Grade: IV
Vacancy issued: 29 May 2020
Deadline for Application: 17 June 2020
No. of Posts 1
Roma Education Fund (REF) is seeking a Project Assistant to join the project team in the implementation of the “Education, Employment, Partnerships and Gender Equality: A Winning Formula for Roma in VET”, project funded by Austrian Development Agency and implemented by REF.
Background
The Roma Education Fund’s (REF) mission and goal is to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. To achieve this goal, the organization supports policies and programs which ensure access to quality education for Roma through scholarships, grant making, research and advocacy activities. The objectives of REF include:
- Expanding Romani children’s access to quality early childhood education and care;
- Improving primary education outcomes for Romani children aged six to fourteen;
- Boosting academic performance and graduation rates from secondary education for Romani pupils;
- Supporting access to tertiary education, improving graduation levels and strengthening identity of Romani university students;
- Expanding employment opportunities for young Romani adults
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction of Roma[*] in Albania and Kosovo through support of the vocational education and training, facilitation to labor market and empowering stakeholders to take measures to support transition of Roma to employment.
The activities and outputs are clustered into two main areas, reflecting the two specific outcomes:
- Education – increased access to vocational education for Roma youth and young adults, through scholarships, mentoring and tutoring and improving access to education and employment for Roma girls and women;
- Employability – improved employability for Roma youth and young adults, through job placements, professional development and partnerships of civil society, public and private sector institutions for Roma workforce inclusion aimed at influencing policy changes.
The project will focus on strengthening professional skills of REF scholars and other beneficiaries – vocational training, internships, professional skills development, cooperation and partnerships with employers. Wide range of vocational training (VET within the education institutions, such as high schools) and obtaining recognized certificates, paid professional internships in the public or private sector, additional education (conducted by accredited institutes, such as vocational courses), which includes scholarship and mentoring support will be provided.
Outline of the Position
This is a position open for the duration of the Project. The selected candidate will sign a fixed-term contract, until the end of the Project (December 2022). The incumbent will be based in Belgrade, Serbia.
The Project Assistant supports the Project team in the technical implementation of the initiative, providing daily administrative and organizational tasks, including support to financial administration. The Project Assistant works as part of the Project team in close cooperation with the Project Manager and Financial Officer.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the incumbent provides programmatic and administrative support for the implementation of the project objectives. Specifically, responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:
- Assisting in the preparation of working documents and background material. Assisting with preparation of plans, reports and requests, including documents required by the donor, such as annual plans, monitoring and evaluation plans (including Data Quality Assessments), project evaluation reports and briefing papers on project implementation;
- Assisting in the development of project activities and liaising with counterparts. Preparing terms of reference for consultants and implementing partners, assisting with review of the narrative and financial reports submitted by the implementing partner organizations and consultants;
- Ensuring efficient, cost-effective and timely logistical preparation of the activities implemented by the Project Team and support the related to financial administration;
- Providing logistical and back-up support to the Project Officers and the Project Manager; including preparing internal and external meetings and conferences in cooperation with the Project Team (all logistical arrangements incl. visa, accommodation, travel, catering and other arrangements);
- Following-up on administrative correspondence in coordination with the Project Officers and the Project Manager, maintaining a central log of all incoming and outgoing official correspondence keeping record of all project activities; ensuring that outgoing mail is promptly dispatched
- Supporting the relevant administrative and financial tasks of the Project Team, including liaising with the REF Finance and Administration Department as necessary; preparing procurement requests and assessment grids; drafting terms of reference, grant contracts and amendments for the implementing partners based on existing templates.
- Maintaining database and keeping record of all project activities;
- Liaising with international, regional and national governmental and non-governmental institutions with the purpose of collecting and sharing information and coordination activities;
- Performing other duties as required.
Necessary Qualifications:
- A. in administration, management or other related discipline. Secondary education supplemented by a formal training or studies in administration, project management or national minorities affairs;
- At least two years of relevant experience in project administration and/or office management;
- Ability and willingness to work with people of different nationalities, cultural and religious backgrounds and diverse views while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
- Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, a s well as ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
- Good understanding of local and international environment;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Serbian, advantage if additional language of project countries spoken (Albanian|);
- Computer literacy with practical experience in Microsoft applications;
- Knowledge and experience in project funded by European Union is preferable;
- Knowledge of Romani language is considered an advantage.
Core competencies:
- Initiative: Actively seeks to improve programs or services; Seeks challenging experiences and approaches them with passion, enthusiasm and professionalism;
- Planning and Organization: Develops clear goals and achieves results that are consistent with agreed strategies; Adapts and reacts in a flexible manner when necessary;
- Communication: Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
- Teamwork: Works independently and collaboratively with others to achieve organizational goals; Shares knowledge and insight with others;
- Ownership: Accepts personal responsibility (including shortcomings) and ownership of actions (including for work unit, where applicable) for achieving results; Understands organizational vision, mission and values, and leverages this knowledge when making decisions; Makes tough decisions when necessary;
- Development: Actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally and to contribute to the growth of the organization; Seeks feedback to learn and improve the organization;
In order to develop and deliver our education programs that provide quality, inclusive education for Roma children and youth, we believe in five core values that join us together and that mirror the work, actions and ideals of our organization and its culture:
- Tenacity; Integrity; Justice; Accountability; Inquisitiveness
How to apply
Qualified candidates are invited to send their Cover Letters and CV (both in English) by 17 June 2020 via email to recruitment@romaeducationfund.org with the subject line: Project Assistant. Incomplete applications, applications that are not submitted in English and those received after the application deadline will not be considered.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Selection process is based on a written test and competency-based interview.
Individuals identifying themselves as Roma and fulfilling the above-mentioned profile and requirements are particularly encouraged to apply. Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.
Roma Education Fund is an equal opportunities employer.
[*] As it is most commonly used in European policy documents and discussions, the term “Roma” refers to a variety of groups who describe themselves not only as Roma but also as Gypsies, Travellers, Manouches, Ashkali, Egyptians, Sinti and other titles. This document will use this term as a convenient shorthand while recognizing the rich diversity of the people and cultures that it includes.
By applying to this position you agree that we collect and save your personal data solely for the purpose of the recruitment process, and no longer than one year from the date of closing the call for the advertised position. Your personal data won’t be disclosed or transferred to any third parties.
