Technical Program Assistant

Vacancy no.:	6909
Unit:	–
Organization:	International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Place:	Cameroon Program Office, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Supervision:	Regional Water Focal Point
Activity rate:	100%
Grade:	A3
Expected entry date:	August 15, 2024
Contract type:	Determined (17 months with possibility of renewal)
Deadline:	December 7, 2024 (extended)

CONTEXT

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a unique membership union of government and civil society organizations. Established in 1948, IUCN has grown over the years to become the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. With the experience, resources and reach of over 1,400 Member organizations and the contributions of over 15,000 experts, it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

IUCN’s Central and West Africa Programme (PACO) contributes to IUCN’s mission and vision at the regional level through its multi-country initiatives, country programmes and thematic programmes including the Regional Water and Wetlands Programme (PREZHO). The latter supports river basin management bodies, national and sub-regional institutions in the development and implementation of governance instruments and initiatives for the development of freshwater and wetlands in Central and West Africa. To support the implementation of its activities, IUCN is recruiting a Programme Assistant to assume the following responsibilities.

The Technical Programme Assistant will work closely with the Regional Water Focal Point, the Coordinator of the IUCN Programme Support Unit in West and Central Africa. He/she will provide technical support in the development of projects, the implementation of the activities of the Regional Water and Wetlands Programme and will collaborate closely with colleagues from other programmes in Central and West Africa.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting directly to the Regional Water Focal Point, the Technical Program Assistant will be responsible for providing technical support in planning and implementing the activities of the Regional Water and Wetlands Program. In this capacity, his/her missions are as follows:
– Participate in the entire cycle of technical and financial planning of projects;

– Monitor the implementation of commitments and contribute to the development of initiation plans for project development;

– Plan and carry out workshops and field missions;

– Develop framework notes, debriefing notes, summary notes, work plans, review reports;

– Monitor the implementation of projects managed directly by the program;

– Monitor expenditures and ensure that they are in line with approved budgets, the annual plan and programmatic and financial procedures;

– Monitor exchanges and planning with partners as part of project development;

– Contribute to the review of capitalization reports and materials produced within the framework of the projects and take into account comments;

– Contribute to the definition of capitalization and communication plans for the various projects;

– Provide support in the supervision and documentation of projects in the program portfolio;

– Carry out, at the request of his/her supervisor, any other tasks assigned to him/her
Note: The above ToRs contain the main responsibilities and functions of this position. However, in a constantly evolving organization such as IUCN, staff members must be flexible in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are not part of their regular mandate but that could reasonably be assigned to them. When a task becomes a regular part of the staff member’s responsibilities, the terms of reference must be modified in a concerted manner between the manager, the staff member and the human resources unit. Any of these three actors can initiate such a consultation.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• Hold at least a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), environmental sciences, or other related disciplines associated with the required experience;

• Have at least 3 years of experience and responsibilities in project and program management, including at least 2 years in the fields of IWRM, or natural resource management;

• Have at least 2 years of work experience within an international institution in the field of IWRM, environment or conservation.

• Have knowledge of the environmental, political, economic and social context of water resources management in Central or West Africa;

• Have excellent communication skills and for working in multidisciplinary and multilingual teams;

• Have excellent skills in the production, supervision, writing of reports, production and updating of digital databases;

• Have an excellent level of spoken and written French and a good practice of English;

• Have excellent command of survey and electronic communication software;

• Good experience in project implementation in an international organization would be an asset;

• Be willing to travel regularly and sometimes in difficult conditions;

• Assist the Regional Water Focal Point in his missions whenever necessary.

• Core Competencies

– Inclusion: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provides a tolerant, positive work environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates the ability to work in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment and maintain effective working relationships with people from different backgrounds;

• Professionalism: Promotes the interests, objectives and values of the organization with diligence and professionalism;

• Accountability: Takes responsibility for individual and collective actions, promotes the IUCN “One Programme” approach;

• Functional Competencies

Adheres to the core values of IUCN PACO, namely transparency, openness, professionalism and accountability;

• Excellent interpersonal skills to support networking and partnership building;

• Strong team player, proven diplomatic skills and the ability to work effectively with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams, demonstrating sensitivity and respect;

• Proven ability to work with limited supervision, prioritize tasks and manage workflow in a high-pressure environment.

• Hands-on, highly motivated, results-oriented.

APPLICATIONS

Interested persons are requested to apply through the “Human Resources Management System”, by opening the vacancy announcement and clicking on the “Apply” button.

Each candidate must create his/her own account in the system. No applications will be accepted after the closing date. Applications are admissible until 24:00 in Switzerland (GMT + 1h / GMT + 2h during summer time, DST). Please note that only selected candidates will be personally contacted to participate in interviews.