Governance and Peacebuilding Regional Coordinator, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 333 views0 applications

Practice Area – Job Family: Democratic GovernanceCrisis Prevention and Recovery

Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 03/08/2019

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Education & Work Experience: I-Master’s Level Degree – 15 year(s) experience

Languages: English

Grade: D1

Vacancy Type: FTA International

Posting Type: External

Bureau: Crisis Prevention & Recovery

Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response and recovery. The Governance and Peacebuilding Regional Coordinator is the lead expert in the governance and peacebuilding knowledge domain. S/he leads a team of Specialists in this area based in the Regional Hub and reports to the Regional Hub Manager with supervision from the Crisis Bureau Deputy Director in New York as part of the Global Policy Network. He/she will provide intellectual and strategic leadership as well as technical guidance on Governance and Peacebuilding issues for UNDP, including in migration and displacement contexts, and represent UNDP in the wider governance and peacebuilding community of practice, including with UN system, bilateral partners, external experts, etc. In collaboration with other Advisors and Specialists in the Regional Hub, HQ, Country Offices, Global Policy Centers, and rosters of external advisors, s/he is responsible for leading the provision of technical expertise and policy and programme advisory services to Country Offices, supports the implementation of the regional programme and, where appropriate, with key UN and external partners. S/he responds to requests from Country Offices under the guidance of the Regional Hub Manager, and in collaboration with corporate support providers, such as the Country Support Management Team, the Crisis and Fragility Engagement and Policy Team and the SDG integrator Team. Working to ensure quality and coherent policy and programme advisory services within their region and across other regions, as well as alignment with the Strategic Plan, the Governance and Peacebuilding Regional Coordinator advances the credibility and recognition of UNDP’s capabilities in this knowledge domain and associated community of practice.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Substantive leadership and quality assurance of policy advisory services.
• Coordination and delivery of technical assistance, policy development and programme support.
• Substantive leadership for content development and curation of tools and resources, from across UNDP’s network of expertise.
• Knowledge management and community of practice networking.
• Representation, advocacy, and partner engagement for effective policy positioning in the region. 1. Substantive leadership and quality assurance of policy advisory services:
• Lead in articulating entry points and/or pivotal considerations for integrating peacebuilding and governance within regional and country-specific strategies for achieving the SDGs;
• Provide technical oversight to the team providing specialized and/or high-profile support on policy advisory and programming services primarily to COs within the region, that respond to country office needs, including through the provision of capacity building and backstopping to COs and UNCTs;
• Work with the Regional Bureau’s Country Advisors to ensure relevant, timely and multi-disciplinary response to Country needs for policy services;
• Collaborate substantively with COs and Regional Programmes to achieve regional/CO strategic goals and plans by supporting relevant regional initiatives and promoting synergies with the regional programmes;
• Provide specialized and/or high-profile support to high priority COs in project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and results reporting in line with RBM guidelines, and support quality assurance, risk management and due diligence processes;
• Provide sector specific and technical policy advice for crisis situations and on migration and displacement;
• Provide specialized and/or high-profile support to COs conducting and engaging in assessments related to all forms of crisis response, such as post-crisis, capacity and crisis-related/fragility assessments;
• Ensure risks are monitored and managed across the portfolio of advisory engagements;
• Create and facilitate opportunities for developing the capacity of national counterparts in support of achieving the Strategic Plan and other internationally agreed development goals as it relates to the peacebuilding and governance knowledge domain;
• Provide policy advisory and programming services to COs in other regions received through the GPN;
• Provide substantive inputs in the development of UNDP’s policies for the thematic area and contribute to the formulation of global policy products. 2. Coordination and delivery of technical assistance, policy development and programme support:
• Receive and coordinate requests for CO programme and policy support, assess nature of request and conduct technical review, determine if the request necessitates a multi-disciplinary response and accordingly coordinate with relevant teams in both Regional Hubs and HQ, and define package of support in collaboration with corporate stakeholders and the GPN network;
• Coordinate the engagement of regional policy advisors / technical experts who are part of the SDG Integrator cadre for advisory services in governance and peacebuilding, as per scoping agreements;
• Act as quality assurance and standard setter in the: o Delivery of services with Policy and Programme Support Advisors in the Regional Hub and HQ advisors; o Prioritization, planning and fielding of missions, in collaboration with other GPN teams, for assessment and programmatic design and follow-up at country level; o Substantive caliber, coherence, and results-focused programme development and regular reporting of results achieved.
• Manage the teams annual work plan (including mission plans and budget) in line with the Regional Bureau and the Crisis Bureau priorities, as well as UNDP standards and procedures;
• Determine if financial assistance is required and accordingly to facilitate a plan of action and to coordinate approvals as required. 3. Substantive leadership for content development and curation of tools and resources, from across UNDP’s network of expertise:

