Research Assistant

Contract

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

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. We work with partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteer-ism. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and reports to the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board. UNV headquarters are in Bonn, Germany. UNV has around 150 staff members at headquarters and over 9,400 UN Volunteers deployed in the field in 2020. The UN Volunteers (UNV) programme Field Unit in China, administered by UNDP, oversees all UNV programmes and operations in China to fulfil UNV’s strategic priorities in mobilizing UN Volunteers and strengthening partnerships between UNV and external stakeholders in China. As a crucial implementer of UNV China’s expanded scope of work, the national UN Volunteer will assist the Project Management Office (PMO) established in Beijing Volunteer Service Federation and UN Volunteers Field Unit in China to implement the project Promoting Sustainable Urban Development through Volunteer Service for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Beijing Volunteer Service Federation was established in 1993 under the guidance of Beijing Youth League (BYL) and is registered at the Beijing Bureau of Civil Affairs. In accordance to the Beijing Regulations on Voluntary Service Promotion, BVF is in charge of leading the voluntary service development in the capital. Its mission is to promote the volunteer spirit as well as a favorable volunteering environment and to develop a sound system of social service, thus contributing to the construction of a harmonious society. BVF implements the project under BYL supervision through the Project Management Office (PMO), with strong technical support from UNV and UNDP. China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE) holds a role of implementation as national counterpart and monitoring and funds management. The PMO, housed in BVF, is supervised by BVF’s Deputy-Secretary General and is com-posed of project assistants and two national UN volunteers.

The Research Assistant will be part of the Project Management Office (PMO) of the Beijing Volunteer Service Federation in China. Under the primary supervision of the Project Manager, the UN community Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: Conduct case studies on volunteering for sustainable city and communities.

 Organize seminars with experts to discuss the proposal of case studies.  Conduct comprehensive research to collect relevant and reliable data.  Assist in data analysis and other related work as required. Prepare report writing, advocacy materials and other documentation.  Assist in high-quality report writing and ensure quality of information, coherence and consistency across the reports.  Keep track of report due dates and work in collaboration with all stakeholders to follow-up and ensure timely reporting.  Prepare advocacy materials for report, including factsheets, presentations, web articles, video and social media posts, to share through the National platforms and United Nations system.  Monitor traditional and social media output related to the report.  Any other tasks provided by the supervisor. Assist international volunteerism training and workshop.  Coordinate with community in Beijing to organize workshop and encourage more volunteers to participate in SDGs-relevant activities.  Assist the international training session to support multilateral knowledge exchanges and experience sharing.  Assist the development and translation of various documents to support internal/external communications.  Support the development of budget and expenditure, guarantee the timely implementation of the international volunteerism training.

Furthermore, UNVs are encouraged to:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance, IVD celebration events);
• Get acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking; • Contribute news and articles on field experiences and submit them to UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UNV volunteers; • Promote online volunteering and encourage individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering Service whenever technically feasible.

Results/Expected Output:

As a research and report assistant, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support to PMO in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:  High-quality report.  Advocacy materials, including factsheets, presentations, web articles, video and social media posts.  Event organization including workshop and training.

☒ Communication ☒ Planning and Organizing ☒ Respect for Diversity ☒ Working in Teams

 Experience in Beijing 2022 Volunteer Service or international events will be an asset.  Prior experience in research, analysis and documentation of social and development issues.  Have innovative thinking, good coordination skills and be good at teamwork.  Good command of Chinese and English.

The duty station of the national UN Volunteer is located in Beijing city, where modest public infrastructure and health services are available. It is the foremost political and cultural metropolis in China. The city has excellent health services available. In general, rent for apartments in central locations is high relative to other regions in China, but quality is good. Beijing is well served by many shopping malls, large supermarket chains and international brands. Buses and subways are the most common form of mass transportation. Metered taxis are widely available and domestic and regional travel by train and airplane is popular. Living conditions information for many countries is available in the explore section. Host entities may copy this information here and add to or edit as relevant.

Conditions of Service for national UN Volunteers The National Community UNV receives a standard volunteer living allowance (VLA), which is intended to cover their accommodation and basic living expenses. In China, the VLA is 4080.74 RMB per month. The National Community UNV is entitled to an excellent health, life and disability insurance package.