Project Coordinator

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Position Title: Project Coordinator
Location: Johannesburg
Country: South Africa
Deadline Date: 23-FEB-2025

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, was established in 1945 with the mission to contribute to peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms. With a workforce of over 2,000 employees, UNESCO operates in more than 190 countries, focusing on fostering cultural diversity, education for all, and sustainable development. The organization is dedicated to building peace in the minds of men and women, and it emphasizes the importance of culture and heritage in achieving sustainable tourism and development.

Job Overview:
The Project Coordinator will oversee the implementation of the project titled 'Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture: Promoting Culture and Heritage-based Sustainable Tourism in Southern Africa.' This project, funded by the European Union, aims to enhance culture and heritage-based sustainable tourism across six Southern African countries: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The coordinator will work closely with key partners, including EU Delegations, national authorities, and local communities, to ensure the project's objectives are met. The role requires managing project implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and communication, ensuring that all activities align with UNESCO's standards and donor requirements. The coordinator will also facilitate stakeholder engagement and ensure the timely delivery of project outputs, fostering regional integration and sustainable development through cultural tourism.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Project Coordinator will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including:

• Project Implementation: Coordinate the project across the six participating countries, ensuring adherence to UNESCO's rules and regulations and donor requirements. Oversee operational, administrative, and technical aspects, including financial management and procurement. Facilitate a situational analysis during the inception phase and provide recommendations for project activities. Define the scope of work, identify stakeholders, update work plans, budgets, and timelines.
• Planning and Reporting: Attend planning meetings and provide timely progress reports to the Project Steering Committee. Prepare periodic and annual reports, both narrative and financial, as required.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Supervise project staff responsible for monitoring and evaluation, ensuring data collection to track progress towards intended results. Maintain a monitoring system for real-time project updates.
• Communication: Collaborate with communication officers to enhance project visibility, producing public information products such as news items, social media posts, and outreach materials.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in culture, social sciences, humanities, international relations, development studies, project management, sustainable tourism, or a related field. A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in relevant fields is required. Candidates should demonstrate experience in natural and cultural heritage, leadership skills, and the ability to manage teams effectively. Strong project management skills, analytical abilities, and excellent interpersonal skills are essential. Candidates must also have good IT skills and the ability to work under pressure while maintaining attention to detail.

Educational Background:
An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in relevant fields such as culture, social sciences, humanities, international relations, development studies, project management, or sustainable tourism is required for this position. This educational background is crucial for understanding the complexities of cultural projects and sustainable tourism initiatives.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible professional experience in areas such as culture, humanities, project management, international relations, or development work. Candidates should have experience in managing projects related to natural and cultural heritage and should demonstrate leadership capabilities in guiding and managing teams effectively. Previous experience in EU-funded projects or heritage-based sustainable tourism projects is considered an asset.

Languages:
Excellent command of English, both written and spoken, is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an advantage, particularly if they are relevant to the Southern African context or the EU.

Additional Notes:
This position is a project appointment with a standard duration of one year. The recruitment is open to both internal and external candidates. The role requires a commitment to UNESCO's core values, including integrity, respect for diversity, and professionalism. The organization emphasizes equitable and diverse geographical distribution and gender parity among its staff. Candidates from under-represented Member States and individuals from minority or indigenous groups are particularly encouraged to apply. The selection process may include assessments and competency-based interviews, and only selected candidates will be contacted.