Background

Roma inclusion is both, a national and pan-European challenge and UNDP as international organization faces to be one of the key players of the Roma inclusion process in Europe. The dual layer organizational structure of UNDP combines the network of CO-s to implement country-specific projects, and the Bratislava Regional Centre to provide comprehensive and consistent conceptual framework and support. Being part of UN system makes UNDP and its work impartial and equally trusted by governments, international organizations and the Roma civil society too.

The substantive sources of UNDP are rooted in the strong record of sustainable and realistic approach to Roma inclusion. Namely:

• The first UNDP Roma report, “Avoiding the Dependency Trap” drew attention to the need to address the systemic causes of Roma exclusion and go beyond plain human rights rhetoric.

• The second Roma report promoted a results-focused approach to Roma inclusion pioneering in working on quantitative data and monitoring. The data collection done in 2004 made possible constructing baselines for the Decade of Roma Inclusion initiative.

UNDP has broad expertise in actual implementation of projects on the ground with wide range of partners at CO level. This network can be used in the future as knowledge and experience base and an implementation infrastructure of big-scale regional endeavors.

UNDP’s conceptual approach is built around the idea of area-based development and human development context. It consistently defines the issue of Roma inclusion and the proposed solutions not in terms of ethnicity but rather in the context of multiple deprivations faced by different individuals and groups. Those deprivations correlate with group identity but are not primarily driven by that identity (this is why although the majority of Roma are vulnerable, not all Roma are vulnerable). The practical implications of this approach mean that Roma exclusion can be successfully addressed in territorial context, addressing all people living in the most disadvantaged regions. This will most often cover groups with a Roma majority.
UNDP is among the few international players that has the courage to present the challenge of Roma exclusion in its complexity and multidimensionality raising the issue of the complex web of interests involved. Roma exclusion is not just a matter of ignorant racist prejudice and human rights abuse; it’s a complex combination of ignorant racist prejudice and objective outcomes of daily interactions between Roma and non-Roma that reinforce those prejudices and prepare the ground for human rights abuse.

UNDP BRC plans drafting a number of regional projects with individual country components testing practical interventions at community level, addressing various challenges of poverty reduction, social inclusion, and other areas of work through tangible projects implemented with partners at community level. They would also build on existing local-level networks that have been created on the Western Balkans, in the Cserehát project in Hungary and in various projects in Slovakia.

In 2013 UNDP initiated a regional project “Regional support facility for improving stakeholder capacity for progress on Roma inclusion” to provide national governments (central and local), civil society and other stakeholders with the operational support needed to build capacity for Roma inclusion in Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Kosovo (as per UN Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)), Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova, Turkey). UNDP sees this objective as critical in terms of these governments’ EU membership preparations.
The initiative has three components: (a) Supporting national stakeholders in operationalizing the national Roma integration strategies, in order to strengthen their implementing infrastructure at central and local levels; (b) Supporting the establishment of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks, including data collection for results-oriented progress monitoring; and (c) Facilitating the exchange of experience, mutual learning from successes and failures, and mainstreaming working approaches to Roma inclusion at local level. 

“Area-Based Interventions for making the most of EU Fund for Sustainable Housing and Inclusion of disadvantaged Roma in pilot areas in Romania & across the border to Serbia, Macedonia and Turkey” project builds upon many years of UNDP expertise in the area of poverty reduction and Roma inclusion in the ECIS region, as well as Roma-targeted area-based-development projects at the local level in Cserehat, Hungary (2005-2010) and in Cluj, Romania (2012). The project relies also on the committed involvement on a national level through the UNDP offices in the 4 countries (Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, and Turkey). It is being implemented as part of the wider Regional Support Facility regional project.

The project aligns closely with MtM’s mission to make the most of EU funds for Roma inclusion — by holding as its prime objectives the forging and enhancement of processes and replicable models of social inclusion and desegregation through integrated local development and housing improvement, thus creating an opportunity for Roma communities in critical sites to absorb EU funds for inclusion.

Goals of the project:

The project’s activities aim at:

• Establishing local Social Inclusion Strategies and development initiatives that directly engage the participation of and benefit the most excluded Roma groups;
• Fostering delivery of public services through facilitating partnership of local authorities with civil society partners; 
  
• Supporting municipal management in desegregation, inclusion and poverty reduction through strengthening of organizational capacity and technical expertise of local and regional development actor;
• Increasing the absorption capacity of the development stakeholders of Roma inclusion;
• Share in the vision of MtM of the critical importance of public reform and management for a more just and equal society.

Objectives

• Ensure the sustainability of the overall “ABD for Inclusion” initiative and its results in Cluj and generate new strategic partnerships and projects in the wider Cluj Metropolitan area;
• Multiply the “ABD for Inclusion” model in Braila and Galati cities and contribute to the establishment of necessary conditions to implementation of the model in Bucharest 2nd and 3rd districts and other interested cities in Romania;
• Contribute to setting up of necessary conditions on national level to localizing the EU 2020 Roma Inclusion strategy in Romania;
• Contribute to set up of conditions for the further scaling up of implementation of the EU Roma Strategy at the local level in Central-Eastern Europe and the Balkan region, especially in Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within the framework of this TOR the responsibilities of this position entails overall administration and successful completion of project activities, under supervision of the CTA of the project the PM is being expected to lead the local project teams in Cluj and Braila/Galati and work closely with the Partner Institutions, project’s experts and local community to facilitate the process of implementation for sustainable development by performing, but not limited to, the following duties:

• Manage in a transparent and efficient way the available technical, financial and human resources (Approximately 20 working days);
• Keep records and file all documents related to planning and generation of projects and strategic concept notes (approximately 5 working days);
• Coordinate the participatory process by linking and mediating between stakeholders (approximately 12 working days) by:
  
