Programme Management Assistant

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the DESA Office, based in Rome, Italy. The Rome Office is an extra-budgetary office of the Capacity Development Programme Management Office (CDPMO), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). The Office provides advisory services and operational support in the development and management of human resources for international cooperation. It aims to promote the participation of qualified young professionals in development cooperation activities undertaken by international organizations and, in particular, to support the application, assessment, and selection processes for Junior Professional Officers to be recruited by the United Nations and its specialized agencies. The Italian JPO Programme, which manages and processes applications from thousands of candidates annually, is implemented by UN DESA in recognition of its extensive experience in the identification, recruitment, and administration of technical cooperation experts, as well as in human resources development. The Office also supports other UN DESA activities in Italy and contributes to the development of partnerships with national institutions and other stakeholders. The incumbent reports to the Programme Management Officer.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer and the overall guidance of the Head of the Office, and within limits of delegated authority, the Programme Management Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Provides assistance in support of planning and implementation activities/processes and day-to-day operations for a large and highly complex component of the departmental programme initiatives, such as the Italian JPO Programme and other human resources capacity development initiatives, ensuring coordination among donors, UN offices, international organizations, and programme participants.
• Researches, compiles, analyses, summarizes, and presents information/data on specific programmes and related topics, including job descriptions, JPO assignments, programme participation, former young professionals’ career development, etc.
• Assists in the coordination of programme planning and preparation; monitors status of programme and action; takes necessary action to ensure programme documents are completed and submitted to relevant parties for approval.
• Assists in the review of programme budget proposals, including HR cost estimates, ensuring that requisite information is included and justified in terms of proposed activities; proposes adjustments as necessary; prepares reports and ensures that outputs/services are properly categorized.
• Assists in the monitoring and evaluation of programmes/projects; categorizes, updates, tracks and analyses data related to the Programme, e.g. accounting records, HR data, outputs, resources utilized, deviations/revisions, etc.; carries out ...