The International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), a multi-donor fund established under Article 18 of the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, is seeking for qualified and committed officers to fill ten vacant positions in its offices in Beijing, Geneva, New York, and Thailand.
Vacant positions advertised are that of a Programme Officer (Desk Risk Reduction and Climate Change Response), Programme Officer (Education for Sustainable Development), Agriculture Officer, Media and Communications Officer, French Reviser, Procurement Officer, Transport Officer, Finance & Budget Officer, Accountant and Legal Officer.
IFCD requires that the ideal candidate to work in the areas of disaster risk reduction and climate change response should have relative substantial experience in the development and implementation of programmes, an advanced university degree (master or equivalent) in a field such as disaster risk management, climate change, education for sustainable development or other related field with at least three years of relevant work experience, among others.
The Programme Officer in Education is expected to work on development of open-licensed e-learning/distance-learning programmes, as a part of IFCD’s overall strategy in the Country; and he/she must possess an advanced university degree (master or equivalent) in education, communications, e-learning/distance-learning or a related field with at least three years of relevant work experience with practice in the production and application of e-learning/distance-learning, innovative teaching methodologies or teacher training among others.
Any candidate applying as Agricultural Officer is expected to have a Bachelor’s degree or higher diploma in agriculture, international development, or community development with preference for one with a Master’s degree and at least five years working experience in agricultural development assistance programmes.
While he/she will be responsible for providing technical guidance and input on agricultural activities conducted by the programme including development of agriculture training materials, providing technical support essential duties and responsibilities, it will also be expected of him/her to coordinate and monitor agricultural activities in targeted areas including the distribution of inputs and starter kits, as well as identifying training needs and gaps among target beneficiaries.
For the position of the Media and Communications Officer, it is expected of the candidate to research, write and edit public information materials (press releases, feature articles, op-eds, and so on), as well as for IFCD’s e-newsletter (E-Voices) and website, in a journalistic style and in coordination with the appropriate units in the office; and he/she will manage the website and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and so on) in a pro-active way, thereby keeping management and relevant units regularly informed about impact and public use of media channels.
Other expected responsibilities for the Media and Communications Officer will be to propose and organize media events (that is, publicity campaigns, press briefings, press conferences, and interviews) for IFCD’s projects and initiatives; monitoring media coverage and report regularly on resulting IFCD’s visibility; propose strategies to achieve better visibility and impact; work closely with responsible programme officers and management to respond appropriately to media enquiries; develop and maintain close relations with the media in the region and maintain an up-to-date digital database of media contacts as well as attend relevant events, fairs and conferences organized by IFCD and provide public information services.
The French Reviser, who is expected to have a Bachelor’s degree from a university or an institution of equivalent status with at least five years of work experience, will be responsible for revising translations and original records dealing with a broad range of subjects dealt with by the IFCD, drafting summary records and serving as a monitor of précis-writing teams, developing new terminology for use where none exists in the target language, carrying out linguistic research and preparing terminological bulletins and glossaries, technical vocabularies and related reference tools, among others.
The Procurement Officer will be responsible for planning, developing and managing all procurement and contractual aspects of projects of significant complexity related to worldwide procurement of diverse services and commodities (for example, information technology, electronic equipment and instruments, vehicles, medicines, foodstuffs, building maintenance materials, office supplies, construction, furniture, and so on), taking into account local economic and other conditions among others.
He/she is expected to also have knowledge of contract law and expertise in handling complex contract issues, have knowledge of quantitative methods to measure supplier capacity systems and ability to sources of supply, market trends and pricing, have the ability to shape and influence agreements with requisitioning units and vendors and also the ability to apply technical expertise to resolve a range of issues/problems.
The ideal candidate is expected to possess an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, public administration, commerce, engineering, law or a related field; though a first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
He/she must have a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, contract management, administration, logistics and supply chain management, or administration in the public or private sector, of which at least two years must be directly related to first-hand procurement.
In the transport category, the Transport Officer, who is expected to have an advanced degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, public administration, law, engineering or related field with at least five years of progressive experience will within delegated authority, be responsible for preparing cost estimates for budget and planning purposes, monitors and administers transportation contracts and letters of assist, prepares letters of assist for the transport operations, ensuring that requirements and specifications are accurate and complete and obtain funds availability certification.
He/she will be in charge of reviewing bid responses as well as conduct operational and technical evaluation and analysis of the bids to ensure that offers meet technical requirements and operational needs. The officer will liaise with commercial insurers and IFCD insurance specialists to ensure that coverage on goods and equipment is adequate, coordinate requisition process with purchasing authorities to insure that bidding and approval processes meet required timetable and participate in technical field missions as required; advises on all matters pertaining to the planning, budgeting and monitoring (including safety) of the provision of transportation resources to field missions.
The Finance and Budget Officer who should possess an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business administration, finance or related field with a first-level university degree and a minimum of seven years of progressive responsible experience in finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area will be responsible for analyzing budget submissions, obtain clarifications and justifications and preparing budget and budget performance reports for large and complex peacekeeping operations, to prepare financial implications for Security Council reports, and to administer related trust funds among others.
The Accountant is expected to have an advanced first-level university degree with a minimum of five years of progressive responsible professional experience in accounting and finance; the job responsibility for the Accountant will include but not limited to maintenance and validation of various operations with respect to fund accounting, resolution of queries from staff and other units, and the preparation of financial statements.
He/she will coordinate and supervise the processing of vendor claims, analyze accounts and review/evaluate regular financial reports at Headquarters; and the officer will be expected to identify problem transactions and irregularities in related accounts, resolving them in a timely and effective manner, ascertain appropriate obligations or expenditure for services, facilities supplies and equipment expenses as well as those pertaining to personnel, are in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the UN, relevant appropriations and staffing tables and corresponding approved allotments.
The Legal Officer will be responsible for conducting extensive legal research and analysis, preparing or assisting in the preparation of drafts of background papers, studies, reports of the Country Director, comparative analysis, briefs, teaching materials and correspondence dealing with legal and other aspects of IFCD and its implementation; the officer will also review legal documents, instruments, or other material, assist in servicing meeting resolutions, including the preparation of background materials, summaries of discussions, meeting reports, assist in representing the organization at meetings, conferences, seminars, respond to requests for information and perform other duties as assigned.
The qualification for the position is an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Law with emphasis on courses in public international law with a minimum of five years of progressive responsible experience in law including legal analysis, research and writing.
Interested candidates are expected to submit their Curriculum Vitae and a brief cover letter, addressed to the Human Resources Unit, International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), UNESCO, 2, United Nations Plaza #900, New York, NY 10017, United States, indicating the position of interest with relevant experience to careers@ifcd-unesco.org.
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