UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT
Preamble:
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development, and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.
In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.
In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.
1. UNV Assignment Title: UN Volunteer Programme Officer (PO)
All POs are currently international UN Volunteers and as such are offered a UN Volunteer contract. While UNV POs are locally administered by the UNDP Country Office, their scope of work and support covers the entire UN system. It is therefore, advised that UNV POs are considered to sit at the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) meetings as full members or observers. POs have matrixed supervision; the Portfolio Manager at UNV headquarters is the substantive and technical supervisor while the UNDP Resident Representative, UNDP Country Director or respective Deputy for Programme is the administrative and operational supervisor. Due to the expansion of duties indicated above, the PO serves as the leader in the Field Unit (FU), administering the UN Volunteers serving in humanitarian and development Agencies with overall responsibility for project management and developing programmes to promote and enable the contribution of volunteers to various development efforts. In countries such as Mali where there is a UN Peacekeeping Mission (MINUSMA) and a related UNV FU led by the UNV Programme Manager (PM), it is expected from the PO to work under supervision of the PM, as per an integrated approach and in close collaboration with the UNV Portfolio Manager at UNV HQ. UNDP Deputy for Programme will also contribute to the substantive and operational overview of the PO responsibilities.
2. Type of assignment:International UN Volunteer assignment
3. Duration:An initial 1 year contract, renewable. POs will complete at least two and up to four years on their UN Volunteer assignment.
4. Location, Country:Bamako, Mali
5. Expected starting date:Immediate
****6. Brief Project Description:****
The relative stability that prevailed in Mali until the beginning of 2012 has changed radically due to a military coup on March 21stfollowed by the seizure of the northern regions by armed groups. This has resulted in the establishment of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by the Security Council resolution 2100 of April, 25th 2013. Since then, Mali has been in a period of transition geared towards the re-establishment of constitutional order and democratic governance. In this context, the organization of presidential (Jul./Aug. 2013) and parliamentary (Nov./Dec. 2013) elections was a milestone on the path to peace. Nevertheless, in its post-conflict transition Mali is still facing some significant issues such as displaced persons’ return, demobilization of ex-combatants, security sector reform, national reconciliation, insecurity in the North, and decentralization process. With the view to find a sustainable and inclusive peace agreement for Malian northern regions, peace talks between armed groups and Malian authorities resumed last June 2014 in Alger under the auspices of Algeria and the UN. In addition, the political and military crisis in Mali intensified as well recurrent socio-economic concerns (low quality basic social services, unemployment - notably for youth -, food insecurity, etc.) for which Mali is usually ranked among the poorest country in UNDP HDR (176 out of 187). Thus, for 2013 it is to be noted that the overall growth rate was 1,7 %. Since October, Mali is the newest country to be caught up in the Ebola epidemic, which up to now made 7 deaths.
To respond to the newly and exacerbated needs following the security, political, and humanitarian crisis in Mali, UNCT and MINUSMA requested the support of UNV in order to operationalize their assistance on the ground. Two UNV FUs are in Bamako, one based at UNDP handling UN Volunteers serving with UN agencies, and one within MINUSMA HQs dealing with UN Volunteers assigned to the peacekeeping mission’s sections. At UNCT side, 53 international and national UN Volunteers are serving with UNDP (the bulk of them for the electoral project), UNHCR, WFP, OCHA, UNWOMEN, and UNREC. In addition, circa 120 UN Volunteers are based in MINUSMA.
Alongside involvement in volunteer cycle management, UNV in Mali positioned itself as an obvious programmatic partner through the implementation of joint initiatives with UNCT. Building on this tremendous momentum, a 2 year-Peace Education Joint Programme (UNV, UNESCO, UNREC) targeting youth in the field of Peace Culture, Disarmament, Democracy Principles & Human Rights is in UNV-Mali’s hard pipeline and is expected to be submitted for approval at UNV HQ level and implementation to start in 2015.
