Associate Grants Management Officer

Parent Sector : Division for Partnerships (DPA)

Duty Station : Paris

Job Family : Administration

Contract Type: Fixed Term

Duration of contract : 2 years, renewable

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Partnerships Division (DPA), placed under the Deputy Director-General (DDG), is responsible for coordinating UNESCO’s public and private partners including key interlocutors from bilateral donors, United Nations and multilateral organizations, regional institutions such as the European Union (EU) and regional banks, civil society, philanthropy, foundations and corporations. It works to diversify and expand UNESCO’s donor base and provide backstopping and guidance to UNESCO Programme Sectors, Field Offices, and Category 1 Institutes in support of their efforts to engage with partners and mobilize resources. The Partnerships Division is responsible for the elaboration of strategies for partnership and resource mobilization and manages Grants Agreements.

KEY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide support to the Grants Management Officer in the review of funding agreements:
  • Review agreements submitted by Programme Specialists against the relevant standard template or non-standard agreements previously signed with a donor and provide comments for further decision-making;
  • Assist in the coordination of internal consultations with relevant services such as Legal Affairs, Ethics and the Division of Financial Services, amongst others;
  • Support validation processes including the requests for delegation of authorities for the signature of funding agreements.
• Provide advice to Programme Specialists at Headquarters, in Field Offices and in Category I Institutes on the set‑up of funding agreements as well as in negotiations with donors; backstopping for the processing of requests in relation to the implementation of funding agreements, in particular amendments for extensions and budget revisions.
• Oversee the upload of signed agreements and related information (amendments, narrative and financial reports) in ERP Systems.
• Ensure that the monitoring list of funding agreements under review is up to date to ensure information of funding agreements in the pipeline is accurate.
• Contribute to internal briefing notes for senior management, the development and update of policies in the area of grants management, standard funding agreement templates and related internal guidance notes as well as the building of institutional memory in relation to the internal agreement review.

COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

• Communication (C)
• Accountability (C)
• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
• Advanced University degree (Master’s or equivalent) in the field of finance, business administration, law, economics, accounting, audit or a related field. A first-level university degree in the afore-mentioned fields, combined with two (2) additional years of qualifying professional experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• At least two (2) years of relevant professional experience in the field of Agreements Management or a related field, of which preferably one (1) year acquired at the international level.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong understanding of Agreements Management processes, especially on funding agreements review.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the international donor landscape.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team, participate in unit meetings and maintain effective working relationships in a multicultural environment.
• Flexibility to adjust work schedules and manage competing priorities, organizing and prioritizing workloads to meet established deadlines.

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English or French and very good knowledge of the other language.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Professional experience gained in multicultural working environments.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Familiarity with the work and general functioning of international organizations and/or the UN System.
• Client oriented with ability to identify client needs and suggest appropriate solutions.

LANGUAGES

• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and/or Spanish).

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

UNESCO’s sala