EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID OPERATIONS (ECHO)

General Affairs

ECHO Field Network

Terms of Reference

Programme Assistant (Group II)

1. Job summary:  

The jobholder carries out activities to contribute to the delivery of an effective humanitarian response. The jobholder contributes to assessments, monitoring and evaluations of projects, as well as to the analysis of the humanitarian context in the area of coverage.

2. Responsibilities & Tasks:  

Within delegated authority, the Programme Assistant (Group II) will be responsible for the following tasks:

Programme work

• Contributes to the appraisal, monitoring and evaluation of projects, including financial assessment of proposals;
• Critically studies and comments upon partners’ reports and field operations and reports to line manager;
• Assists the HoO(Head of Office)/TA (Technical Assistant) in the preparation of fiche-ops (e-documents completed by DG ECHO staff for assessing and monitoring projects), as appropriate;
• Assists with, participates in, and reports on meetings, as appropriate;
• Advises on the operational capacity of implementing partners;
• Drafts reports on the humanitarian situation, including any political, economic and security events relevant to the analysis of the humanitarian situation in the country/region;
• Produces and circulates information of common interest (humanitarian situation reports, background information, etc.);
• Accompanies the TA on field visits, as requested and may act as an interpreter if necessary;
• Assists the HoO/TA in the event of an emergency response;
• Prepares maps, when appropriate;
• Provides backstopping and surge support capacity in case of need.

Specific duties for the senior level Programme Assistant

• Pro-actively follows local or regional events that may impact the humanitarian situation in the country/region;
• Appraises, monitors and evaluates projects and reports to the line manager.

Working with partners

• Maintains contacts with DG ECHO’s partners, advising the TA of any major issues arising;
• Ensures communications with DG ECHO’s partners, including establishing and maintaining a database of relevant organisations and personnel;
• Maintains contracts/grants database.

Coordination

• Participates in meetings, as requested and appropriate;
• Liaises with local authorities and institutions, in coordination with the HoO/TA, as delegated and appropriate;
• Assists with enhancing the visibility and communication of DG ECHO’s overall assistance.

General administration

(IF/When applicable)

• Provides reports and other ad-hoc documents as requested and to be verified and agreed by the HoO/TA;
• Responds to requests for information as delegated;
• Prepares missions: agenda setting, contacts with partners, programming visits, meetings, etc.

Office specific responsibilities/tasks

• Undertakes any additional tasks as assigned by the TA, HoO/RO (Regional office) and/or Headquarters.
• Translates critical communication to partners/local authorities into Somali as assigned
• Provides informed assessments on the operational capacity of national organizations and institutions
• Supports with the triangulation of local information sources as part of humanitarian/security assessments

3. Competencies required:

• Drive for Results: High Level      
• Conduct in Service: High Level              
• Working with Others: High Level            
• Decision-making: Medium Level
• Managing and Organising Information: Medium Level
• Strategic Thinking and Planning: Medium Level
• Communication: Medium Level
• Organisational Awareness: Medium Level
• Adaptability and Flexibility: Medium Level
• Leadership: Medium Level          

4. Job Requirements:

Education

• A relevant first level university degree or equivalent professional experience.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience at national or international level in supporting programme/project operations., including at least 2 years of  experience with an NGO, donor or national/international organisation;
• Good knowledge of the EU humanitarian aid system;
• Good knowledge of International NGOs, UN Aid Agencies and Red Cross Movement;
• Good understanding of Humanitarian Aid principles, policies and standards;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc).

Languages

• An excellent knowledge of English (verbal & writing);
• An excellent knowledge of Somali.

Required Skills

• Impeccable conduct in service, drive for results, excellent communication skills, capacity to work with others, adaptability, and flexibility skills.

5. How to apply

Applications, including a cover letter, a detailed CV, a copy of education certificates, degree, and a copy of relevant employment certificates, should be uploaded athttps://www.ats.flexi-personnel.com/jobs until 21/08/2022 at 18:00h. The vacancy reference REF: “ECHO/PA/SO” must be clearly indicated in the subject line. This position is open to nationals and other residents of Somalia with valid work and residence permits.

DG ECHO applies a policy of equal opportunities. Our recruitment policy is based on respect for diversity, maintaining the gender balance, as well as the balance between professional and private life, and support for training and development opportunities. For this position, women are highly encouraged to apply.

For information, the employment conditions that could be proposed include an initial contract of one year with the possibility of renewal subject to a 3-month probationary period and following a positive annual evaluation. As an indication, the monthly basic salary range is USD 2 112 (minimum corresponding to 5 years’ experience and subject to local tax law). The salary will be adapted according to the exact duration of relevant professional experience supported by a work certificate (two years of relevant experience account for one step in DG ECHO’s salary grid). In addition to this, the employee will also receive disability/retirement allowance, 13th month salary as well as a medical coverage.

DG ECHO’s employees are bound by the National Staff code of conduct which is available on the link:https://ec.europa.eu/echo/system/files/2019-09/code_of_conduct_for_national_staff.pdf

Only the short-listed candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are not contacted by 30/09/2022should consider that they have not been selected.  Any form of canvassing, soliciting, or influencing will be treated as grounds for disqualification.

Shortlisted candidates who are successful in the written test and who make it to the interview phase but not to the final selection will be included in a reserve list that DG ECHO will create for a period of one year in case their profiles could be considered for future processes.

“Any processing of your personal data will be done in accordance with the applicable EU legislation (Regulation (EU)2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data.” The privacy statement can be found on DG ECHO’s website here

Disclaimer:

The Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts (AACC) reserves itself the right to amend the job requirements in line with the local labour market conditions.

*To drop your application, click on 'Apply for this job', then register in our ATS system by filling in all the required details, uploading your documents and answering all the questions asked truthfully. Once done, click on 'submit' and you will receive a confirmation email.