HYBRID: Project Consultant (Event & Conference)

About UN University (UNU)

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge, furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. UNU’s mission is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, United Nations University (UNU) has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU’s work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

About UNU Institute in Macau (UNU Macau)

UNU Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) is one of 13 research and training Institutes that comprise the think tanks in the UNU system. UNU Macau is a research institute at the intersections of digital technology and sustainable development. The Institute conducts policy-relevant research and generates solutions, addressing pressing challenges expressed in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through high-impact innovations and the latest technologies. Through its research, the UNU Institute in Macau encourages data-driven and evidence-based actions and policies to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

One of the Institute’s missions is to nurture the next generation of interdisciplinary computing, information and social scientists, and engineers to be leaders in the field of ICT for development. To this end, the institute seeks to build a team of experts to help deliver the institute’s mission and work plan. The Institute’s research tends to be more applied, and strives for policy impact in the UN system, at international, regional and national levels.

The UNU Institute in Macau is situated in the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, and it is the only UN entity in the city. Macau is one of the most dynamic regions in Asia, where technological innovations have become an integral part in driving social and economic change. Macau is part of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), that hosts many private sector companies and technological giants that are just a short distance away. Its proximity to China, Hong Kong SAR and other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, provides an exciting opportunity for researchers and experts to maximize the impact of their work.

Responsibilities

UNU Macau is seeking a professional consultant to support the Institute’s annual academic conference in 2025. Under direction supervision of the Communications lead, and the guidance of the chair of conference planning committee of UNU Macau, which is also the Director of UNU Macau, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:

1.      Event outreach and fundraising:

• Propose fundraising strategies to UNU Macau management for the Conference, and UNU’s Global AI Network.

• Reach out to potential donors that could be sponsoring the Institute’s conference in Macau, such as private sectors (e.g. Tencent, Huawei, Alibaba, Open AI, Microsoft, IBM, Google), foundations (e.g. Rockefeller), governments (e.g. France, Austria, and Portugal), and seek funds for the conference itself, as well as UNU’s Global AI Network in collaboration with the network coordinator.

• Report to Director on a bi-weekly basis the progress of fundraising and plan for ongoing activities.

2.      Event planning:

• Meet with UNU Macau team regularly on the conference matter (physical presence in the Institute’s office for meetings is required).

• Meeting frequency for the early months of event organization is expected to be once per week. The frequency might be increased since Q2 2025 when it comes closer to the event.

3.      Project management:

• Work closely with UNU Macau’s event personnel to monitor the progress of the conference, and alert responsible people of deadlines.

4.      Problem solving:

• Help debug and solve the issues, if any; Flag risks and potential issues to the team when perceived.

5.      Event communication:

• Produce content for the conference website related to fundraising packages etc.

• Support UNU Macau’s Communications lead with conference related matters, if needed.

• Support the researchers and team to prepare the post-conference outputs e.g. report and publications.

6.      Perform other tasks as required by the Director.

Key performance indicators

• Timely and quality delivery on operational goals.

• Timely and quality delivery on fundraising targets.

• Quality and level of engagement with partners, related networks and working groups.

• UNU Macau is seen as a reliable and trustworthy partner by research partners, governments, donors, and civil society.

• Performance of the conference.

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion — take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity

• Integrity — act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards

• Humility — demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others

• Humanity — act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet

Behaviours:

• Connect and collaborate — build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN

• Analyse and plan — seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action

• Deliver results with positive impact — hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves

• Learn and develop — pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others

• Adapt and innovate — demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways

1) Education and certification

• Bachelor’s degree (Bsc) in disciplines that have relevance to business administration, marketing, communications, project management, external relations or related fields of study. Educational background in, or knowledge of digital technologies is an advantage.

2) Required skills and experience

Required

• At least FIVE (5) years full-time working experience in a standard business environment.

• Working experience with client management or customer relations required.

• Mission travel may be required.

• Selected candidate is required to be available for meetings in person in Macau SAR.

• Proficiency with Office 365 tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, and Teams.

• Result driven and with high attention to detail.

• Able to work under pressure and with minimum supervision.

• Good team player with strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to work in an international environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Desired

• Experience with fundraising for events and campaigns is an advantage

• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including public, private, non-profit and intergovernmental organizations.

• Experience in working a multi-disciplinary team.

3) Language Requirements

• Strong communication and presentation skills, along with excellent drafting skills, and fluency in English and Chinese.

• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.

Duration

The successful candidate will be retained under a Consultant Contract (CTC). Consultants engaged by UNU may not provide services for more than twenty-four (24) months in a thirty-six (36) month period.

UNU is not liable for any taxes that may be levied on the remuneration you receive under this contract. Payment of any such taxes remains the sole responsibility of contract holders.

Remuneration

Remuneration will be commensurate with experience.

This contract carries no entitlement to paid annual leave nor sick leave.

Travel considerations

Should “mission travel” be required, UNU will pay for the approved travel costs. However, this will be subject to the following prerequisites: Medical Clearance, Security Clearance through the Travel Request Information Process (TRIP) system, completion of the BSAFE online course, travel visa, and liability waiver. Trip prerequisites will be met at the expense of the consultant.

Travel costs will be calculated based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel. Costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals must not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC at http://icsc.un.org).

Expected start date

February 2025

How to Apply

To apply to UNU, you will not need an account. Instead, we ask that you:

• Apply via the apply link;

• Fill out the UNU P11 Form (please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organizations);

• Provide a motivation statement (in the P11 form); and

• Answer a few questions that are tailored to the position.

• Applications that do not include all the requested information will not be considered

You may wish to refer to the UN Values and Behaviours Framework for more information.

Application Deadline

December 11, 2024 (11:59pm, Macau time zone GMT +8)
** Application page no longer operational beyond application deadline.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a desk review and/or a competency-based interview, background checks and references.

Special notice

UNU does not sponsor a working visa for this position.

Consultants do not hold international civil servant status nor are they considered a “staff member” as defined in the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations.

UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply. Applications from developing countries, and from women are strongly encouraged.

UNU has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNU, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

If you have supervisory function you need to have awareness on gender related issues.

Information about UNU rosters

UNU reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNU.

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