Through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the United States sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment in the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program.
These fully funded JPO positions strengthen the disaster reduction coordination capacity of UNDRR. They further encourage U.S. citizens to become active members of the international community. After completing their JPO assignments, a number of JPOs successfully compete for positions within the UN System, and in other international and non-governmental organizations.
Title: – Junior Professional Officer in Program Management
Sector of Assignment: Disaster Risk Reduction
Organization/Office: UNDRR/Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Duty Station: Bangkok/Thailand
Date Required: As soon as possible
Duration: 2 years
Title of Supervisor: Chief or Deputy Chief of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP)
Content and methodology of Supervision: Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will work jointly with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO and his/her supervisor.
Evaluation: The United Nations Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serve as a primary platform to evaluate of the JPO’s performance. In addition to the above, the JPO will meet periodically (weekly preferred/or on mutual availability of the JPO and the supervisor) with the supervisor to keep him/her updated on the progress.
Within delegated authority, the JPO/Associate Programme Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
● Coordinates implementation of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) in Asia-Pacific region; Provides technical support to local governments and partners on disaster risk reduction planning and the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction at the local level;
● Facilitates capacity development and training programmes on urban disaster risk reduction, making cities resilient and implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction at the local level;
● Supports partnerships with the local authorities, private sector, civil society and community-based organizations, Parliamentarians, the science and technology community, and other stakeholder groups in the region;
● Supports engagement of partners at the regional and national level, in line with the overall UNDRR Partnership Engagement Strategy; collaborates closely with partnership focal points in other regional offices to ensure coherence and information exchange;
● Develops and maintains partner structures, groups and registries in the region, in line with the overall Partnership Engagement Strategy. Maps UNDRR’s past and current engagements with stakeholder groups in the region and define potential partnerships and value propositions.
● Follows-up and monitors the voluntary commitments made by the stakeholder groups in the region, in close liaison with the global focal point for voluntary commitments for the Sendai Framework.
● Works with key clients to facilitate the design, implementation and evaluation of UNDRR Partnership Engagement Strategy, reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and recommends corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions.
● Carries out research on selected aspects of programmes, operations and other activities, etc., to include collecting, analyzing and presenting data and other information gathered from diverse sources. Participates in survey initiatives; assists with design of data collection tools; issues data collection tools, reviews, analyzes and interprets responses, identifies problems/issues and prepares preliminary conclusions.
● Provides administrative and substantive support to workshops and other meetings, conferences, etc., including the drafting of meeting documents, proposing agenda topics, identifying and inviting participants, preparation of background documents and presentations, handling logistics, etc.
● Contributes to the preparation of various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analytical notes, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc.
● Ensures regular information exchange with the Partnerships, Intergovernmental processes and Inter-agency cooperation Branch in Geneva, UNDRR partnerships focal points in other regions and with Global Education and Training Institute (GETI) located in Incheon.
● Participates in field missions. Coordinates activities related to budget funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).
● Performs other duties as required.
Please note that only U.S. citizens may apply.
Education: Advanced university degree in business or public administration, political science, international relations, development, social and environmental sciences, economics or a related field is required.
Experience: A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in project/programme management, partnerships, sustainable development or related area is required. Experience working in the private sector or civil society organizations is desirable.
Other skills: Experience in the use of computers and proficiency in office software and packages, as well as good knowledge of and experience in handling web-based management systems.
Languages: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other official language(s) spoken in the region is desirable.
● Professionalism: 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.
● Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
● Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
● Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have/be able to:
● Unique opportunity to work at the cross-roads of disaster risk reduction, preparedness for response, climate change adaptation and sustainable development in the post-2015 context
● Established a wide network with other UN, regional and national public and private partners
● In-depth understanding of UN and other intergovernmental work processes in sustainable development, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and preparedness for response
● In-depth knowledge of the challenges and opportunities of the region
● Facilitate private sector input for international processes and conferences
● Support strategy development of UN agency work programmes with partners
● Undertake well researched and sound analysis of sustainable development issues, including on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
● Assist in the organization and preparation of meetings with the key partners
● Liaise and interact with colleagues and concerned parties internally and externally
● Draft strategy papers (resource mobilization, engagement/ partnership strategies and so on)
● Draft work plan and cost plans
● Write assessment reports
● Draft project proposals
● Draft project budgets according to UN standards
● Formulate project documents to address issues of public private partnership issues, issues of effect of disasters on business, business continuity planning and so on in the region
● Monitor progress on commitments made by a group of organizations as a stakeholder group.
Created 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 100 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 UN Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is the successor instrument to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. It was adopted on March 18, 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 established a clear mandate for building resilience to disasters as a common denominator across the 2030 Agenda. Disaster Risk Reduction is associated with at least 10 of the Sustainable Development Goals, inherent in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Agenda for Humanity. The implementation of the Sendai Framework is a critical investment that delivers a risk-informed 2030 Agenda and is effectively reducing humanitarian needs.
UNDRR is working to directly link the Sendai Framework Monitoring instrument and global and regional platforms for disaster risk reduction to the monitoring and reporting on the 2030 Agenda. UNDRR is leading the UN thinking on the integration and coherency between disaster risk reduction and the 2030 Agenda. Delivering for example, through the facilitation of the revised UN Plan of Action for Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience; producing and disseminating risk information including development of national disaster loss data bases for risk-informed decisions; and, mobilizing partnerships that deliver co-benefits across the 2030 Agenda.
UNDRR has five regional offices – in Asia (Bangkok), Africa (Nairobi), Europe (Brussels),Arab States (Cairo) and Americas and the Caribbean (Panama) – and the UNDRR Headquarters in Geneva. UNDRR also maintains a UN Headquarters liaison office in New York, a liaison office in Bonn and field presences in Kobe, Suva, Incheon and Almaty.
UNDRR’s vision is anchored on the four priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework: understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk, investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
This vacancy is archived.