Project Coordinator, Panama City

General

Description of assignment title: Project Coordinator
Assignment country: Panama
Duty stations: Panama City
Work location: On UN premises
Expected start date: 09/28/2026
Expected end date: 09/27/2027
Sustainable Development Goal: 13. Climate action
Host entity: UNDRR
Modality: Onsite
Type: International
Volunteer category: Expert UCoS from Apr2026
Work schedule: Full-time
Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives

Our mission is to provide leadership and support to accelerate global efforts in disaster risk reduction to achieve inclusive sustainable development and the goal of the Sendai Framework. UNDRR’s vision is of a world where disaster risks no longer threaten the well-being of people and the future of the planet.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) was the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda and provides Member States with concrete actions to protect development gains from the risk of disaster.

The Sendai Framework works hand in hand with the other 2030 Agenda agreements, including The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, The Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the New Urban Agenda, and ultimately the Sustainable Development Goals.

It was endorsed by the UN General Assembly following the 2015 Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR), and advocates for:

• The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries.

It recognizes that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.

Context

ECHO DP Program (formerly DIPECHO)

Since 2011, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and DG ECHO (European Commission's Directorate General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations) have joined forces in 14 actions financially supported by ECHO through a total investment of close to €10 million carried out in Central America (4 actions), South America (5 actions), the Caribbean (4 actions) and a regional support activity in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Specifically, the new regional UNDRR- ECHO Action will contribute to the scaling up of the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SF) through disaster preparedness, risk knowledge for anticipatory and humanitarian action, strategic coordination and key partnership engagement supporting the LAC region. Special focus will be given to the action and promote better response with participation from multiple stakeholders such as MOU EU LAC signatures, humanitarian actors, United Nation Country Teams and the wider disaster preparedness community, including ECHO partners and actors funded by other donors.

Activities will be carried out at the regional, sub-regional and national level. The main activities to achieve these results include technical assistance, capacity-building, risk knowledge, multi actor coordination, strategic communication, and political advocacy to boost concrete results.

The planned activities of the Action include a gender, age and disability approach as identified in the Sendai Framework and as reflected in UNDRR's Work Programme but also in accordance with the United Nations and EU mandates and values.

Early Warnings for All

In November 2022, the UN Secretary General launched the Early Warnings for All (EW4ALL) initiative to advance the efforts to protect everyone in the world by the end-to-end MHEWS. The initiative calls for all people everywhere to be protected by early warning systems by 2027. UNDRR, together with World Meteorological Organization (WMO), leads the global coordination of the EW4ALL in close collaboration with International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC).

Early warning systems (EWS) are key elements of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, as they help reduce or avoid the detrimental impacts of hazardous events. To be effective, early warning systems need to be risk-informed, multi-hazard, multi-sectorial, target communities most at risk, disseminate messages and warnings efficiently, ensure preparedness, and support early action.

Under the EW4All Executive Action Plan, different organizations will lead the implementation of the four pillars that make up the early warning chain:

• Pillar 1: Disaster risk knowledge, is led by UNDRR.
• Pillar 2: Detection, observations, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of hazards, is led by WMO.
• Pillar 3: Warning dissemination and communication, is led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• Pillar 4: Preparedness to respond, is led by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The UN Volunteer will provide overall leadership, coordination, and quality assurance for implementation of the project across Latin America and the Caribbean, ensuring coherence subregions and alignment with UNDRR, EW4ALL, and EU-LAC MoU priorities.

