Programme Associate

This position is advertised open to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be Congoleese Nationals.

Interested staff members should consult the Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS, UNHCR/AI/2020/1/Rev.1). If you have questions regarding your eligibility, you may also contact the HR Unit.

In line with the RALS, the below category of candidates are eligible to apply for internally/externally advertised vacancies.

Group 1 candidates: Group 1 comprises current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment who, at the date of the deadline for application, are serving in the country of the vacancy at the grade of the position or one grade below or above.

Group 2 candidates: Group 2 comprises candidates from the below categories after completion of one cumulative or continuous year of service in the country of the vacancy.

I. Currently employed locally recruited UNHCR staff members holding a Temporary Appointment;
II. Former locally recruited UNHCR staff members who held an indefinite or fixed-term appointment (within 2 years of separation for males and 5 years for females);
III. National United Nations Volunteers currently working for UNHCR;
IV. National UNOPS and individual contractors currently working for UNHCR;
V. Current GS staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a position in the same category two grades above the staff member¿s personal grade;
VI. Current UNHCR staff members in the International Professional category holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a GS post;
VII. Current UNHCR staff members in the NPO category holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment applying to a GS post;
VIII. Current locally recruited female staff members from other UN system Organizations holding the equivalent of an indefinite or fixed-term appointment.

External candidates: External candidates are candidates who are not in Group 1 or Group 2. They must meet the essential minimum requirements of the position and candidates not citizens of the country must comply with all eligibility requirements for employment in line with the prevailing legislative prerequisites in the country. Programme Associate

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Programme Associate would normally receive guidance from more senior programme staff in the operation/bureau/division. S/he may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country/region programme(s). UNHCR Manual, Operations Plans, UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the Programme Associate. S/he is expected to stay abreast of the challenges posed by the operational context, the UN and humanitarian reform and institutional developments.

The incumbent is expected to have contacts within the organization and outside the duty station, as well as with partners and other stakeholders to collect information, monitor programme activities and implement administrative requirements. The incumbent will have to establish good working relationships with their peers at country level to facilitate the collection of information and other programme management related activities.

The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual, ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle.


All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

- Support the assessment and analysis of the needs of persons of concern in the country/region in a participatory manner and using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective as basis for planning.
- Assist in managing the development of a broad network of partners, good coordination practices and the development of partner capacities related to programme management if applicable.
- Assist in organizing and documenting the selection of partners in accordance with the policy on selection and retention of partners, ensuring due diligence to meet the requirements of projects.
- Provide support to the field with technical advice to ensure partnership agreements are established in a timely manner, regularly monitored and reported on in compliance with established guidelines and procedures included in the framework for implementing with partners.
- Support the implementation and performance of partnership agreements through field visits and appropriate physical monitoring if applicable, reviewing performance and financial reports.
- Support the development and implementation of MFT monitoring plans for activities implemented through partnerships and those under direct implementation in line with Programme Manual and programming instructions.
- Contribute to the review and analysis of operations plans, mid-year and year-end reports of the different UNHCR offices, ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures and standards. Generate and maintain records of implementation rate (performance progress and expenditures) on a regular basis.
- Follow up on any change in regards to alignment of results chain, verifying indicators, budget, prioritization, apportioning needed to measure programme performance, trends and target interventions, contributing to soundness of Operations Plan and enhancement of data quality.
- Follow up with UNHCR offices the compliance with issuance of audit certificates for partners in line with the Policy on Risk-Based Project Audits.
- Provide support to the field through technical advice and training on resource allocation processes and other programmatic issues.
- Use UNHCR¿s corporate tools (e.g. Focus Client, Global Focus Insight and FOCUS Reader, MSRP) for core activities related to planning, budgeting, implementation and reporting, generating data for evidence-based programmatic decisions and analysis.
- Support UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contributing to improvements of programming tools and processes.
- Perform other duties as required

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 - 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education
not specified

(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
n/a

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
Demonstrated experience in programme management, Operation Management Cycle and related processes. Knowledge of Results Based-Management. Computer skills (in MS office) including advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, data management, etc.)

Desirable:
Completion of UNHCR Learning Programmes or specific training relevant to function of the position including Programme Management ¿ Level 1. E-tutoring of PM1, Framework for Implementing with Partners Learning Programme. Experience in programme management training and capacity building activities.

Functional Skills
*IT-Computer Literacy
PG-Programme Management (project formulation, programme cycles and reporting standards)
PG-Results-Based Management
DM-Database Management
PG-Programme Analysis
PG-Assessments and Surveys All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies
Accountability
Communication
Organizational Awareness
Teamwork & Collaboration
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies
Empowering and Building Trust
Managing Resources

Cross-Functional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
Planning and Organizing
Stakeholder Management Knowledge of French is essential and English is an advantage ¿ Interested internal candidates (Group 1 and Group 2) need apply through MSRP ¿ Self-Service ¿ Recruiting Activities ¿ Careers (please search by JO number or by Location). Please update your personal profiles with all required information in order to be able to apply. Please consult the attached documents for further guidance on how to update the personal profile.

¿ Interested external applicants need to apply online and complete the mandatory motivation letter.  For technical issues with logging in to the MSRP External Portal, or with online applications, please contact the HR Unit well before the deadline to allow sufficient time for any technical problem to be resolved. External vacancies are posted on the external UNHCR website and applicants who do not have internal status must apply through the external UNHCR website.  https://www.unhcr.org/careers.html ¿ Careers ¿ Career opportunities ¿ Other Opportunities ¿ Vacancies ¿ sort by Location or search by Job Opening number. 

¿ Applications will be accepted only via the online portals. Please do not send application via email.  

¿ Not signed, incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).

¿ The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

¿ UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants to apply. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms gender, disability, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

¿ UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal. Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General¿s Office (IGO) at inspector@unhcr.org or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80.

¿ For any technical problems encountered during the online application, please send an email to the below email address titled ¿Online VA Query-your name and surname¿. Human Resources Kinshasa Codkivac@unhcr.org
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the biggest operation of the Regional Bureau for Southern, and one of the oldest on the continent. It hosts over 500,000 refugees countrywide (including 216,451 Rwandan refugees, and 45,336 Burundian refugees in North and South Kivu).  DRC also continues to host over 5 million IDPs mainly located in the Kasai provinces, and Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces, including nearly 3 million in North and South Kivu.

In line with the 2020-2025 UNHCR DRC Protection Strategy, UNHCR¿s operations focus on working with communities towards environments that are conducive for durable solutions; providing multi-sectoral assistance to refugees and IDPs both in camps/sites and in host communities, in accordance with the ¿alternatives to camps¿ policy; building self-reliance by supporting livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities; protection monitoring; prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV); capacity-building of communities and local authorities, while ensuring an emergency response capacity.

UNHCR works in 5 sub offices and the Branch Office in Kinshasa; the Goma Sub Office covers activities in North and South Kivu. 

The Program Associate would normally receive guidance from Senior Program Officer. S/he may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country / region program (s). UNHCR Manual, Operations Plans, UN and UNHCR financial / budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the Program Associate. S / he is expected to stay abreast of the challenges posed by the operational context, the UN and humanitarian reform and institutional developments.

The incumbent is expected to have contacts within the organization and outside the duty station, as well as with partners and other stakeholders to collect information, monitor program activities and implement administrative requirements. The incumbent will have to establish good working relationships with their peers at country level to facilitate the collection of information and other program management related activities.

The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual, ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle. Acknowledgements will only be sent to short-listed applicants under serious consideration. March, 02, 2021 ( midnight geneva time)