CONSULTANCY - TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

Consultant - Projects Officer, UNRWA HQ, Gaza

Description of Duties and Responsibilities

Working under the supervision of the Senior External Relations and Projects Officers in the External Relations Department based in UNRWA,Jerusalem, the Consultant will be responsible for:

  • Revision, editing, consolidation and finalization of progress/final reporting packages drafted by Field Offices, Programme Departments (narrative + financial information) to ensure compliance with UNRWA project management manual, consistency and coherence prior to the final submission to Donors;
  • Coordinating the exchange of information between Field Offices, Programme Departments, Finance and the External Relations and Communications Department for the timely submission to donors of project proposals, reporting and financial documents; provides guidelines, instructions, suggestions, recommendations to Field Offices (FO’s) re operational & financial situations to ensure its alignment with agreement stipulations, reporting requirements; monitors project implementation in accordance of /with approved proposal, agreement stipulations, reports generated from the Agency’s Financial Management System (FMS), financial statements, Projects Unit Database, PU reporting requirements XLS and projects grant summaries documents as well as regular updates provided by the Field Office; and advises corrective actions to concerned parties; checks, inspects and ensures high quality and accuracy of final documents shared with donors;
  • Managing the calendar of submissions to Donors; proactively solicits inputs from Field-Offices, Programme Departments and Finance to meet the reporting deadlines agreed with the donors; maintains and updates information on individual projects and prepares statistical and narrative information on projects as required; prepares and maintains updated reporting requirements for S/ERPO consideration and upon request for projects under his/her portfolio;
  • Coordinating with the Contribution Unit and with the Finance Department/HQ for the timely completion of the following tasks along the project management cycle: (1) assignment of a project-code and preparation of a grant summary sheet upon signing of the agreement; (2) preparation of advance allotment requests and refunding memos when needs arise; (3) the allocation of funds under the project; (4) Extend recommendations to Finance/ HQ to take financial actions related to treatment of remaining balances, interests, exchange rate, financial discrepancies related to issued financial statements, allotments, applied PSC...etc; (5) Closing completed projects once all donors’ requirements are met;
  • Following up with Field Offices or Programme Departments the timely receipt of the requested proposal; Reviews project proposals once received to ensure consistency with UNRWA rules and regulations, including the project management manual and effect necessary amendments in coordination with concerned Field/Department; liaises with the Department of Finance to seek clearance of the financial information included in the proposal-packages; Shares submitted proposals with Data base manager to ensure the timely update of the list of submitted proposals;
  • Following up with Field Offices or Programme Departments the timely receipt of the requested proposal; Reviews project proposals once received to ensure consistency with UNRWA rules and regulations, including the project management manual and effect necessary amendments in coordination with concerned Field/Department; liaises with the Department of Finance to seek clearance of the financial information included in the proposal-packages; Shares submitted proposals with Dbase manager to ensure the timely update of the list of submitted proposals;
  • Providing operational and technical guidance and recommendations to Field Offices, Programme Departments, Finance Department and S/ERPOs on projects related issues including formulation of project proposal and progress/final reports in line with UNRWA’s project management manual;
  • Monitoring and verifying consistency between the profile of expenditure and contractual stipulations (total budget, installments, deadlines) for each project included in the assigned portfolio of responsibility; provides technical advices, liaises with Finance Department and/or concerned Field to resolve any discrepancy which may arise between the letter of the agreement and the actual financial status of the project;
  • Regular review of the financial status (income and expenditure) of active projects. Coordinates with the Department of Finance for the timely updates of accounts receivable;
  • Supervises Project Unit support staff and provides guidance for the regular update of information on grant agreements, reporting requirements, project chronology and contractual amendments for those projects included in the assigned portfolio of responsibilities;
  • Working closely with S/ERPOs and project officers in the field to resolve project-related issues; participates in Projects Unit, ERCD staff meetings and other meetings as requested;
  • Performs such other duties as may be assigned.

minimum Qualifications and Experience

  • A university degree from an accredited educational institution in economics, development studies, business administration or other related fields;
  • Three years’ experience in project management;
  • Ability to operate a PC using Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and Database applications;
  • Thorough knowledge of spreadsheet databases and MS. Word;
  • Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English and Arabic.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience in project-related work with an NGO, UN or funding agencies;
  • Willing to work late hours and on weekends, as may be required.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

  • The duration of the consultancy is12monthswith the expected start date of 01 May2016or if possible earlier.
  • Remuneration for this consultancy will be $1,450 per month.
  • The incumbent will be based inGaza.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via indicating the title of this consultancy “Projects Officer” in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is06/04/2016.

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women. Only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.