  • Facilitating the work of target group and actively involve them in the local development process;
  • Mobilize and coordinate the volunteers;
  • Oversee the local stakeholder and local community groups meetings of the project teams;
• Prepare agenda and participation to regular coordination meetings with the local counterparts; produce narrative and financial reports to be submitted to the Steering Committee (approximately 8 working days)
• Manage the logistical arrangements for trainings, workshops, study visit and other related travels (approximately 5 working days);
• Maintain close working relationships with the two local Project Coordinators and assist them in their professional work, in logistics and administration (approximately 7 working days);
• Plan and manage periodic evaluation and impact assessment of the project (approximately 5 working days);
• Collect, analyze and share lessons learnt internally and externally and make suggestions to incorporate lessons learned in project monitoring and in policy dialogue (approximately 8 working days) ;
• Assist communication expert in preparing inputs for the communication strategy (approximately 5 working days);
• Assist and facilitate the data collection and study development of the experts and the CTA (approximately 8 working days);
• Provide technical and administrative contribution in the formulation the socio-economic development scenarios based on local community requests and consultants analysis results (approximately 10 working days);
• Ensure alignment of planned activities with the local stakeholders through close consultation on behalf of the Project with the authorities assigned to the project (approximately 20 working days);
• Contribute to regional (CEE, SEE) networking for are-based Roma inclusion (approximately 5 working days);
• Provide technical and administrative contribution to establishing working groups with project related communities to identify their real problems, needs and future ideas (approximately 5 working days);
• Contribute to ensuring the target groups’ participation and voice in decisions related to pilot actions and projects, as well as to the whole ‘ABD for inclusion’ process in Romania (approximately 5 working days);
• Participate in clarifying and implementation of quick actions to meet urgent needs and build self-confidence in the target group (approximately 5 working days);    Prepare work plans and reports in English language (approximately 10 working days);
• Advocate the UNDP policy and ABD programming for inclusion on EU level and build partnership and cooperation with EU and other relevant stakeholders, and donors in the region (approximately 5 days):
• Provide administrative contribution to management of any procurement under the project (maximum 5 days);
• Any other activities and assistance which may reasonably be required (maximum 5 working days);

The implementation of the above mentioned duties will expect also travel within Romania (Cluj, Braila) in the amount of approximately 12 days (four 3-day trips).

Output and deliverables:

• Installment No. 1 - Contribute to setting up all necessary Project Conditions, e.g. preparation of TORs of local project teams and experts, project budget and work plan, etc. - estimated June 2013;
• Installment No. 2 - Contribute to administrative selection and contracting of project team members, and prepare related documentation - estimated July 2013;
• Installment No. 3 - Establish and maintain linkages with local/national organization(s) and persons which/who can be of assistance to the objectives of the Programme - estimated August 2013;
• Installment No. 4 - Prepare Project Quarterly Report, submit the Results of Activities in the first project implementation quarter - Estimated September 2013;
• Installment No. 5 - Create an electronic database of all project related documents and project partners involved - estimated October 2013;
• Installment No. 6 - Disseminate project reports and respond to queries from concerned stakeholders - estimated November 2013;
• Installment No. 7 - Contribute to preparation of draft of knowledge products (draft handbook containing guidelines to local initiatives for tackling development challenges related to Roma exclusion and segregation) - estimated December 2013;
• Installment No. 8 - Prepare of Project Quarterly Reporting, monitoring, submit the Results of Activities in Romania of the second project implementation quarter - estimated January 2013;
• Installment No. 9 - Organize project related activities (meetings, advocacy workshops, consultations, trips, and other project related activities - estimated February 2013.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies:

• Professional managerial, including administrative management and good communication skills;
• Strong analytical and inter-personal skills, ability to mobilize, coordinate and work in a team;
• Excellent expectation management and conflict mediation skills;
• Good knowledge of national and local institutional setup and civil society of Romania (specifically Cluj, Bucharest, Braila and Galati);
• Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines;
• Expectation management and good negotiation skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education:

• At least MA diploma. University degree in a discipline related to the assignment will be considered as a plus.

Experience:

• Prior knowledge and at least two years of working experience in the ABD for Inclusion in Romania is a must;
• Minimum of three years of relevant, responsible managerial experience on sustainable/integrated  local development;
• Minimum two years experience on working with disadvantaged/Roma communities;
  
• Minimum 3 years experience in a national and/or international working environment (five years will be considered as a plus), ability to work in inter-ethnic environment; UNDP experience is a plus;
• Minimum 5 years management experience;
• Networking experience;
• Proficiency in using computer applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, internet and e-mail), experience in handling of web based management and reporting system, good reporting and presentation skills.

Language skills:

• Fluency in English and Romanian language required, including excellent writing skills.

 

Evaluation of Applicants
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications, interview and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) Responsive and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 56 points:

• Criteria A (Masters Degree or higher in economics, economics development, social science, international affairs or other related area.) – max points: 10;
• Criteria B (Prior knowledge and at least two years of working experience in the ABD for Roma Inclusion in Romania) – max points: 20;
• Criteria C (Minimum of three years of relevant, responsible managerial experience on sustainable/integrated  local development ) – max points: 10;
• Criteria D (Knowledge of and experience in Europe and CIS region)– max points: 10;
• Criteria E (Minimum 3 years experience in a national and/or international working environment. UNDP experience is considered as a plus) – max points 6. 

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 24 points.


Application procedures
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
• Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
• Financial Proposal specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days, travel, per diems and any other possible costs). Please note, that costs related to missions (per diems, travel, etc.) should be included into the financial offer.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.
  

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

FC: 30000