UNDP Jobs - 50562- EXPERTS ROSTER - Effective Development Cooperation

EXPERTS ROSTER - Effective Development Cooperation Advisory Support Services

Location :

Various

Type of Contract :

Other

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

31-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Other

Duration of Initial Contract :

various

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

various depending on specific ToR

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

The international development landscape is rapidly evolving, swiftly becoming more complex and dynamic. Notably, the traditional Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided by bilateral and multilateral donors is now complemented by the expansion of other forms of development cooperation. While ODA remains an important source of development funding, flows of development finance are increasingly diverse and multi-directional, now joined by technical cooperation and knowledge-sharing across countries and regions. At the country level, this means the presence of an increased number of partners and modalities of development cooperation with a mounting need to coordinate, manage and ensure alignment to national priorities.

The post-2015 development agenda, with its emphasis on sustainable development, signals this paradigm shift. As highlighted in the High-Level Panel Report, poverty eradication through an inclusive development agenda – leaving no one behind - requires a broad framework with resources mobilised from all sources: national, international, private and public. As set out in the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development in 2002, placing development cooperation in a broader development financing framework is as important as ever in order to leverage and manage all available sources of development finance and possible partnerships. Both the inaugural High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) in Mexico City (April, 2014) as well as the 2014 UN Development Cooperation Forum reaffirmed this importance and emphasized the need for a targeted approach across partner countries’ sharply differentiated development landscapes. Persisting challenges to development cut across all countries, and therefore, there is need for an inclusive approach to development that integrates innovative and effective practices into the global effort to achieve sustainable development.

In this context, UNDP has begun to adapt its working approaches and focus (as outlined in the UNDP Strategic Plan 2014-2017), taking steps to respond to its clients’ perspectives and deploying modalities of problem solving which respond to changing demand at the country level. Subsequently, UNDP seeks to establish a Roster of Expertise on Effective Development Cooperation. Rostered experts may be deployed to work in any UNDP Country Office, Regional Service Center or at UNDP HQ to support clients. Depending on the specific assignment, there is also the possibility to provide support remotely (i.e. expert based in country of residence). The experts selected for the inclusion in the roster will be engaged by UNDP through individual contracts for each assignment they undertake.

Duties and Responsibilities

Development cooperation experts are sought to support the implementation of UNDP’s effective development cooperation collaboration with developing countries; countries in conflict and transition; and lower middle income countries. Support will be provided in the form of client-oriented advisory services to UNDP Country Offices (COs), UNDP Regional Service Centres (RSCs), programme/partner country clients and other partners. Experts are expected to work in one or more of the key areas of work as indicated below. The areas of expertise detailed here are a representative, but not exhaustive, list of potential activities. Specific terms of reference (ToRs) will dictate the scope of work and selection of experts from the vetted roster for each of the assignments.

Key areas of work

Institutional frameworks and arrangements:

Finance mapping and development of relevant resource mobilisation strategies;
Aid/development cooperation policy and partnership frameworks;
Legal frameworks for managing ODA;
Institutional frameworks and strengthening processes for the management and coordination of development cooperation and finance;
Development of cooperation strategies for multilateral organizations;
Operational management of development cooperation;
Impact monitoring and evaluation of international development cooperation.

Transparent systems for planning, monitoring and reporting:

Enhanced use of information on development cooperation by more actors for more purposes;
Better information on development cooperation and enhanced transparency of development aid at the country level;
Development or strengthening of development cooperation and aid information management systems (AIMS);
Integration of AIMS/development cooperation systems with development planning, budgeting and implementation processes and systems (i.e. public financial management systems, debt management systems etc.)

Evidence-based mutual accountability:

National mutual accountability frameworks (tools and mechanisms);
Domestic accountability frameworks for external resources;
Aid and development cooperation architecture;
Multi-stakeholder engagement in development cooperation policy dialogue and facilitation of national, high-level partnership fora;
Programme-based approaches and sector-wide approaches;
Monitoring of effective development cooperation commitments (i.e. Global Partnership monitoring framework) and evaluation of the impacts of development cooperation.

Knowledge sharing, peer learning and South-South cooperation for development impacts:

Facilitation of knowledge-sharing events or platforms on development cooperation;
Systematization and codification of good practices on managing international development cooperation;
Stock-taking and highlighting of innovative practices on South-South cooperation for development impacts, including enhancing domestic accountability, supporting domestic resource mobilisation and the strengthening of country systems;
Establishing or strengthening partnership strategies for South-South cooperation;
Consolidation of institutional frameworks for the scaling up of South-South cooperation.

Description of responsibilities

Experts will provide client-oriented advisory services and targeted support to UNDP COs, UNDP RSCs, programme country clients and other partners on approaches, analysis and capacity- strengthening efforts to ultimately access, coordinate, manage and utilize more complex and effective forms of development cooperation. Though an illustrative rather than comprehensive list of duties and responsibilities, and taking into account the key areas of work outlined above, rostered experts can expect to:

Provide client-oriented advisory and capacity strengthening support, considering the individual programme country context;
Undertake global, regional and national-level scoping of good practices of managing development cooperation effectively;
Support the development and strengthening of global tools, frameworks and service products for managing development cooperation effectively;
Undertake analytical work on development cooperation and produce detailed, thematic reports and briefs; and
Support the design of global, regional and country-level events on effective development cooperation and facilitate knowledge-sharing and peer-learning.

Competencies

Organisational competencies:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional competencies:

Excellent interpersonal and teamwork abilities and objectivity;
Ability to work well with others and to develop and maintain successful working relations;
Outstanding advisory skills, especially in a multi-cultural and developing country context;
Strong organizational awareness and client orientation;
Ability to manage tight deadlines and deliver high volumes of work with minimal guidance;
Sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the political and ethical issues in various country contexts.

Required Skills and Experience

We are looking for experts at mid and senior level.

Individuals applying at the senior level should have at least ten (10) years of experience in development cooperation/finance with at least five years advising clients in programme countries;
Individuals applying at mid-level should have at least five (5) years of experience in development cooperation/finance with at least three years advising clients in programme countries.

The following skills and experiences are relevant to both levels:

Education:

Masters degree in International Development Studies, Business Administration, Economics, or other development-related areas.

Experience:

Experience providing advisory services to international organizations and development actors with proven relevant working experience in the areas of development effectiveness and aid effectiveness; management of development cooperation and financing for development; or mutual accountability;
Experience designing projects and providing institutional support in the effective development cooperation arena;
Experience building and managing partnerships with developing cooperation actors, including governments, providers of development cooperation (including Southern providers), research institutes, academia, civil society organizations and/or the private sector;
Understanding of UNDP’s functions on development cooperation;
Familiarity with the development and/or strategic design of UNDP knowledge products is a plus.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English;
Knowledge of another UNDP official language is an asset.

Evaluation of applicants

All applicants will be initially screened against the minimum requirements as specified above. Only those candidates who obtain a total technical score of 70 points will be considered for an interview and requested to submit a financial proposal. The final selection will be based on the combination of the technical evaluation and the financial proposal (with a 70-30 weighting).

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates should submit the following:

A current CV.

Contracting arrangements

Several successful candidates will be selected and placed on the technical roster. Please note that inclusion in the roster does not guarantee a contract. Rostered experts will be contacted when specific service requests arise and will be asked to indicate availability and interest against a specific terms of reference (ToR) outlining the outputs of the assignment.