Project Associate

United Nations University

Bonn, Germany

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

Responsibilities: 

Under the authority of the Director of UNU-EHS, the guidance of the Deputy Head of Risk & Adaptation Department, and the MCII Initiative Coordinator, the successful candidate will be entrusted with the following tasks:

Team Support:

  • Contribute to tasks such as new employee on boarding, drafting internal guidelines, retreat coordination, creation of team workflows and procedures, etc.;
  • Organize and coordinate regular team meetings (e.g. Team Jour Fixe), incl. preparing the agenda, gathering input on particular items by teams, maintaining the documentation.
  • Provide editing services (incl. copy editing, proof reading, formatting, etc.) to all MCII teams.
  • Liaise with external vendors to ensure that high standards for service quality are met consistently, as needed by the team;
  • Procure supplies for the division as needed.

Event Management and Logistical Support:

  • Ensure the effective logistical coordination of workshops and meetings in relation to MCII’s projects; assist with guest-related event logistics to ensure hotel, transportations, and meeting needs are met; coordinate meeting requirements and communicate with meeting venue (as needed); maintain event databases such as invitee lists, RSVP’s, etc.;
  • Organize logistics for MCII team members at events (workshops, meetings, national and international conferences), registration, event and bilateral meeting coordination, handling of dissemination materials and managing exhibits and other promotional spaces; ensure effective and efficient functioning of the project office by maintaining contact with visitors and staff, arrange appointments, including meeting room reservation;
  • Serve as focal point for technical backstopping of online/hybrid meetings by different teams (incl. MS Teams, Zoom, Mentimeter, Miro, etc.).
  • Draft correspondence and invitations and as necessary refer enquiries to appropriate team members for handling;
  • Support the identification of possible venues on-campus and off for the respective events;

Administrative Support for the MCII Association: Board and Membership Engagement:

  • Support the Initiative Coordinator with Board engagement including logistics, planning and processes. This includes the management of all meetings, dissemination of materials, preparing election materials, broadcasting calls for input and supporting the processes involved with the biennial review of MCII strategy documents.
  • Contribute to the ongoing process of enhancing membership engagement by supporting a member’s portal that would increase the involvement of MCII members within the project work as needed by the project office, as well as showcase opportunities for contributions to publications or other outreach mediums.
  • Support MCII Board-and Members for particular travel engagements, including booking of flights, accommodation, and meeting UNU standards relating to mission travel support (incl. preparation of Duty Travel Plans, F10 reimbursements, etc.);

Outreach and Media Management for the MCII Association:

  • Develop and maintain MCII’s corporate identity and branding including presentation materials, marketing materials and processes.
  • Responsible for spearheading the development of new MCII outreach channels, including the development, production and editing of video and podcast content to enhance the visibility of MCII and supplement the website and other social media channels. This requires constant contact with project leads to develop interesting and relevant content that will showcase the work of MCII projects as well as partnerships.
  • Maintain MCII’s website and social media sites (LinkedIn, Twitter) including frequent monitoring, posting and content development. Keep up to date on all project news to be published to membership/public. Hold regular meetings with project leads to ensure MCII is maximizing on all PR opportunities;
  • Manage the development of MCII’s annual report. This includes mapping out the detailed timeline for production as well as identifying key design aspects and features, creating a detailed outline of the report, organizing report contributors and editing the final document;
  • Act as the team liaison between MCII and the UNU Communications team for all joint communications related outreach;
  • Support the compilation and writing of project related publications (incl. copy editing, proof reading, formatting, etc.), or other project proceedings for MCII project newsletters, monitoring reports, workshop reports, fieldwork reports, etc.;
  • Apply horizon scanning to systematically assess new developments relevant to the division.
  • Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Qualifications:

Education and certification:

  • University degree (Bachelor’s required/Master’s as an asset) in business administration, public administration, or a related field.

Experience Required:

  • At least 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree)/or 2 years (with Master’s degree) years of relevant professional experience, preferably in an international and multicultural environment;
  • Experience in event management, logistics and administrative tasks;
  • Organizational talent, strong process- / team orientation, personal dedication to contribute to organizational goals;
  • Strong team player with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Desired:

  • Experience in copy editing, proof reading and formatting of publications and other documents;
  • Experience in the production of different digital outreach formats, incl. the development and maintenance of online content, and proficiency in the use of social media.
  • Interest in the fields of climate adaptation measures, disaster management and/or agricultural and weather-index insurance;
  • First work experience in both developing countries and developed countries.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English both oral and written, is required;
  • Fluency in German is an asset
  • Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.

Source: https://careers.unu.edu/o/project-associate-psa4