PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT OFFICER (Deputy Chief of Regional Office)

Org. Setting and ReportingCreated in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 160 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyses action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community. This position is located in the UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States in Cairo. The incumbent serves as the Deputy Chief of the Regional Office and reports directly to the Chief. ResponsibilitiesWithin delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: Serves as Deputy to the Chief of the Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS). Under the supervision of the Chief of Office, actively contributes to the formulation and implementation of the work plan for the Regional Office in line with the UNDRR Strategic Framework and Work Programme. Undertakes, upon delegation from the Chief of Office, programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Regional office, including preparation of work plans and budgets, recruitment and promoting capacity development of staff, evaluation of staff performance (PAS) through regular dialogue and feedback, and monitoring and reporting on budget/programme performance in the context of results-based management. Ensures that the outputs produced by teams under his/her supervision meet high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data; and that they comply with relevant organizational mandates. Contributes to UNDRR’s global resource mobilization efforts by mobilizing resources from the region. Actively promotes a positive team culture across the Regional Office recognizing innovation, agility, learning, accountability and transparency. Supports the Chief of the Regional Office in the coordination and implementation of UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience in the region. Ensures the integration of risk reduction policies and programmes through cooperation with the relevant regional coordination mechanisms, Resident Coordinator system and UN Country Team. Identifies, builds and enhances strategic partnerships for national, sub regional and regional cooperation with Governments, regional organizations, the private sector, civil society, parliamentarians, and science and technology community at large to mobilize support for sound and coherent action related to disaster risk reduction, and to ensure meaningful involvement and participation of those stakeholders in the development and implementation of effective disaster risk reduction policies, frameworks and programmes. Represents the Chief of Regional Office and UNDRR senior leadership in relevant meetings on disaster risk reduction in the region. Provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue and holds programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. Under the supervision of the Chief of Office, takes the lead in coordinating the preparations for the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction; develops and implements an action plan; coordinates internal preparations and co-ordinates a core team of colleagues responsible for their respective areas of work; directs preparation and review of relevant documents and reports; identifies priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and initiates follow-up actions. Ensures engagement of relevant external stakeholders as part of the preparatory process; ensures continuous dialogue with the country hosting the Regional Platform; takes the lead in preparing the host country agreement; establishes the budget requirements for the Regional Platform and contributes to mobilization of resources for the Regional Platform; coordinates with relevant intergovernmental organizations in the region as well as UN partners and other stakeholders. Develops a follow-up action plan following each Regional Platform and monitors its implementation and works in collaboration with the Senior Programme Officer in charge of the Global Platform to ensure connectivity and coherence between the Regional Platform and ensures effective lessons learned from each Regional and Global Platform inform future Regional Platforms and their preparatory and follow-up processes. Supports the development of local, national and regional strategies in line with the Sendai Framework; strengthen policy and advocacy in support of risk informed development and ensure review and analysis of trends for the implementation of national policies and strategies are undertaken. In this regard, liaises with the Senior Programme Officer located in Bonn responsible for coordinating policy guidance on disaster risk reduction and contributes information and analysis on regional needs and priority areas of interests related to policy guidance and contributes to the development of global policy guidance from a regional perspective. Under the supervision of the Chief of Office, coordinates the implementation of ROAS Disaster Risk Reduction financing and de-risking initiatives, including on resilient infrastructure, in the region and at national level, working in cooperation with HQ colleagues and external partners. Under the supervision of the Chief of Office, contributes to effective planning and monitoring at the regional and global levels, ensure effective interface with HQ and other regions, and propose proactively new solutions and approaches. Integrate UN 2.0 approaches (data, digital, innovation, behavioural science, foresight and culture change) into the programme and operations priorities of the Regional Office. Collaborate with colleagues across offices to identify data analytics needs and support data-driven projects. Communicate and interpret data analysis findings and insights in a clear and understandable manner. Identify and define opportunities for data-driven decision-making. Acts as Officer in Charge for the role of the Chief of Office, when needed. CompetenciesProfessionalism: Demonstrated knowledge of data life cycle including data collection, data wrangling, analysis, visualization, deployment, monitoring, and reporting. Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, or other related specialized field. Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods. Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. Technological awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology. Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office. Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks. Shows willingness to learn new technology. Judgement/decision making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly. Gathers relevant information before making a decision. Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them. Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization. Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information. Checks assumptions against facts. Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. Makes tough decisions when necessary. EducationAn advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in business administration, management, economics or a related field is required. A first-level degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. Job - Specific QualificationNot available. Work ExperienceA minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme management, administration or related area is required. Experience in building strategic alliances, partnerships and resource mobilization is required. Work experience in an international organization such as the United Nations or similar is required. Experience in disaster risk reduction is required. Experience of sustainable finance initiatives, environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in banking, lending and investment practices as well as compliance and regulatory regime is desirable. Experience advocating with governments and other stakeholders on critical issues is desirable. Two years of demonstrated skills in data storytelling and data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Qlik, and R is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official languages is desirable. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeAt the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. In line with the overall United Nations policy, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction encourages a positive workplace culture which embraces inclusivity and leverages diversity within its workforce. Measures are applied to enable all staff members to contribute equally and fully to the work and development of the organization, including flexible working arrangements, family-friendly policies and standards of conduct. Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher, temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position. United Nations ConsiderationsAccording to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.