Event Coordination and Communications Support Assistant

Contract

This is a UNV National Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Youth contracts.

This position is located in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)'s Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) in Sri Lanka with duty station in Colombo. GMCP operates under the Justice Section (JS), Division for Operations (DO), UNODC. The Project Coordination Assistant will work under the overall guidance of the Programme Coordinator and Programme Officers over under GMCP Indian Ocean East Team.

1. Assist the GMCP Programme Coordinator and Programme Officers in the development and implementation of project activities in Sri Lanka.

2. Assist the GMCP Programme Coordinator and other team members in identifying technical assistance needs for capacity building and develop strategies to reform and strengthen the capacity of maritime law enforcement and other criminal justice authorities in the region.

3. Contribute to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, briefing notes, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc., relating to maritime crime issues in the region.

4. Provide administrative and logistical support to the GMCP Programme Coordinator in view of consultative and other meetings, workshops, conferences, training activities, etc., including but not limited to, preparing background documents and presentations, handling logistics and providing translation/interpretation during training activities.

5. Assist the GMCP Programme Coordinator with administrative processes related to the procurement of goods and services for events and training activities, including raising Terms of Reference (TOR), as well as monitoring and follow-up on such requests in line with UN financial rules and regulations.

6. Collate inputs from team members and GMCP regional teams for the drafting of manuals and booklets on maritime crime issues.

7. Conduct research and collation of information on maritime crime and the impact on littoral states in South Asia and East Africa, particularly towards the development of a compendium of drug seizures at sea, as part of GMCP visibility and advocacy strategy with donors and stakeholders.

8. Support the GMCP Indian Ocean Team in the drafting and submission of social media inputs (e.g. Twitter) for visibility of project activities in Sri Lanka and the region.

9. Perform any other duties as required/assigned.

• Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.

• Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.

• Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender;

• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups.

• Bachelors degree is preferred

• Work experience of 1 year is preferred
• Work experience in the field of research, communications and/or event planning is required.
• Experience in organizing regional and international conferences is required;
• Experience in the conduct of research in the Indian Ocean is highly desirable.
• Experience in project management or implementation is desirable;
• Experience in volunteerism is an asset is desirable.

Colombo is situated on the Western Province of Sri Lanka and is the commercial capital of the country. Colombo is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the administrative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte. The climate is temperate all throughout the year but humidity is usually high. From March to April the temperature averages around 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit). The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the monsoon seasons from May to August and October to January when heavy rainfalls occur. Sri Lanka became a member of the United Nations on 14 December 1955.