Project Assistant

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the UN agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.

The past decades have seen significant economic development in Viet Nam. Ha Noi has also experienced rapid changes as the country's capital, finding itself at a turning point where history and tradition meet modernity. Home to 7.9 million people, Ha Noi has a multi-layered culture with creativity at its heart. Exemplifying this is a rich tapestry of cultural resources, including thousands of heritage sites, 1350 traditional craft villages, and an emerging community of designers and innovators and creative spaces across the city.

Creative industries contribute around USD 1.49 billion to Ha Noi’s regional domestic product- accounting for 3.7 per cent. The total direct revenue generated by Hanoi’s craft villages amounted to USD 983.5 million in 2018 – excluding the indirect revenue from traditional arts and crafts- and involved a total of around a million employees. Exports of Hanoi’s craft goods reach USD 192 million, accounting for 1.4 per cent of Hanoi’s total export values. Cultural and creative industries also generate added values for Tourism industries- which amounted to USD 4.5 billion in 2019 alone, a 34% rise from the previous year.

Recognized as UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2019, Ha Noi has committed to place culture and creativity at the core of its sustainable development, with a wider vision to become a leading creative hub of Southeast Asia. To support the commitment of the city, UNESCO is leading the project Mobilizing Youth Participation and Cultural Dynamics for Ha Noi Creative City (HNCC project) together with other two implementing partners UNIDO and UN-Habitat. This project will support Ha Noi City to implement its new strategic vision of a Creative Capital of Design, harnessing its cultural assets and youth participation as key agents for innovation, creativity, and social change.

The project aims

To empower Vietnamese creative talent, especially youth, to influence and contribute to the new development agenda of Ha Noi as the Creative Capital with innovative ideas and actions;
To improve the design skills, market access and networking of Vietnamese youth in the cultural and creative industries;
To establish a multi-stakeholder partnership to foster a youth-centred approach to the cultural and creative industries.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Associate, the HNCC Project Assistant will develop an annual and interim workplan, providing coordination and monitoring during the implementation of the project’s activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS:

The following specific responsibilities are included in the assignment of Project Assistant:

Coordinate the implementation of the project, ensuring the achievement of the project objectives, implementation of the proposed activities and production of the outputs/deliverables as per the approved project document and work plans, including following up and reporting progress;
Oversee the financial and administrative/logistics aspects of the project and make revisions of the work plans and budget in the course of implementation as necessary in consultation with the UN-Habitat HPM, Programme Associate, SOVICO Group and the other two implementing agencies;
Coordinate closely with the other two implementing agencies: UNIDO and UNESCO and SOVICO Group to ensure the regular partners update and smooth project implementation;
Work with the communication focal points of UNESCO, UN-Habitat, UNIDO and SOVICO group to develop the Project Communication Plan and provide regular input about the project activities for social media, the Organization website and other visibility tools;
Prepare the project reports on the progress of activities/expenditures in close collaboration with implementing partners and assist Programme Associate in UN-Habitat reporting system including internal and Donor reports and inputs for the joint UN report;
Undertake any other duties and responsibilities, which can reasonably be expected to help maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities and any other duties related to the day-to-day functions of the office.

The Project Assistant will be supervised by the Programme Associate and work closely with the Finance and Administration team.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to climate change and urban management. Knowledge of urban development issues. Ability to observe deadlines and achieve set goals.
Communication: Good written and oral presentation skills in English. Good presentation skills. Ability to communicate complex interventions in clear language and convincing narratives.
Teamwork: Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve agreed goals.
Planning and Organizing: Ability to prioritize activities and assignments and to easily switch between different projects.
Creativity: Strong conceptual thinking. Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches, takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”, and offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs. Can easily develop clear plans in contexts with limited information and datasets.
Management: Ability to divide the workload and sustain efficiency under pressure.
Commitment: Show a strong commitment and passion to the development of the urban sector in Vietnam

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Minimum Highschool certification. Bachelor’s Degree in Education and development studies or other relevant fields to urban management and social policy in developing countries would be considered an asset.

Work Experience:

Minimum 3 years of relevant working experience in the social, educational and cultural programme and project development and implementation. A combination of practitioner/private sector, academic, and public sector experience would be considered an asset. Working experience with UN-Habitat is preferable.

Technical Knowledge:

Basic skills in project management, including project planning;
Experiences in providing coordination support for project activities with multiple stakeholder participation, especially public-private partnerships
Capacity to identify relevant social, financial, human and intellectual resources for the project implementation;
Research and analytical skills combined with good communication skills, including drafting skills and writing skills, in English and possibly another UN language;
Able to work independently and as part of a team and deliver on time under pressure.

Language Skills

For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English and Vietnamese is required.

TOR and P11 are attached.

Interested candidates are requested to send their application to UN-Habitat Vietnam via hr@unhabitatvietnam.org

Deadline for Application: 25 June 2021.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.