Head of Sub-Office, North East at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of women.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Head of Sub-Office, North East

Job ID: 9792
Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria
Practice Area - Job Family
Languages: Required: English
Grade: P5
Vacancy Type: FTA International
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions:

• Strategic programme planning, coordination and implementation
• Management of the Sub-Office
• Representation and Coordination
• Management of communication flow
• Partnership building and donor liaison

Ensures strategic programme planning, coordination and implementation in North-East Nigeria, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Analyses the emergency, socio-economic and political situation and trends in North-Eastern Nigeria and identifies opportunities and entry points for UNDP.
• Manages the consolidation of UNDP’s regional programme development and implementation in the framework of comprehensive area-based programming and guided by the needs of effective implementation of the nexus between humanitarian, development and peace-building interventions.
• Ensures overall efficient coordination of programmes/projects including planning processes and timely delivery of results with the Country Office
• Ensures identification and promotion of joint programming and planning opportunities
• Supports capacity building of national counterparts.
• Oversees project implementation through close monitoring of results. Ensures effective application of RBM tools, management of scorecard targets and other benchmarks.
• Coordinates and follows through on decentralized local evaluations.
• Promotes identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned for organizational sharing and learning.

Responsible for effective office management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensures smooth running of the Sub-Office, builds an effective SO team, and promotes team work and an environment that is conducive to delivering results. 
• Ensures full responsibility for the appropriate use and management of resources attributed to the Sub-Office by tracking use of financial resources, ensuring the integrity of financial systems and consistent application of the Internal Control Framework and/or rules and regulations.
• Has Atlas manager rights as delegated. Responsible for the management of the Sub-Office staff, monitors their performance, completing performance assessments where necessary.
• Ensures timely and regular reporting.
• Oversees the effective efficient and compliant management of all operational processes including financial transactions, procurement & logistics, and administrative services.
• Under the supervision of the Country Director ensures enforcement of security procedures and MOSS/MORSS requirements in the Sub-Office.
• Mitigates possible risks and impacts associated with the Sub-Office operations (e.g. logistical and security)
• Ensures full compliance with audit requirements and timely follow-up to audit recommendations.

Responsible for representation and coordination in the area focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Represents UNDP vis-à-vis the local authorities of Borno and in relevant cluster coordination meetings and development partners at the local level.
• Ensures proper coordination and inputs to interagency initiatives at the local level.

Promotes communication flow in the Sub-Office focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensures internal communication and coordination at SO level and effective and proactive communication between relevant CO units (both programme and operations units) and the SO.
• Monitors the perception of UNDP at the local level and suggests media activities that positions UNDP more strategically and effectively as a neutral broker for local development.
• Enhances local visibility for UNDP in development effectiveness
• Ensures that local development results are effectively communicated in collaboration with Communication Office in the Country Office.

Fosters partnership building and donor liaison focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Contributes to the development of the CO Partnership and Resource Mobilization (PRM) strategy, including planning tools to implement the strategy.
• Identifies new partnerships and strengthens existing ones at the SO level through innovative approaches to partnership development.
• Encourages ways of increasing Sub-Office funding base such as engaging in resource mobilization efforts in consultation with local counterparts and following-up with donors on local opportunities.

Impact of Results:

• The results of the Head of the Sub-Office in Maiduguri impacts on the standing and reputation of UNDP in the North East.
• When requested by the Country Director, the Head of Sub-Office represents UNDP in international and national forums, liaises with external clients and a broad range of constituencies and UNDP counterparts in the Government, local and international media, civil society as well as counterparts from other international organizations.

Competencies
Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

• Influencing the public policy agenda
• Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives

Results-Based Programme Development and Management:

• Achieving results through programme design and innovative resourcing strategies
• Ensures the full implementation of country programme and Financial Resources to obtain results

Building Strategic Partnerships:

• Building strategic alliances
• Makes effective use of UNDP’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships
• Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

• Fostering innovation in others
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
• Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources

Resource Mobilization:

• Developing resource mobilization strategies at country level
• Contributes to the development of resource mobilization strategies at SO level
• Actively develops partnerships with potential donors and government counterparts in all sectors at country level

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Participating in the development of policies and innovative approaches and promoting their application throughout the organization
• Promotes UNDP as a learning/knowledge sharing organization

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Expert knowledge of own discipline
• Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures
• For managers: applies a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Demonstrates expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments

Client Orientation:

• Meeting long-term client needs
• Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives
• Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services
• Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNDP programmes and operations

Core Competencies:

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
• Building support and political acumen
• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation
• Building and promoting effective teams
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master's Degree in International Development, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, or other relevant development areas.

Experience:

• 10 years of relevant experience in development programme management, especially post-conflict and emergency contexts, in a governmental, multilateral organization in a multi-cultural setting
• 3 to 5 years of senior-level management responsibilities of similar size and complexities.
• Programme management experience within UNDP, and knowledge of UNDP programme and operations rules and regulations is a requirement.
• Knowledge of post-crisis and early recovery programming constitutes an important advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Strong written and spoken skills of the UN working language of the duty station. A second UN language desirable.

Application Closing Date
11th May, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online