7. Host Agency/Host Institute:UNDP/UNV
8. Administrative & operational supervisor:UNDP Deputy Country Director Program in close collaboration with the Portfolio Manager at UNV HQ Bonn
9. Substantive & technical supervisor:Portfolio Manager, UNV HQ Bonn in close collaboration with the UNDP Deputy Country Director Program
****10. Type of Assignment Place: Non Family Duty Station****
****11. Description of Functions:****
Under the framework of UNV’s strategic framework, the UNV PO will support implementation of the national development agenda and UN Development Assistance Framework Overall, the UNV Programme Officer will have a dual responsibility, a programmatic responsibility with regards to advocating and promoting the UNV programme and voluntary action in general, and a managerial responsibility in terms of project and volunteer administration and coordination. More specifically, as part of UNDP Mali programme team, the UNV PO will undertake the following tasks:
Advocacy and Partnership
· Encourage national and local actors to promote an ****enabling environment**** for voluntary action for peace and development, including the adoption of relevant policies and legislation;
· Establish, foster and maintain ****effective relationships****with government, UN agencies, MINUSMA, NGOs, the private sector and other relevant development agencies;
· Establish, foster and maintain ****effective relationships****with local ****civil society organizations**** in order to contribute to community-centred sustainable development in the country aimed promoting volunteerism;
· Prepare, disseminate and present ****promotional information**** on the mandate and work of UNV with relevant development partners and the media;
· Coordinate activities, in collaboration with other agencies, for annual, national and UN-recognized ****international celebrations****, including the International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December;
· Encourage serving UN Volunteers to embrace the ideals of volunteerism, act as ****advocates for volunteer action****, and document their experiences in promoting volunteerism;
· In close consultation with his/her immediate supervisor and the RC, represent UNV at meetings, fora and relevant events when appropriate.
Programming
· Liaise with government, bilateral donors, civil society organizations and other institutions to ****strengthen partnerships,****develop relevant projects and mobilize resources;
· Participate in UN thematic task forces, UN-led assessments, UNCT meetings, UNDAF planning processes, technical missions and funding appeals to ****identifying opportunities for volunteerism as a peace and development tool****;
- Contribute to project and programme development aimed at integrating volunteerism and identifying opportunities for mobilization of volunteers using UNV’s array of volunteer modalities and schemes such as national, international, internship and online volunteers;
· ****Monitor project implementation,****including field missions****,****to ensure achievement of results for which UNV is responsible and the accountable use of UNV resources;
· Maintain up-dated knowledge on national government and UN-system development plans and policies, to ensure UNV’s ****strategic engagement**** in key development processes and activities.
Volunteer Management
· Liaise with all UN agencies in the country to ensure an ****understanding of**** UNV’s mandate and the ****nature of UN Volunteer assignments****;
· Act upon and follow-up on ****requests with partner agencies****, and collaborate in the preparation of assignment descriptions;
- Assess and report on forecasting demand for UN Volunteers in the country to ensure early identification and fielding of UN Volunteers in the country;
· Provide local level ****orientations to new volunteers**** arriving in the country and conduct debriefings for departing volunteers at the end of their assignments;
- Work closely with the Field Security Officer and provide support to the UN Designated Official for Security to ensure a detailed understanding among UN Volunteers on all security-related issuesand MOSS and MORSS compliance;
· Monitor the ****well-being and performance of serving UN Volunteers**** through routine field visits to their duty stations and discussions with their supervisors and counterparts;
- Work with partners and host agencies to setup appropriate support structure within projects with large number of volunteers to be recruited and managed;
· ****Manage****the day-to-day activities of ****the UNV Field Unit****, including the supervision of the UN Volunteer Programme Assistant and/or any UN Volunteer or UNDP staff assigned to the Field Unit;
· Develop and manage an ****annual work plan****, including management and reporting on UNV support funds.
****12. Results and expected outputs:****
· UN Volunteers’ assignments in Mali are effectively managed; important part of the PO work is dedicated to ensure that appropriate mechanisms for effective and efficient volunteer’s management are in place.
· UNV programmatic activities is strengthened with increased partnerships with UN Agencies and national actors; A 2 year-Peace Education Joint Programme (UNV, UNESCO, UNREC) targeting youth in the field of Peace Culture, Disarmament, Democracy Principles & Human Rights launched and implementation started.
· Recommendations of the final evaluation of a 3 years UNV/ UNDP project “National Centre for Volunteerism Promotion” (2009-2012) are put in place.
· Voluntary action and citizens’ engagement are recognised by the national authorities and CSOs;
· The UNV Field Unit actively participates to UNV corporate initiatives bringing substantive contributions;
· The International Volunteers’ Day (IVD) is successfully celebrated every year, making of it an opportunity to convene the major actors on volunteerism in Mali.
