Project Management Assistant

Contract

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

Assignments are non-family (GOMA, BENI & BUNIA)

Under the authority of the Team Leader of DDR/RR-CVR section, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Support the planning and development of CVR projects in close coordination with the CVR project Officers within the team and the CVR Unit at DDR HQ Goma.

• In close coordination with the CVR project officers:

 Organize and maintain records of all CVR project management products, to include baselined documentation, progress reports, exception and issue reports, end stage and end of project reports, minutes of meetings, action points and other documentation.

 Organize and maintain a database of all CVR projects, to include projected and actual costs, scope, duration, and direct beneficiaries; the latter disaggregated by category and gender.

 Support the implementation of the communications, benefits, quality, and risk management approaches of CVR projects.

 Produce a lesson report at the conclusion of each CVR project.

• Assist in generating inputs for the teams ‘daily and weekly reports, DDR HQ quarterly performance reports and quarterly reports of the Secretary General.

• Assist in the drafting of field office-level DDR and Demobilization, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration (DDRRR) related workplans, procedures and projects.

• Perform any other project management related task assigned by the Team Leader.

Client Orientation, Communication, Integrity, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Working in Teams

Planning, development and implementation of projects is required. Computer skills: Proficiency in MS Applications (Excel, Word, Power Point, Outlook) is required and in other applications – programming, statistical analysis, design, and/or project management is desirable. Proficiency in MS Project is a plus.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second largest country in Africa, and as a result is quite diverse.

Living conditions therefore vary between MONUSCO duty stations, with all usual amenities present in the capital Kinshasa, but only very basic conditions in remote duty stations in the provinces, where, for instance, there may be no guarantee of public power supply nor running water. The ability to live and work in difficult and harsh conditions of developing countries is essential.

Accommodation is very expensive in both Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. Supermarkets exist in the large towns (e.g. Bukavu, Kisangani), but consumer items are generally very expensive (as everything is imported). For food, local markets offer a much cheaper alternative.

All MONUSCO duty stations are considered non-family duty stations, except for Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Entebbe which are now considered family duty stations, and most are currently under UN Security Phase III (“relocation phase”: internationally-recruited staff are temporarily concentrated or relocated to specified sites/locations). In addition to insecurity related to the relatively volatile political situation as well as various conflict situations, certain places are subject to increasing street and residential crime, including in Kinshasa and Goma.

Some degree of medical service is provided in all MONUSCO duty stations. Certain vaccinations are mandatory for MONUSCO personnel to enter the DRC, while others are compulsory for all other incoming persons. It is possible for incoming MONUSCO personnel, including UN Volunteers, to be asked to provide proof of some or all vaccinations, though this is unlikely. All UN Volunteers must ensure that they are up-to-date with all appropriate vaccinations, which should be clearly and properly endorsed in the International Certificate of Vaccination (“carte jaune”). Malaria is present virtually throughout the DRC, and it is therefore recommended to take prophylaxis.

The unit of currency is the Congolese Franc. The US dollar is the other preferred currency. It may be impossible to exchange traveller’s checks away from the capital city. Credit cards are usually accepted in major hotels only in Kinshasa. In larger towns and cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani), UN Volunteers are recommended to open US Dollar bank accounts, while in other places, banks may be absent (including ATMs) and VLA payments will be processed in cash. UN Volunteers have the possibility to send part of their allowances to a bank account abroad.

In addition to French, there are four major spoken languages in DRC, namely Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili.