Senior Programme Assistant

OVERVIEW
**Post Number**: SHS 901
**Grade**: G-7
**Parent Sector**: Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)
**Duty Station**: Paris
**Job Family**: Programme Coordination
**Type of contract**: Fixed Term
**Duration of contract**: 2 years, renewable
**Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time)**: 11-AUG-2025
**UNESCO Core Values**: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
ONLY CANDIDATES ELIGIBLE TO WORK IN FRANCE MAY APPLY TO THIS POSITION
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
The UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture rewards, each year, two laureates - individuals, groups or institutions - who, through their work and outstanding achievements, endeavour to disseminate greater knowledge of Arab art and culture. Applicants to the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab culture must have contributed significantly towards the development, dissemination and the promotion of Arab culture in the world. The winners are chosen by the Director-General of UNESCO, on the recommendation of an international Jury of experts in the field of Arab Culture and having distinguished themselves, over several years, by meritorious actions. Thus, the winners contribute to the promotion of cultural dialogue and the revitalization of Arab culture. Long Description
Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences and the direct supervision of the Chief of the Inclusion, Rights and Intercultural Dialogue Section, the incumbent ensures the effective implementation of the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture, iniciates and undertakes all the necessary activities to that end.The incumbent delivers and coordinates a wide range of administrative, communication and promotional services for the effective management of the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. The work context calls for an extensive and in-depth knowledge of administrative rules, procedures and protocols and their inter-relationship. The incumbent maintains close working relations with staff at various levels witin the Section, Field Offices, Legal Affairs (LA), Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP), Communication and Public Engagement (CPE), Bureau for Digital Business Solutions (DBS), and other relevant services (HRM, FIN, etc.), as well as with the members of the Jury, the donor and media, and operates as the first line of contact or focal point for the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize.
**The incumbent will perfrom the following tasks**: Long Description
Track and respond to requests formulated by various partners of the Prize managing and scheduling with appropriate consultation as required; arrange appointments and maintain the agenda for the Prize; serve as first point of contact and liaise with senior officials; receive visitors (often high-ranking); place and screen telephone calls and answer enquiries; effectively prioritize and resolve related competing demands.
Research, compile and summarize background materials for the use of internal and external partners as well as the preparation of reports, briefings, speeches making sure of the consistency of the information; scan information sources to identify issues of interest concerning the Prize to the supervisor; support the Prize by preparing materials and presentations for officials trips/special meetings including Executive Board/General Conference, CEB, HLCM, HLCP, etc. ; independently and carefully handle a variety of complex information requests and queries; draft responses to a diverse and wide range of correspondence and other communications; communicates sensitive information to senior management and coordinates responses to sensitive inquiries on behalf of the Chief of Section in close collaboration with CPE and SHS colleagues.
Monitor and review the preparation of reports by staff as well as correspondence, briefing notes and other documents about the Prize; exercise quality control function for the outgoing documents; proof-read, edit and review texts for adherence to format, grammar, punctuation and style, in accordance with standard practices and protocol; prepare correspondence for the supervisor's signature, and make informal translations, as applicable.
COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Completed secondary education, technical or vocational education.

Work Experience
- At least ten (10) years of relevant work experience in secretarial and/or administrative tasks.

Skills and competencies
- Strong interpersonal and excellent coordination skills for the preparation of information and documents, organization of meetings, events and resolution of problems.
- Excellent drafting skills with particular reference to correspondence and internal reports.
- Excellent