Programme Specialist - Early Recovery 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 invite applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Specialist - Early Recovery
   
Job ID: 26026
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Grade: P4
Agency: UNDP
Posting Type: External
Vacancy Type: FTA International
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension
Practice Area - Job Family: Crisis Prevention and Recovery - STABILIZATION
       
Background

The nexus of security-humanitarian-development issues around Lake Chad has given rise to an intractable extremist insurgency that has left tens of thousands of people dead, approximately 2.5 million displaced, and more than 10 million people in the region affected and in need. While robust national and multi-national military operations have re-taken territory previously controlled by Boko Haram, UNDP recognizes that a new approach is required to consolidate these gains and establish the conditions necessary to transition from military to civilian responsibility for security, and from the provision of humanitarian assistance to the resumption of stalled development processes.  In this context, the UNDP is strengthening its presence in the North East region by establishing a sub-office in Maiduguri.  The sub-office will serve as the centre of operations for programming which will include a Regional Stabilization Facility, a Disengagement, Disassociation, Reconciliation and Reintegration (DDRR) and Recovery and Resilience programme.

The Sub-Office (SO) for North East (NE) Region of Nigeria has been operational since 2017 and UNDP has establishes an Operations Service Centre to support management and operations functions related to the effective delivery of programmatic results in anticipation of launch of new programmes, such as Nigerian Window of the Stabilization Facility in NE Region.

The situations in the NE requires stronger Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus and there is an urgent need to scale up development interventions to strengthen recovery and resilience, help people and communities recover as quickly as possible and prevent a further deterioration of the crisis. Deputy Head of Sub-Office will be responsible for coordinating integrated recovery projects in the NE region to respond to the needs for early recovery and resilience-building and  address the multiple dimensions of the crisis comprehensively and simultaneously through effective coordination and synergy creations within UNDP projects as well as with other UN agencies, NGOs/CSOs, the Government authorities as well as the private sector. S/he will act for the absence of Head of Sub-Office in NE Region
   
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of UNDP Nigeria Deputy Resident Representative for Programmes (DRR-P) and the direct supervision of the Head of Stabilization in Maiduguri, the Programme Specialist – Early Recovery will be responsible for the following functions:

• Implementation of programme strategies for reconciliation, early recovery and resilience in North East (NE) Nigeria
• Management and coordination of the projects on reconciliation, early recovery and resilience in the NE.
• Creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy for the projects in NE
• Provision of top-quality policy advice services to the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management

Ensures effective implementation of programme strategies for reconciliation, early recovery and resilience-building in NE Region of Nigeria, which include:

• Conducts thorough analysis of political/social and economic situation of the NE Region and identify strategic areas of support for UNDP in areas of reconciliation, recovery and resilience;
• Provides strategic direction to the programme and specialized technical advice to the senior management on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support effective programme planning, implementation, monitoring and timely reporting;
• Identifies areas for support and interventions for reconciliation, early recovery, resilience-building, Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus in NE; and
• Assists Country Office (CO) business processes mapping and preparation of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management.

Ensures effective management and coordination of the projects in NE to promote reconciliation, early-recovery and resilience-building, throughout the management cycle of the projects/programmes in NE region, which include:

• Leads the project team/staff in NE Sub-Office and works closely with a wide array of partners to ensure effective and timely delivery of the results in line with the overall UNDP country programme strategy;
• Ensures effective application of Result-Based Management (RBM) tools, establishment of project delivery targets and monitoring achievement of results.
• Oversees formulation and implementation of Annual Work Plan (AWP) and contributes to corporate planning, evaluation and results reporting (Country Programme Document (CPD), Regional Programme Document, ROARs, IWPs, Project Boards, reports to donors, etc.).
• Ensures effective coordination of project implementation with relevant project staff, government counterparts, responsible parties to achieve programme synergies and coherency.
• Develops, oversees and monitors work plans and budgets for all activities in the project portfolio of recovery and resilience in NE region to ensure maximum delivery of the project results;
• Ensures integration of cross-cutting issues, such as gender, peace building, human rights and SDGs into UNDP recovery and resilience projects in the NE region.
• Lead project management cycle within the area of responsibility, translating UNDP’s priorities into local interventions in the NE region, including initiation of a project, managing project profile on Atlas, finalization of contribution agreement; determination of required revisions; coordination of the mandatory and budget re-phasing exercises, closure of projects through review.
• Establish and oversee the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) on the projects, regularly assessing the progress of the project activities and monitoring the risks on project implementation.
• Ensures timely and quality reporting on the projects to the relevant stakeholders, such as the donors, governments, UN agencies, and the general public.
• Ensures systematic and effective analysis, project monitoring, such as regular field visits and organization of Project Board and/or Steering Committee meetings.
• Ensures the integrity of financial and administrative operations as well as the consistent application of UNDP rules and procedures for programme and operations issues related to the programme
• Manages day to day administrative matters for the projects in NE Region with support from administrative staff and the performance of consultants and specialists;
• Ensures the integrity of financial and administrative operations in the project area through financial oversight, in close liaison with UNDP Service Center/Operations staff;
• Ensures rigorous and consistent application of UNDP rules and regulations and establishing the implementation of clear accountability mechanisms;
• Stand-in as acting Head of Sub-Office in his/her absence.

