UNDP Jobs - 49002- Risk Management Consultant

Risk Management Consultant

Location :

Istanbul with limited travel to RBEC region, TURKEY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

30-Aug-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated October 2014 - October 2015

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

approximately 224 days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Within the framework of UNDP RBEC Regional Programme for 2014-2017, a Risk Management Consultant will be hired for one year to undertake activities related to UNDP’s conflict prevention, risk management and country support work, with focuses on countries with ongoing and emerging risk dynamics. The objective of the role is to strengthen support to the UN’s network of development professionals in the ECIS region and to improve the capacity of RCs to respond swiftly and adequately to emerging threats and challenges.

The consultant will support the scope of activities undertaken by UNDP to incorporate analysis into programming and project design and implementation. He/She will work on capacity development initiatives for the UN’s development professionals. They will also support new initiatives including to codify substantial best practices and lessons learned from past projects and interventions; coordinate partnerships with other key regional actors; and better articulate the linkages between disaster and conflict dynamics in order to inform more coordinated and aware future interventions.

The Consultant will be contracted to carry out tasks specified below and will report to the Regional Conflict Prevention Advisor at the Istanbul Regional Centre for the ECIS.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will provide analytical and organizational support to UNDP and project stakeholders. More specifically, the Consultant will undertake the following activities:

Coordinating the provision of risk management services to Country Offices under the UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-2017) and UNDP Regional Programme for Europe and the CIS (2014-2017);
Contributing to, providing quality assurance to, and seeking opportunities to improve the production of regular risk analysis in-house;
Providing support to project development by Country Offices; working with the Regional Conflict Prevention Advisor and regional colleagues to improve the risk- and conflict-sensitivity of project planning;
Providing substantial and editorial input to policy documents, work plans and briefings to senior staff as they arise;
Providing general backstopping support to UNDP’s development professionals; including through Community of Practice activities;
Assisting the management of social cohesion and conflict prevention-related resources and reports;
Representing the regional Resilience Building team at selected events and meetings;
Assisting the organization of trainings, workshops and events where necessary;
Undertaking any other relevant duties falling within the scope of their competence, which may arise during the course of their assignment, as requested by UNDP.

Deliverables:

The Consultant will be required to submit monthly reports to the Regional Conflict Prevention Advisor detailing work and progress on work areas listed above. All deliverables below will be assessed by the Regional Conflict Prevention Advisor, on whose approval payments will proceed.

Successfully coordinated risk management products for the full 12-month period;
Contributed thematic and quality-assurance inputs to development of related projects in the region, specifics defined by Supervisor;
Organised social cohesion and conflict prevention resources for the full 12-month period; final guide produced on handover of resources;
Attendance of meetings and workshops as representative of team working on Resilience Building; specifics as defined by Supervisor;
Successful development of (at least) two mechanisms for backstopping of regional development professionals from Regional Centre.

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

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Promotes the mission and values of the UN;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity;
Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Functional competencies

Very strong English language writing (drafting, editing) skills;
Proven strong analytical skills and ability to be concise and to the point;
Tact, discretion and proven diplomatic skills in dealing with culturally and politically sensitive issues;
Familiarity with, and ideally experience in, working in the development sector;
Proven ability to work both independently,as part of a team and in a supervisory role;
Close attention to detail; and an ability to quickly learn from mistakes;
Experience in dealing with tight and immovable deadlines;
Remaining calm under pressure and amidst changing dynamics.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education:

Minimum Bachelor degree (preferably a Master’s Degree) in international relations, political science, conflict studies, security studies, risk management, or related field.

Experience:

At least two years’ demonstrable work experience in a social sciences field, ideally related to conflict prevention, risk management and/or development;
Experience analysing and writing about salient political, economic and social factors which influence transition and development, specifically in the ECIS region;
Experience working internationally and in multi-cultural environments;
Experience of working with UNDP – particularly in the ECIS region - is an advantage.

Language skills:

Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English;
Russian-language abilities an asset.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications, written sample and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
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. 35 points:

Criteria A – Relevant University studies completed – max points: 5;
Criteria B – Demonstrable thematically-relevant work experience – max points: 10;
Criteria C – Experience with work related to the ECIS region; preferably with UNDP - max points: 10;
Criteria D – Experience working in multi-cultural and international environments - max points: 5;
Criteria E – Quality of written sample – max points 5.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 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;
Writing sample conveying an objective analysis of the current political crisis in Ukraine and the potential impact on development trajectories as a result (up to 1,000 words);
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 i) a total monthly lump sum amount in USD for the tasks/deliverables specified in this announcement and ii) lump sum to join duty station/repatriation travel. Payments will be made upon submitted satisfactory progress report against deliverables and upon its acceptance by the Supervisor. Travel costs related to missions shall not be included in financial proposal. They will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations;
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...) with the exception of travel expenses for missions. Travel costs related to possible missions will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations.

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://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

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.