Position Title: Senior Project Assistant (Project Development and Support and Capacity Building)

Duty Station: Bulgaria (Sofia)

Classification: One-year fixed term appointment

Type of Appointment: Graded Contract (G7)

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 12 May 2022

 

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As the leading international organization for migration, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration, and; uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

 

In Bulgaria, IOM is focusing on responding to the current migration situation in the country, in support of the Bulgarian Government and in cooperation with all other agencies involved.

 

Context: Under the direct supervision of IOM’s Bulgaria Head of Office and in coordination with Programme officers, the successful candidate will be accountable and responsible for providing technical inputs and guidance to assist in the development of concept notes, project proposals, strategies and contingency plans that respond to new and emerging operational challenges for IOM Bulgaria, as well as support the Mission’s capacity building, project development and donor reporting.

 

Core Functions/Responsibilities:

  • Plans, organizes, coordinates and implements IOM Bulgaria capacity building programme including trainings for representatives of national institutions and NGOs on various topics, including protection and human rights, gender-based violence, working with children, working with vulnerable groups, intercultural competence, psychosocial support, site management support, and others.
  • Plans, coordinates and organizes the agenda with relevant stakeholders, including speakers, lecturers and taking into account participants’ needs, and manages the logistics of capacity building events organized by IOM Bulgaria including trainings, workshops, meetings, field visits, and others.
  • Prepares ppt presentations, working materials, analyses and other documents to be used in working meetings, trainings and other capacity building events.
  • Facilitates the cooperation and organizes working meetings with public authorities, academia, NGOs, migrant’s communities, and other stakeholders in the field of migration management in Bulgaria.
  • Prepares regular reports on the implementation of IOM capacity building activities and development of partnerships with key actors in Bulgaria.
  • Proposes activities and prepares recommendations on developing further IOM Bulgaria capacity building portfolio.
  • Provide technical inputs for the development of concept notes, strategies and contingency plans that respond to new and emerging operational challenges for the country, through a consultative process with senior and programme staff.
  • Support the organization’s project development actions by maintaining regular contact with donor relations counterparts and by providing technical inputs and drafted sections of project funding submissions/proposals and appeals.
  • Consolidate and analyse data on programme implementation and indicators to facilitate the preparation of interim and final donor reports as well as periodic and activity-specific reports, as may be required.
  • Prepares talking points, presentations for media and public events, situation reports on emergency cases (e.g. COVID-19 outbreak, the war in Ukraine, etc.) and for communication with external parties on these issues;
  • Participates in trainings, seminars and meetings, and liaises with partner organizations, as required.
  • Undertake any other duties as assigned.

 

Competencies

 

Teamwork

  • Fosters a sense of team spirit by developing a shared understanding, accountability and enthusiasm for the team’s work.
  • Displays a high level of cultural awareness, sensitivity to different ways of working and leverages individual strengths in order to build a better team.
  • Shares credit for team accomplishments and ensures that the contribution of others is recognized.
  • Helps create a positive team spirit, putting aside personal considerations to help the team achieve its goals

Delivering results

  • Produces high-quality results and workable solutions that meet clients’ needs.
  • Anticipates constraints, identifies solutions and takes responsibility for addressing critical situations.
  • Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs.
  • Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives and demonstrates a good understanding of the impact of team’s and own work on external and internal counterparts

Managing and sharing knowledge

  • Disseminates and shares knowledge openly and actively contributes to knowledge/network communities for topics relevant to area of expertise.
  • Encourages knowledge-sharing across units/departments and ensures that knowledge is captured, recorded and disseminated appropriately.
  • Builds networks for the effective communication and exchange of knowledge and ideas and puts others into contact with various sources of knowledge.

Contributes to an environment that is conducive to innovation and learning

Communication

  • Speaks and writes clearly and effectively.
  • Seeks to share information with others, with due respect for diversity and the
  • confidentiality of specific sensitive information.
  • Listens and seeks to understand without bias, and responds appropriately.
  • Shares information and keeps others up to date; actively seeks others' views and ideas and respects their contribution

Accountability

  • Proactively seeks responsibility in delivering towards the goals of the Organization.
  • Plans and organizes work with a clear and deliberate focus, ensuring commitments are easily identified and progress is widely communicated.
  • Stands by the actions of team or department, publicly accepting ownership.
  • Takes responsibility of own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable

 

Education and Experience

 

Education 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Political or Social Science, International Relations, Humanitarian Affairs, Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Public Policy or a related field from an accredited academic institution with five  years of relevant professional experience, or
  • High school degree with seven  years of relevant professional experience.
     

Experience

  • Experience in coordinating with various programme units and ability to establish and maintain working relations with government counterparts, UN agencies;
  • Previous experience working in an international organization and knowledge of the UN is a distinct advantage;
  • Knowledge of migration issues will be a distinct advantage;
  • Previous experience with and knowledge of programmes funding mechanisms is an asset;
  • Experience in programme development, project monitoring and evaluation required;
  • Excellent project development and report writing skills;
  • Previous experience in development and implementation of training and capacity building programmes;
  • Computer skills and knowledge of relational databases, Microsoft applications, spreadsheets, word processing etc.;
  • Strong understanding of the UN and IOM Rules Regulations and practices are advantageous.

 

Languages

Fluency in English and Bulgarian is required.

 

Other

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

 

How to apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications (cover letter and CV in European Format) in English/Bulgarian, to iomsofia@iom.int email address, quoting the vacancy notice by 12.05.2022 at the latest, referring to this advertisement. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

Posting period:

From 03.05.2022 to 12.05.2022