****13. Qualifications and experience:****
a. ****Academic background****: Post graduate degree in social sciences, international development, project management, law, humanities, public/business administration and/or conflict-post conflict reconstruction. Or a Bachelor’s degree and an additional three years directly relevant experience, over and above the minimum five years (ie a total of eight years), is accepted in lieu of a post graduate academic qualification.
b. ****Work experience****: 3-5 years preferably in a humanitarian, development and/or conflict-post conflict related field. Demonstrated experience in project development and management. Experience in project development and management in the area of peacebuilding will be an asset .Previous experience of work in conflict/post conflicting environments, particularly in Africa. Previous experience in a civil society setting and/or as a volunteer with volunteer management and/or promotion of volunteerism is a distinct advantage. Previous experience in team management. Previous experience of work in a hardship location will be a highly desirable added value.
c. ****People management****: Volunteers management is in the heart of UNV Programme Officer work, experience in people management or people management skills will be a distinctive advantage.
d. ****Language skills****: fluency in French and solid working knowledge of English Familiarity with the local language of the country of assignment is an advantage but not a requirement.
e. ****Computer literacy****: MS Office, (Word and Excel as a minimum), and prior use of project management software is desirable.
****14. Other desirable skills and competencies:****
****Skills****: working knowledge of capacity development, communication, community outreach and resource mobilization methods, governance, human resources, volunteer management and/or other development practice areas. Previous experience with the UN system and/or UNDP project management would be an asset.
****Competencies****: Excellent people skills, service oriented, proven planning, partnership building, networking, advocacy, communication and marketing capacity; ability to work in a multicultural environment, to delegate and to supervise, innovative thinking
****15. Living Conditions:****
Mali is a country that is currently trying to recover from a conflict in its northern part where the security remains volatile. The whole territory is a non-family duty station. This position is based in Bamako, whose living and security conditions are nevertheless satisfactory (insecurity phase level 3 - moderate - as per UN security classification). The selected UN Volunteer must attend, from the beginning of the assignment, all security-related trainings, which are compulsory for all UN personnel.
In terms of accommodation, a decent apartment with quality facilities could be rented at an average cost of US $ 850 per month.
To enter Mali, a valid passport is required. A visa is also compulsory, except for nationals of ECOWAS member states (Economic Community of West African States), Morocco and Cameroun. Nationals of other countries should contact the representation of Mali in their country of residence. For those who do not have a Malian representation in their country of residence, the visa can be issued at Bamako airport.
The yellow fever vaccine is compulsory and a vaccination card should be brought with the UN volunteer for Malian health authorities’ check at the airport.
Solid precautions measures are being taken by the Malian authorities and the United Nations common system, in order to stop the spread of the Ebola virus disease in Mali. These ones include the protection of all United Nations’ personnel.
****16. Conditions of Service:****
Initial contract 12-months from Entry on Duty (EOD) with further possible extension based on operational necessity and satisfactory performance. A volunteer receives a monthly living allowance (MLA) base intended to cover housing, basic needs and utilities, with a base rate of US$ 1,554, which is adjusted monthly according to the movement (upwards or downwards) of the Post Adjustment Multiplier (PAM), which is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) to ensure that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations despite varying costs of living. The applicable MLA is calculated as follows: MLA = (MLA base rate x PAM) + MLA base rate. See ICSC website http://icsc.un.org for more information on the applicable PAM rates.
In addition, UN Volunteers are provided a one-time settling-in-grant (if applicable); a family allowance (if applicable); Well-Being Differential (applicable only in hardship non-family duty stations) life, health, and permanent disability insurance; return airfares (if applicable); resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.
The UNV programme will provide a copy of the UN Volunteers Conditions of Service to the successful UN Volunteer candidate together with the offer of assignment.
****17. End of Assignment:****
POs are required to submit proper handover notes as part of their exit checklist according to the format prescribed in the Volunteer Toolkit ‘End-of-Assignment’ Handbook, section 2.11 ‘Handover Note Guidance’ to their respective PM.
HOW TO APPLY:
****18. Application****
If you are not a candidate in UNV’s database, please apply by registering your profile athttps://ereta.unv.org/html/index.php?module=myprofile. Important: once you have created your UNV account by validating your email address, please complete all sections of your profile and select the following code: “****15MLI_UNV_PO_2****” from the drop down menu in the “Special Recruitment” tab of ‘MyProfile’. Your application can only be considered once you have submitted your complete UNV profile (green button). As a confirmation of your successful registration, you will receive an email with your UNV roster number.
If you are registered in the UNV database of candidates, please update your profile at:http://MyProfile.unv.org . In the “Special Recruitment” section on the left, click on the “Edit” button and select the advertisement code “****15MLI_UNV_PO_2****” from the drop-down list.
Closing date: ****6th April 2015****. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.
