Programme Assistant - Implementation in States at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It contributes to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information. UNESCO promotes knowledge sharing and the free flow of ideas to accelerate mutual understanding and a more perfect knowledge of each other's lives. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Assistant - Implementation in States

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Employment Type: Contract
Duration of Contract: 1 year
Parent Sector: Education Sector (ED)
Job Family: Education
Type of Contract : Project Appointment
Grade: G-4

Job Summary

• The Education and Youth Empowerment in Nigeria (2nd phase): Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS) to build teachers’ capacity and resilience project under Education sector) will be implemented in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Enugu, Katsina, Oyo and Plateau States. Under the overall leadership of the UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, overall supervision of the Chief of Education and the direct supervision of the National project Coordinator, the State Programme Assistant is responsible for providing support to the project management team in the planning, execution, and monitoring of EISS project in the state. S/he will assist with the day-to-day coordination and administration of project, ensure timely completion, adherence with budget and full accomplishment of project goals in line with UNESCO standards and procedures.  
• The post delivers a range of support services for information management and monitoring (programme/ project and budget/financial administration), event orchestration and provision of administrative support and guidance in contracting management activities. Work entails implementation of communication, documentation and internal managerial coordination support activities within the Section/Unit. The incumbent accurately and in a timely manner, researches and produces a range of documents, reports and other outputs. 
• The post has a critical role in identifying the source of errors and/or missed deadlines in budgetary data and following up with reconciliation of same. Inappropriate balance or report statements can be the result of data compilation or entry errors. Programme Specialists rely on this information for planning purposes.  
• Work requires a total understanding, application, analysis and interpretation of UNESCO`s Financial and Administrative rules, regulations, procedures, practices and use of a variety of UNESCO automated tools and systems associated with the management of data, records and information. procurement and event coordination. There is also a requirement to have knowledge of various software used to prepare correspondence, reports, graphs, presentations etc such as MS Word, Excel, Power Point etc.

Responsibilities

• Ensure effective day-to-day administration of the project in the state in consultation with the National Project Coordinator; facilitate the development of state project detailed workplan, and budgets in collaboration with the project manager; liaise regularly with the SMoE, SUBEB and other stakeholders to plan, coordinate, and monitor project activities.
• Completing standard and non-standard administrative and office support activities and processes associated with the making of travel arrangements, the contracting of services and purchase of goods, the completing of various forms, the researching, retrieving, verifying, and maintaining of accurate data and transactions. 
• Support the organization of teacher training programs, workshops, and other capacity building activities in collaboration with SUBEB; support the process of the review of teacher policy documents, validation, and dissemination at the state level; represent UNESCO in education related meetings and engagements at the state level. 
• Facilitate the collection, compilation, and analysis of data on project indicators and progress, working with SUBEB and the EISS monitoring and evaluation officer; in collaboration with the EISS M&E Officer, support the collection of education data at the state level and closely support the state to ensure that annual school census and other education survey are timely conducted and reported to NEMIS and other national education data dashboard. 
• Assist in compiling documentation of project learnings, success stories, and lessons learned, with a focus on SUBEB engagement; provide secretariat support to the project steering committee (SPSC) at the State level.
• Support the organization of joint review meetings and other coordination forums involving SUBEB; contribute to project reporting, including the preparation of progress reports for stakeholders; provide support for project closeout activities, including the collection and archiving of project records.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of Office or the Supervisor.

Competencies (Core / Managerial)

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Innovation (C)
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Planning and organizing (C)
• Results focus (C)
• Teamwork (C)
• Professionalism (C)

Required Qualifications
Education:

• Completed Secondary Education, Technical or Vocational Education.

Work Experience

• Minimum three (3) years of relevant experience in administrative and/or secretarial tasks in programme support services.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent communication and coordination skills.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills.
• Capacity for accuracy and attention to detail in preparation of correspondence and documents. 
• Good interpersonal skills, discretion, good sense of judgement and capacity to deal efficiently and tactfully with people of different cultural backgrounds.
• Cooperative behaviour and attitude to work in a team successfully.
• Excellent IT skills with proficiency in the use of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel. PowerPoint, etc.).
• Ability to work under pressure and flexibility to adjust work schedules and priorities.

Languages:

• Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English.
• Knowledge of the local language.

Desirable Qualifications
Education:

• University degree in a relevant field, including education, social sciences or related fields.

Languages:

• Knowledge of other official UN language would be an asset.

Application Closing Date
2nd September, 2024.