Ensures creation and development of strategic partnerships and support for resource mobilization for the recovery and resilience-building in the NE region, which include:

• Develops and maintains partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFI’s, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society in the specific thematic areas based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities.
• Conducts and regularly updates analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.
• Represents UNDP in the sector meetings on Humanitarian Coordination, Humanitarian-Development Nexus, refugee/IDP return support, specifically focusing on recovery and resilience building across the various sectors;
• Advocates for UNDP’s work and represents UNDP with national authorities, the donor community, and international financial institutions, where requested;
• Liaises regularly and forges close linkages with other UN programmes, agencies and entities, as well as other international and national stakeholders concerned;
• Contributes to the harnessing of effective partnerships and competitive selection of partners for implementation of UNDP projects in NE.

Provision of quality policy advice services to the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management, which include:

• Leads identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned from the project area for organizational sharing and learning as well as external information;
• Supports development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.
• Actively participates in UNDP knowledge networks and takes advantage of best practices and lessons learned that are available in the region and globally, and encourages project staff to do so by creating a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
• Builds solid relationships with key national partners and identifies institutional development and capacity building opportunities and priorities, where relevant;
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on programme issues.

Impacts and Key results:

• The Programme Specialist – Early Recovery will have a direct impact on the successful implementation of UNDP Projects for recovery and resilience in the NE region and strengthen coordination and synergies within UNDP and with external stakeholders, advancing UNDP’s integrated recovery and resilience agenda and humanitarian-development nexus.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master's degree in Economics, Business or Public Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or other relevant fields

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in development project management and project coordination;
• At least 2 years of experience in crisis response, early recovery and resilience building in complex crisis settings; Previous experience in North-East Nigeria is an asset.
• Proven management experience of crisis response/early recovery programme in complex situations, preferably in UNDP or other UN agency, with sound knowledge of project cycle management and assurance;
• Proven track record in programme support/monitoring/reporting experience
• Working in a multi-cultural and/or international work environment.

Competencies
Innovation - Ability to make new and useful ideas work:

• Conceptualizes and analyses problems to identify issues, underlying problems and how they relate
• Contributes creative, practical ideas and approaches to deal with challenging situation
• Strives for quality client-centered services (internal/external) when making decisions and taking actions

Leadership - Ability to persuade others to follow:

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills required
• Ability to plan own work, manage conflicting priorities, report on work progress and delivery outputs in a punctual manner
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Sets clear performance goals and standards; execute responsibilities accordingly

Communication - Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform:

• Strong communication (spoken and written) skills and ability to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills

Delivery - Ability to get things done:

• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
• Ability to lead strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage transactions, financial analysis and reporting

Result - Based Management:

• Experience on result-based project management, M&E and reporting
• Experience on capacity and functional building support for crisis management and coordination in the governments
• Understanding project implementation cycle and relations between programme and operations departments during project implementation
• Experience on partnership building and resource mobilization for crisis response and early recovery projects

Government Capacity Building:

• Experience on capacity and functional building support for crisis management and coordination in the governments
• Experience in developing national frameworks and institutions for disaster and crisis management

Communications and Interpersonal Skills:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster good working relations with various persons, good working knowledge of information and computer technology.
• Understanding the challenges of working in a multi-cultural environment and working in  a  crisis setting
• Excellent wrinting skill in English and Arabic

Knowledge Management - Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge:

• Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence
• Uses ICT and web-based management systems effectively as a tool and resource
• Is motivated & demonstrates a capacity to pursue personal developments & learn.

Partnership Management:

• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to motivate staff and mobilize colleagues and partners in the best interest of achieving results;

Stress Management:

• Ability to work under pressure and oversee and manage multiple activities and processes simultaneously and Ability to make difficult priorities and sharpen focus to achieve results.

Required Technical Skills:

• Functionally-related professional management skills including remote office management;
• Solid technical knowledge on crisis response, early recovery, and resilience-building
• Solid technical knowledge and experiences in providing assistance for basic services, livelihood enhancement, local governance, and social cohesion.
• Team-building skills in complex and conflict settings
• Plan and prioritize work activities to meet organizational goals and organizes and oversees work processes efficiently to achieve quality results;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, as well as experience in the handling of web based management systems.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in spoken and written English is a requirement.
• The ability to communicate effectively in French is an asset.

Application Closing Date
20th September, 2019.

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

Disclaimer

• Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
• UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant Information about UNDP Rosters

• Note: UNDP 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 UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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