based on the approved annual work plan(s);
• Analyzes the project implementation, identifies possible implementation obstacles and suggests solutions, reports on the output delivery to supervisor and CO management, project and operations staff, in their areas of competence;
• Reports on all matters of project implementation and provides weekly updates for project component implementation highlighting progress, bottle necks and solutions;
• Conducts regular meetings with supervisor and relevant staff members engaged in implementation of UN Joint Programme of UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and FAO on “EU Support to the East of Ukraine – Recovery, Peacebuilding and Governance”;
• Ensures visibility of the programme implementation through public relations, advocacy, working with the mass media and other communications activities;
• Substantially contributes to drafting of progress reports required by donors and UNFPA, provide regular updates/briefs as required by UNFPA;
• Contributes to creation and sharing of knowledge by synthesizing and documenting findings and lessons learned, success stories and best practices, strategies and approaches of the CO, and drafting relevant materials for dissemination;
• Carries out any other duties as may be required by supervisor and UNFPA country office management.

Qualifications and Experience

Education: 

• Master’s degree or equivalent, preferably in Economics, Public Administration, Human Rights Law, Social Sciences including Gender Studies, Political Science, International Relations, or other relevant studies for UNFPA`s mandate. 

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience in project management, project coordination and implementation services or related field preferably in the international organization;
• Familiarity with UN procedures and working methods, particularly with UNFPA agenda, policies and procedures is a plus; Knowledge about the UN and humanitarian coordination structures would be an advantage;
• Solid experience in writing functional specifications would be an asset;
• Working experience in projects funded by international donors is desirable;
• Excellent working knowledge of MS Office-Word, Excel, Power Point, Internet, e-mail applications, etc.;

Languages:

Fluency in English, Ukrainian and Russian is required.

Required Competencies

Please apply through the link by February 6, 2021