Background

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

The recently approved Strategic Plan for UNDP (2014-2017) recognizes the importance of preparedness, response, early recovery and the management of the risk cycle as fundamental for development. The objective of the CRU is to ensure that UNDP is well positioned to respond in the most timely and effective manner to crisis.

The responsibility of the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) will focus primarily upon and be confined to the two specific typologies of crisis listed below. CRU support for these crises is to be provided for limited duration.

• Sudden onset crisis: This would include countries that have been affected by natural disasters or sudden outbreak of armed conflicts;
• Complex protracted crisis: Examples include countries that are impacted by protracted conflicts, often with regional implications;
• Strategic and time critical situations: This would include situations involving high reputational risk to UNDP and a whole-organization approach is required.

Under the direct supervision of Deputy Director of CRU  and in close collaboration with other CRU units and the Regional/Central Bureaus of UNDP, the Team Leader of the Rapid Response and Preparedness (RRP) Unit will manage UNDP’s corporate crisis response systems and tools (e.g. SURGE; emergency consultant roster; Fast Track Procedures; Standard Operating Procedures for crisis response),and will coordinate the provision of emergency response support to COs facing a crisis through the immediate mobilization and deployment of human resources (technical, operational, managerial) and funding. With CRU’s Regional Crisis Coordinators, the Team Leader will also support the preparation, funding and implementation of SURGE plans. In particular, he/she is responsible for:

• Leading and managing the RRP Unit, ensuring effective use of resources and nurturing a culture of results, solutions and high performance standards;
• Coordinating emergency response support to Country Offices;
• Managing UNDP’s organizational crisis response instruments, ensuring proper linkages and harmonization with other emergency response actors;
• Leading in emergency response knowledge management and organizational capacity building;
• Leading on emergency preparedness enhancement, including through early warning and risk management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead and manage the RRP Unit, ensuring effective use of resources and nurturing a culture of results, solutions and high performance standards.

• Lead the team in the establishment of output based work plans, their management and the monitoring and documenting progress towards achievement of results;
• Provide guidance and direction to the team in accordance with organizational strategic plan and prescribed guidelines;
• Create an environment of team spirit and high motivation leading the team towards achieving organizational goals and provides coaching and mentoring to staff;
• Manage the Team’s budget ensuring adequate allocation of funds for the planned activities as per the RRP team and the CRU work plans;
• Supervise the team and ensure that performance appraisals are carried out according to UNDP’s procedures and timelines, and that good performance is duly acknowledged.

Coordinate the provision of emergency response support to country offices.

• Ensure timely and high quality immediate crisis response support to country offices by the deployment of human resources through the crisis deployment mechanisms including SURGE (staff), the ExpRes roster (consultants) and the stand by partner agreements.
• Collaborate with CRU’s Regional Crisis Coordinators, BPPS, the Regional Bureaux in the design of immediate response strategies including setting up Crisis Boards and other response structures and mechanisms;
• Jointly with CRU’s Regional Crisis Coordinators coordinate and facilitate the formulation of SURGE plans ensuring proper cross-bureau consultation and adequate resourcing before submission for approval to the corporate Crisis Board;
• Advocate and safeguard the proper use of UNDP’s Standard Operating Procedures for Immediate Crisis Response as well as other crisis response instruments such as the Fast Track procedures and the post-crisis Signature Products;
• Participate in Crisis Board and SURGE HQ Management Team meetings, advising on the correct implementation of UNDP SOPs for Immediate Crisis Response and providing support to the response structures as required;
• Lead, participate in and/or undertake individual missions, as required, for emergency assessment/evaluation of areas affected by or recovering from crisis.

Manage UNDP’s crisis response instruments, ensuring proper linkages and harmonization with other emergency response actors.

• Manage and ensure the continuous enhancement of UNDP’s Toolbox for Crisis Response, including the SURGE mechanism, crisis expert rosters and stand-by agreements for deployable capacity and partnership agreements and LTAs for the provision of expertise, goods and services;
• Collaborate with BoM, BPPS and Regional Bureaux for the continuous enhancement of the SOPs, Fast Track Procedures, the post-crisis Signature Products and other emergency response tools and instruments;
• Contribute to UN-wide discussions on crisis response and deployable capacities, including UNOCC and other UN and non-UN emergency response partners;
• Liaise and establish partnerships with existing units specialized in crisis response (in the UN, bilateral and multi-lateral agencies) including stand-by roster organizations;
• Support corporate crisis preparedness of COs and HQ by building up UNDP capacities, in particular through the organization and management of crisis response simulation exercises;
• In partnership with BOM, oversee implementation of the Plan of Action for the Operationalization of the Strategic Plan in Crisis Countries, including the development of Signature Products (in partnership with BPPS), Signature Processes and Signature Funding for crisis response.

Lead in emergency response knowledge management and organizational capacity building, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Oversee the design and implementation of capacity building initiatives, including SURGE training programs, to strengthen UNDP’s institutional capacity in immediate crisis response, both at HQ and CO levels, through training, workshops and other means;
• Contribute to the documentation of UNDP’s best practices and lessons learned in addressing issues of emergency response, ensuring that these are mainstreamed into UNDP's broader corporate knowledge networks;
• Liaise with other organizations and academic institutions specializing in crisis response and recovery research in support of "best practices" review and development;
• Ensure the continuous improvement of UNDP’s crisis response via field-tested experiences and lessons learned, including After Action Reviews;
• Build a solid pool of expertise for crisis response, including the identification of immediately deployable capacities within BPPS and other bureaus;
• Ensure continuous organizational learning with the purpose of improving UNDP’s crisis response mechanisms.

Lead efforts on emergency preparedness, including through early warning and risk management

• Oversee CRU’s contribution to the enhancement of UNDP’s preparedness to crisis, including the implementation of a strategy on early warning - early action;
• Provide strategic guidance to RRP in the design and roll-out of workplans on early warning and emergency preparedness;
• Ensure coherence of vision and processes for UNDP’s crisis preparedness and response mechanisms;
• Liaise with UN entities, other organizations and academic institutions on information monitoring, situation analysis and contextual risk management.

Competencies

Core competencies:

Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

• Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

• Ability to get things done.

Technical/Functional:

Primary:

Emergency Response and Coordination

• Ability to coordinate organizational response to emergency situations.

Recovery Support and Implementation

• Ability to support and implement mechanisms, processes, resources in response to disaster/crisis.

Recovery Policy and Planning

• Ability to establish mechanisms, processes, resources in readiness to disaster/crisis response.

Crisis Assessment

• Ability to use methods and tools to determine impact of various elements for crisis and post crisis situations.

Crisis Policy and Tools

• Ability to develop and implement methods and tools for crisis situations.

Secondary:

Partnerships

• Ability to engage with other agencies and forge productive working relationships.

Advocacy

• Ability to advocate a point of view and influence others.

Knowledge Management

• Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in international development, economics, business administration, social sciences or related disciplines.

Experience:

• 10 years of professional work experience, including field experience, in the areas of emergency and crisis response, crisis prevention and crisis recovery.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English, both written and oral;
• Working knowledge of another UN language is desirable.

Other:

• Strong knowledge of UNDP’s crisis response, prevention and recovery mandate, policy and tools.