Background

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.

UNV engaged 6,807 UN Volunteers in 2012, on a total of 6,912 assignments. With an average age of 38 years and the requisite professional skills and qualifications of some 5 to 10 years relevant experience, UN volunteers served in 127 countries in 2012 and came themselves from 159. The majority – 79 per cent – come from developing countries themselves. One third of UN volunteers served in their own countries, with the others carrying out international assignments. The financial equivalent of programme activities exceeds US$220 million annually.  

UNV is headquartered in Bonn, Germany and has approximately 150 staff positions – with the majority in Bonn and some positions with different UN peacekeeping and political missions, and in other Headquarters locations (e.g. New York and Tokyo). The major organizational groups within UNV are:

• The Office of the Executive Coordinator (OEC) comprising the Evaluation Unit (EU) and the Corporate Planning and Performance Unit (CPPU);
• The Volunteer Programming and Management Group (VPMG) comprising Quality Assurance Unit (QAU), Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS), and Peace and Development Division (PDD), which includes the Peace Programming Section (PPS), the Development Programming Section (DPS), and the Volunteer Recruitment Resources Section (VRRS);
• The Partnerships and Communications Division (PCD) comprising the Partnerships Section (PS) and the Communications Section (CS);
• The Management Services Division (MSD) comprising the Information and Communication Technology Section (ICTS), Finance Section (FS), Human Resources Section (HRS), and the Administration Unit (AU). Additionally the Common Services Unit (CSU) provides support to the UN presence in Bonn.

Organizational setting:

The Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS) enhances UNV’s proactive capacity to mainstream volunteerism into peace and development initiatives through:

• Promoting sound volunteer management practices, including the development of innovative volunteering solutions (volunteer modalities and volunteer management resources and tools) and the management of the Online Volunteering service;
• Leading the delivery of volunteerism advisory services for integration of volunteerism for peace and development into policies and programming; and for enhancing the recognition of volunteerism contributions;
• Leading initiatives for Volunteer Learning and Knowledge management.

The first State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) was published in 2011, marking the tenth The first State of the World’s Volunteerism Report was published in 2011, marking the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers.  UNV will take the lead in continuing to produce the SWVR.  The SWVR plays a key role in providing a platform to expand and increase awareness of the empirical evidence of volunteerism’s critical role in peace and development; and to increase recognition of UNV’s leadership role in the United Nations System on volunteerism.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Policy Specialist (Volunteerism), the Programme Specialist (SWVR) will play a key role in the development, production, promotion, dissemination of a quality SWVR and effective project management and reporting. 

Contribute to effective project management and reporting

• Supports oversight of planning and pursues the timely delivery of the different elements of the project;
• Coordinates results monitoring and reporting;
• Engages in resource planning and budgeting, as well as in financial monitoring and reporting;
• Manages teams to conduct successful workshops, meetings, reviews, events, etc.;
• Manages consultancies and other procurement processes.

Facilitate quality research processes for SWVR and ancillary processes led by UNV

• Engages with teams of researchers, writers, working groups and reviewers in support of the Report drafting;
• Conducts volunteerism research and analysis as appropriate;
• Coordinates research, reference, and database management.

Participate in partner relations, Report promotion and dissemination

• Develops and executes a partnership engagement plan for the SWVR in collaboration with the Partnerships Section;
• Engages in partnership relations building and outreach;
• Contributes to Report promotion and dissemination, including as team leader as appropriate;
• Promotes dialogue on the Report to enable wider reach and impact.

Manage the report production

• Leads on the planning and timely completion of publishing of products production, including editing, translation, proofing, printing, etc. within the frame of the SWVR project
• Coordinates team of consultants, staff, and interns needed to fulfill to produce all relevant products

Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Leads in organzing and facilitates effective internal and external communications with UNV and with relevant stakeholders to support knowledge exchanges and networking;
• Oversees knowledge sharing, documentation, and recording of best practices in the area of research and SWVR publications;
• Maintains and monitors risk management log.

Other duties as assigned.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Building Strategic Partnerships

• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNV’s mandate and strategic agenda;
• Sensitizes partners to UNV’s SWVR strategic agenda, identifying areas for joint efforts;
• Displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/herself and willingly accepts new work assignments;
• Takes responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and strives until successful outputs are achieved.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
• Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff;
• Continues to seeks new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the project;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally;
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments;
• Demonstrated good written and oral communication skills.

Design and Implementation of Management Systems

• Carries out research into existing systems to identify best practice and make recommendations to management on applicability to UNV.

Client Orientation

• Anticipates client needs;
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective;
• Keeps the client informed of problems or delays in the provision of services;
• Uses discretion and flexibility in interpreting rules in order to meet client needs and achieve organizational goals more effectively;
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality.

Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management

• Provides inputs to the development of organizational standards for accountability and results-based management;
• Develops and applies tools and techniques in assessing the application of programme and/or administer the policies and procedures.

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 social sciences, sociology, research, development, or related area.

Experience:

• At least 5 years relevant work experience in the following areas: research, knowledge management and knowledge production; in all aspects of producing a publication including editing, translation, printing, and dissemination; project management and procurement;
• Knowledge and experience of volunteerism with its diverse manifestations, preferably in a development setting
• Experience in coordinating teams;
• Experience in the UN system or other international organization is desirable;
• Knowledge of governance in a development context desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English language required;
• Working knowledge of another UN language and German highly desirable.

Applications should be submitted on line and include an up to date UNDP Personal History Form (P11) posted at http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc.  Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

The successful candidate will hold a UNDP letter of appointment.