Task description

Under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer (EW4ALL Regional Coordinator) of UNDRR Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean (ROAC), the UN Volunteer will:

Project Leadership & Coordination

• Lead overall planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities, deliverables and financial management
• Ensure coherence across subregional workstreams and alignment with project results and indicators
• Coordinate contributions to risk knowledge products (RAR, country risk profiles, EW4All stock takes)

Strategic Engagement

• Serve as primary liaison with key partners (DG-ECHO, IGOs, UN agencies, ECHO funded partners);
• Lead EU-LAC MoU coordination, technical secretariat – including transition - and high-level dialogues;
• Ensure linkages and support to 2027 Regional Platform, subregional events and fora and global DRR processes

Technical Oversight

• Guide quality assurance of:
  • Risk assessments and knowledge products
  • MHEWS assessments, risk knowledge products, inputs to RAR27 and overall technical outputs
  • Knowledge exchanges and public information (press releases, social media feeds, web content, etc.)
• Provide support to UNETT / UN Country Team and the Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO); as well as to related UN and humanitarian processes, including technical advising to the regional office on disaster preparedness, early and anticipatory action, and humanitarian linkage aligned with Sendai Framework implementation and reporting on progress.

Monitoring & Reporting

• Gather, systematize and produce progress reports and results tracking,
• Ensure compliance with UNDRR results-based monitoring and donor requirements,
• Lead weekly internal coordination meetings and overall planning cycles.
• Guarantee visibility of the project activities and impact stories, using prevention web (dipecho lac), social media channels, etc.

Others as agreed mutually with the regional office.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results, and opportunities.
• Contribute with articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Outputs / Deliverables

• Consolidated workplans and progress reports;
• Quality-assured RAR, MHEWS forensic stock takes, and country risk profiles;
• Coordination outputs: meeting notes, summaries of technical exchanges, strategic briefs;
• Midterm and final project report (narrative and financial).

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80
Required experience: 7 years
Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience: 7 years

Languages:

• Spanish, Level: Fluent, Required
• English, Level: Fluent, Required
• French, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable

Required education level: Bachelor's degree in Climate, Development, humanitarian action or related.

Competencies and values:

• Adaptability and flexibility
• Creativity
• Judgement and decision-making
• Planning and organising
• Professionalism
• Self-management

Skills and experience:

• Minimum seven (7) years of experience in project management.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience in risk disaster risk reduction, humanitarian action, preparedness, or resilience.
• Proven experience leading multi-country/regional programmes.
• Strong coordination and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills
• Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally, socially and gender sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.

Area(s) of expertise: Emergency preparedness, crisis response, Project management, programme development, strategy, Communication, advocacy, public information

Driving license: -

Other information

Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Living conditions and remarks

Panama City is classified 'A' Duty Station (Family) and has good infrastructure (health, housing, banking, transportation, telecommunications and recreational facilities) and good supply of goods and services, with no particular health hazards.

In terms of security Panama is relatively safe compared to other cities throughout Latin America and it is rated as security level '1 minimal' whereas for Darién Province (border with Colombia) it is security level '2 low'. The city is a communication hub and it is possible to fly to all countries of the region with direct flights and it offers good options for travelling in general. UNDRR-LAC offices are located in the Canal Zone, in a green area outside the city centre called City of Knowledge where most of the other UN Agencies are also located, as well as International Schools, NGOs and research centres, etc.

The cost of living is relatively high for the region (reflected in the post adjustment), especially for housing and health, but it is easy to find accommodation on the private market, including in the area of the office in houses or in the city centre towers in modern apartments. Most of the food is imported except for sea products and some fruits and vegetables. There is a wide range of international schools, several of them offering IB curriculum including some in the office area.

In terms of recreational activities, Panama being a hub for the purchasing of goods for neighboring countries, the city offers a lot of malls and doing shopping and going to malls is a common weekend activity. Cultural offer is limited but there is a good offer of restaurants and a dynamic nightlife. Beaches on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts are reachable within one hour by car or by boat directly from the city and there are some options for hiking too. There is also a relatively good range of sports activities.

For the everyday life it is recommended to have Spanish knowledge as English is not widely spoken in the shops and services. The government offers the possibility for UN spouses to get work permits and provides UN staff members with tax exemption cards for shops and restaurants. Just like other fast-growing cities, the traffic is heavy at peak hours and considered an issue for people living in Panama City. The climate is hot and humid with a rainy season lasting 8 months a year.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

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