Org. Setting and Reporting

This post is located within the Food and Environment Policies Section, Sustainable Development Policies Division (SDPD) of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Project Coordinator reports directly to the Chief of the Food and Environment Policies Section and will be under the overall supervision of the Director of SDPD.

Responsibilities

The Project Coordinator will be responsible for carrying out the following:

1- Works with project partner agencies to facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of the assigned project; monitors and analyzes all aspects of project implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and recommends corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow up actions;
2- Drafts TORs for key inputs (i.e. personnel, consultants, training events, and procurement) and submit these to the supervisor for clearance and approval, and administer the mobilization of such inputs;
3- Prepares and updates project periodic work plans and submits them to the supervisor for approval;
4- Provides technical advice and support to project partner agencies, review technical reports and monitor technical activities carried out by responsible parties;
5- Provides logistical and substantive backstopping to all project-related meetings, workshops and conferences, including proposing agenda topics, identifying contributors, preparing background documents and presentations;
6- Contributes to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, section of reports and studies, input for publications, etc.;
7- Provides advisory services and technical assistance to stakeholders and Member States on project-related topics;
8- Ensures that all agreements with implementing partner agencies are prepared, negotiated and signed;
9- Ensures that all partner agencies mobilize and deliver the outputs in accordance with their letters of agreement or other agreements, and provide overall supervision and/or coordination of their work to ensure the production of the expected outputs;
10- Assists the chief in managing the project budget as per the project work plan;
11- Provides administrative support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc.,to include identifying participants, handling logistics, etc.;
12- Supervises staff and local or regional short-term consultants working for the project;
13- Ensures the timely submission of work plans, reports, outputs and other deliverables to supervisor and other stakeholders for review and evaluation, as appropriate;
14- Tracks milestones and accordingly ensures necessary work flow, personnel and financial resource allocations;
15- Undertakes official travel as necessary;
16- Prepares project annual progress reports and the project final report and organizes project review meetings and evaluation missions, in coordination with supervisor and implementing partner agencies;
17- Maintains the project website and ensure its update of all project related activities and outputs in a user friendly manner;
18- Ensures an adequate archive of all project related reports and outputs in both hard and soft copies.

Competencies

Professionalism – Ability to identify, extract, analyze and format data from a wide variety of standard and non-standard sources. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Planning and Organizing – Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required;
allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Teamwork – Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education

A first-level university degree in agriculture, food, food security, water or environment or other relevant field. Master’s degree or equivalent is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in one of the agriculture, food, food security, water or environment field. Experience in project management in the Arab Region, preferably at the international level and in international organizations, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. Arabic is also a working language of ESCWA. For this post, fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

Assessment

The shortlisted candidates may undergo a substantive assessment related to the functions of the post in addition to a competency-based interview. Only short-listed candidates will be
contacted.

Special Notice

Notes:

• This position is open to nationals of Lebanon only. 

• This position is available for three months with possibility of extension, subject to funds/post availability.

• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.

• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.

• The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.

• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.

• Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

United Nations Considerations

Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. 

The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. (Charter of the United Nations – Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on “The Application Process” and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of inspira account-holder homepage.

Applications are pre-screened by the system according to the published requirements of the job opening on the basis of the information provided in the application. In relation to the requirements of the job opening, applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their qualifications, including their education, work experience, and language skills. Each applicant must bear in mind that submission of incomplete or inaccurate applications may render that applicant ineligible for consideration for the job opening. Initial screening and evaluation of applications will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted. Applications cannot be amended following submission. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.