• Provide intellectual and strategic direction in identifying tools, developing methodologies and producing knowledge management products linked to crisis-related governance and peacebuilding, including migration and displacement;
• Provide direction on the content development for regional/CO knowledge products through the analysis of data, case evidence, and research findings in accordance with corporate standards;
• Lead the identification and prioritization of technical issues warranting collaboration with HQ and regional teams to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools, such as policy positions/practice notes/concept papers and other research-based products to influence/advance policy dialogue in the knowledge domain and present UNDP’s knowledge assets and capabilities at global and regional forums;
• Work closely with policy teams in HQ to curate and sharpen the research, testing and roll-out of newly commissioned policy/business development initiatives, by providing the regional perspective/specificities as well as experience-based insights on what is of most practical value for national counterparts and regional leaders;
• Design and deliver specialized training on programming tools including by developing training packs for COs to facilitate innovation learning, foster and encourage policy innovation and continuous improvement to enhance programme delivery. 4. Knowledge management and community of practice networking:
• Set forth an operational platform for continuous analysis, documentation, codification of regional results/lessons learned;
• Critically review and curate regional data, case evidence and research findings to distill pivotal lessons for UNDP globally and to translate substantive learning into organizational agility;
• Advocate and enable South-South facilitation of exchanges and experiences sharing where valuable;
• Oversight of capacity development of UNDP staff in application of tools and practices;
• Development and strengthening of linkages with peacebuilding and governance community of practice, both inside and outside of the UN system. 5. Representation, advocacy, and partner engagement for effective policy positioning in the region:
• Represent UNDP to advocate core organizational messages and positions in high-profile arenas to position UNDP to influence the policy direction in the region, including the African Union and Sub-regional organizations;
• Advocate the application of ground-breaking peacebuilding and governance approaches, especially as an integrated approach to achieving the SDGs, in various regional and country fora with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms;
• Represent UNDP within engagements in interagency coordination in peacebuilding and governance policy areas;
• Act as a pivotal resource in shaping the relationship management of regional partners and resource mobilization in line with the Regional Bureau and Global Policy Network priorities, as well as with corporate guidelines;
• Articulate and enable pathways for mobilizing and fostering external partnerships behind regional initiatives;
• Manage the building of strategic alliances and partnerships, especially with key think tanks and non-governmental organizations;
• Ensure UNDP/ Representation at inter-agency meetings, academic conferences, donor consultations and other events;
• On behalf of UNDP in the region, manage joint crisis governance initiatives with UN system, in particular the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA);
• Leverage and enable mutual support and engagement between UNDP advisors / programme managers and country-based and regional Peace and Development Advisors.

Competencies

Core: Innovation Ability to make new and useful ideas work. Leadership Ability to persuade others to follow. People Management Ability to improve performance and satisfaction. Communication Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform. Delivery Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement. Technical/Functional: Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Ability to support peace processes to facilitate recovery and development. Infrastructures for Peace Knowledge of mechanisms, methods to and the ability to contribute through dialogue and consultation in preventing conflict. Social Cohesion Knowledge of methods and experience of supporting communities to achieve greater inclusiveness, more civic participation and creating opportunities for upward mobility. Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations. Substantive Networking Ability to substantively engage and foster networks with academia, research institutions, and think tanks. Knowledge Management Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge. Collaboration & Partnerships Ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside (Programmes/projects) or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support. Sets overall direction for the formation and management of strategic relationships contributing to the overall positioning of UNDP. Management & Coordination Ability to manage and coordinate campaigns and people with inspiration. Believe in and promote diversity in the workplace and reshaping the workforce to meet need.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master’s degree, preferably in international development, law, international affairs, business administration, development economics, or other relevant field, or extensive compensating experience in the area of governance and peacebuilding. Experience:

• A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in either public sectors (national or multilateral, including UN), private (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate), with increasing level of responsibility.
• Proven track record and leadership experience in the UN System related to governance, conflict prevention and peacebuilding in crisis and fragile contexts.
• Excellent negotiating and communication skills and ability to mobilize support from a wide range of partners (public, private, academic, civil society, business community leaders).
• Proven track record of management and resource mobilization skills.
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Language Requirements: English Proficiency, French Desirable.

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