Asociado/a Senior de Apoyo a la Gestión de Proyectos (Penitenciario)

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was established in 1997 with the mission to assist Member States in their efforts to combat illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism. The organization operates globally, with a headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and has a presence in approximately 125 countries. UNODC works to strengthen justice systems, promote international cooperation, and uphold the rule of law and human rights in the fight against transnational threats. The UNODC collaborates with various partners, including governments, civil society, and international organizations, to implement programs and policies addressing drug trafficking, organized crime, corruption, human trafficking, and cybercrime. The organization aims to generate knowledge about the nature and trends of drug-related issues and crime, support the implementation of international conventions, and develop national capacities to combat these challenges.

Job Overview:
The Senior Associate for Project Management Support (Penitentiary) will play a crucial role in the successful implementation of the project "Transnational Criminal Organizations in the Southern Cone." This project aims to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, criminal justice institutions, and penitentiary systems to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations operating in prisons and border areas. The position involves providing substantive support for the implementation of project activities, particularly in the area of penitentiary management training and advisory services to Argentina and Uruguay. The Senior Associate will contribute to the management of interdisciplinary teams, ensuring the design, implementation, monitoring, documentation, and evaluation of activities aimed at strengthening capacities in penitentiary intelligence, information analysis in detention contexts, classification and profiling of inmates, high-risk inmate management, anti-corruption measures, and penitentiary security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security in accordance with international standards. The role also emphasizes inter-institutional coordination and regional cooperation against organized crime originating from prisons.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Project Monitoring and Reporting: Support project coordination in monitoring activities related to penitentiary systems, penitentiary intelligence, information analysis in detention contexts, and prevention of organized crime from prisons. Collect and systematize diagnostic information to identify existing capacities, institutional gaps, and needs for strengthening penitentiary systems. Prepare and update matrices, follow-up documents, commitment records, progress reports, technical inputs, and systematization documents related to penitentiary activities of the project. Assist in the preparation of project reports, concept notes, minutes, meeting records, activity reports, and closure documents directed to project coordination, counterparts, and donors. Identify bottlenecks and adjustment needs in the implementation of penitentiary training activities.
• Project Implementation and Execution Support: Assist in the development of training activities planned in the project. Support the collection of diagnostic information aimed at strengthening penitentiary systems. Organize and systematize programmatic activities for the strengthening or improvement of penitentiary intelligence units, areas, or mechanisms, in accordance with UN guidelines and applicable national legislation.
• Operational Support, Coordination, and Inter-Institutional Articulation: Organize workshops, training sessions, meetings, working groups, missions, and technical assistance activities related to penitentiary systems and organized crime. Support the organization of inter-institutional workshops aimed at combating organized crime from prisons. Participate in planning and follow-up meetings focused on achieving the specific objectives of the project, collecting the needs of counterparts. Maintain communications with penitentiary authorities, security forces, prosecutors, judicial powers, criminal intelligence agencies, information analysis areas, and other competent institutions for the coordination of activities, document submission, and other inputs. Prepare agendas, reference documents, commitment lists, minutes, meeting inputs, and reports derived from national or binational activities.
• Development of Tools, Methodologies, and Technical Products: Organize action plans, attention routes, protocols, guides, analysis matrices, methodological documents, and other products derived from project activities. Systematize good practices, lessons learned, and technical recommendations derived from national, regional, or international experiences in penitentiary control and prevention of organized crime in prisons.
• Knowledge Development and Exchange: Organize training activities, trainer training, workshops, and technical exchange spaces on penitentiary systems, penitentiary intelligence, information analysis, organized crime in prisons, drug trafficking, anti-corruption measures, and high-risk inmate management. Participate in knowledge exchange initiatives, communities of practice, seminars, technical meetings, and national or regional spaces related to penitentiary security and organized crime. Conduct research on technical novelties, trends, risks, operational modalities, and good practices related to organized crime in penitentiary environments. Contribute to the drafting of reports, executive summaries, informative notes, presentations, training documents, and knowledge products of the project. Document and share lessons learned and recommendations aimed at strengthening the sustainability of installed capacities.

Required Qualifications:
Required: Secondary education with 7 years of relevant experience or a university degree or equivalent in Security Sciences, Security Management, Criminal Sciences, Criminology, Law, Sociology, Public Administration, Public Management, or related fields, with at least 3 years of relevant experience. Desirable: Technical, tertiary, university, or postgraduate training in criminal sciences, security, penitentiary management, criminal intelligence, information analysis, criminology, drug-related crime, organized crime, risk management, or related areas. Specialized training in criminal intelligence, information analysis, penitentiary security, intelligence fusion centers, INTERPOL, drug trafficking, terrorism, money laundering, organized crime, or international cooperation.

Educational Background:
Required: Secondary education with 7 years of relevant experience or a university degree or equivalent in Security Sciences, Security Management, Criminal Sciences, Criminology, Law, Sociology, Public Administration, Public Management, or related fields, with at least 3 years of relevant experience. Desirable: Technical, tertiary, university, or postgraduate training in criminal sciences, security, penitentiary management, criminal intelligence, information analysis, criminology, drug-related crime, organized crime, risk management, or related areas. Specialized training in criminal intelligence, information analysis, penitentiary security, intelligence fusion centers, INTERPOL, drug trafficking, terrorism, money laundering, organized crime, or international cooperation.

Experience:
Required: Experience in penitentiary systems, project management support, report preparation, follow-up matrices, experience in using productivity and collaboration tools, including Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, or other equivalent tools, as well as document management systems or databases. Desirable: Specific experience in penitentiary service or assistance in penitentiary matters. Experience in intelligence units, information analysis, criminal analysis, penitentiary investigation, or technical areas of penitentiary security. Experience in organizing inputs for classification, profiling, management, or monitoring of high-risk inmates. Knowledge of the national and international institutional and legal framework applicable to penitentiary matters, human rights of inmates, penitentiary security, and prevention of organized crime.

Languages:
Mandatory: Fluent Spanish. Desirable: Basic English.

Additional Notes:
The contract is an Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) - LICA - Support - Regular, with a contract level of LICA

• The duration of the contract is until December 31, 2026, with the possibility of renewal subject to the availability of funds, organizational needs, project duration, and good performance. UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes and will not request candidates to make payments during the recruitment process. Applications must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. UNOPS is committed to diversity and equal employment opportunity, and encourages applications from qualified women and candidates from underrepresented groups.