UNDP Jobs - 51951- Programme Advisor, MDGs

Programme Advisor, MDGs

Location :

Bangkok, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

23-Dec-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year renewable

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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 Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Reporting to the Regional Team Leader, Inclusive Growth, in the Regional Hub in Bangkok, the Programme Advisor, MDGs is a lead expert in the area of the Millennium Development Goals and the post-2015 agenda. In collaboration with other Advisors and Specialists in the Regional Hub, HQ, Country Offices and Global Policy Centers, s/he is responsible for providing policy and programme advisory services to Country Offices and oversees the utilization of products and tools in this thematic area, including the MDG Acceleration Framework. S/he does this in response to requests from country offices in collaboration with the Country Support team of the Regional Hub and the integration and coordination team. S/he will work closely with the Team Leader, Development Planning and Inclusive Sustainable Growth, to support MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) implementation and subsequently the transition to an SDG support framework. The Programme Advisor will collaborate with livelihoods and economic recovery and Natural Capital and environment advisors in the design and implementation of MDG/MAFs. Working to ensure quality and coherent policy and programme advisory services within their region and across other regions as well as alignment with the Strategic Plan, the Programme Advisor advances the credibility and recognition of the organization’s programmes in this thematic area. S/he is responsible for:

Programme Support and Policy Advice;
Support Policy Development;
Resource Mobilization;
Partnerships, Representation and Advocacy;
Knowledge Management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Programme Support and Policy Advice

Provide programme support on MDG acceleration and the post-2015 agenda to Country Offices, helping them to ensure relevance of the services provided to country and regional context including crisis situations, in close collaboration with livelihoods/economic recovery and natural capital /environment specialists;
Deliver technical policy advice and programme support, in collaboration with other teams in the Regional Hubs and HQ, that responds to country office needs on MDG achievement, development planning initiatives and SDG baselines and implementation, including through the provision of capacity building and backstopping;
Develop and manage regional programmes and initiatives;
Recommend and lead integrated multi-disciplinary approaches, including Development Solutions Teams (DSTs), to deliver advisory services / programming needs in line with emerging client needs;
Identify and recommend to management new opportunities for policy advisory directions and roles;
Identify mission-critical roles for thematic area in crisis and conflict responses and, provide timely technical policy and programme advice for crisis situations in response to requests coordinated by CRU;
Liaise with the CRU to provide related contributions to UNDP SURGE for country offices; and
Ensure proper coordination with the country support team in the Regional Hub.

Support Policy Development

Lead the integration of UNDP’s work on MDG acceleration and the post-2015 agenda within the region into a coherent policy and programming framework that encompasses livelihoods and environmental sustainability in support of the implementation of the UNDP Strategic Plan, including regional and global work around SDG baseline and target setting;
Advise the Team Leader, Regional Director and Chief of Profession on policy gaps and opportunities for development of overall team priorities and workplans, working closely with livelihoods, natural capital, and environment specialists/advisors;
Design policy initiatives for relevant contexts on emerging policy agendas collaborating with policy teams in HQ and communicating and representing perspectives and knowledge from Country Offices and the regions;
Critically assess and measure policy services in the designated area and recommend to COs, HQ and Hub Management new policy and strategic alignment options; and
Foster policy innovation in the specific thematic area to enhance programme delivery.

Management and Resource Mobilization

Manage the formulation and implementation of the substantive work plan;
Critically assess delivery and performance against emerging trends and thinking in the thematic area;
Ensure that Performance Assessments are carried out according to UNDP procedures;
Ensure adherence to the relevant business processes and the delivery of high-quality outputs on time;
In collaboration with BERA, the Team Leader in Bangkok and the Chief of Profession for Sustainable Development, seek and identify partnership and funding opportunities; and oversee the preparation of funding proposals, donor briefings and presentations in support of resource mobilization efforts; and
Establish and maintain an enabling environment for harmonious working relationships and team-building, by promoting consistent and constructive communication, open information sharing, and coordination among all staff

Partnerships, Representation and Advocacy

Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant regional bodies and provide substantive inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives on MDG achievement and SDGs;
Represent UNDP and engage in UN interagency coordination as well as in other fora with the aim to advance UNDP’s strategic agenda in the thematic area; and
Advocate policy and positioning of this thematic area in various fora and through programme efforts, including academia and civil society.

Knowledge Management

Oversee the knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned in the specific thematic area, ensuring that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools; and
Guide and coordinate cross-regional exchange of knowledge by collaborating with policy teams in HQ to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools and guidance to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material at various fora.

Competencies

Core:

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:

Development planning;
Strong analytical skills;
Knowledge of development planning processes at the national and local level and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations;
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
Knowledge of the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations;
Sustainable development;
Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, covering the economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Representation

Ability to productively share UNDP knowledge and activities (at UN and other venues).

Resource Mobilization

Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources.

Partnerships

Ability to engage with others and forge productive working relationships.

Secondary:

Poverty and human development

Knowledge of poverty, human development and inclusive and sustainable growth issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.

Programme Management

Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Knowledge Management

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Collaboration

Ability to work together to achieve a unified understanding and/or results.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

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

Experience:

10 years of professional work experience providing policy advice and advancing the development and implementation of sustainable development planning approaches in different country and development contexts;
Experience working towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals required; and
Experience related to the development of the post-2015 agenda an asset;
Experience working in developing country settings is required.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English, both written and oral required;
Working knowledge of another UN language relevant to the region an asset.