UNDP Jobs - 51953- Senior Policy Advisor, HIV, Health and Sustainabil

Senior Policy Advisor, HIV, Health and Sustainability

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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 Team Leader for Health and HIV in New York, the Senior Policy Advisor for HIV, Health and Sustainability based in HQ leads the collaborative process of policy development in area of HIV, Health and Sustainability. S/he works with teams across UNDP’s Regional Hubs, Country Offices and Global Policy Centers, overseeing the development of substantive approaches, products and tools in the thematic area to support policy and programming services to UNDP Country Offices. This guidance is informed by the empirical perspectives of programmatic and partnership dimensions at the country level. The Policy Advisor advances results, the credibility and recognition of the organization’s programmes in the thematic area. S/he is responsible for leading the following:

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

Duties and Responsibilities

Policy Formulation and Development

Guide the integration of UNDP’s work in HIV, health and sustainability into a coherent policy and programming framework in support of the implementation of the UNDP Strategic Plan;
Lead and coordinate production of relevant analysis and guidance, in close collaboration with BPPS strategic policy team on emerging issues of global significance;
Design policy initiatives for different contexts on key emerging policy agendas, in collaboration with policy teams in the Regional Hubs bringing in perspectives and knowledge from Country Offices and the regions;
Coordinate and commission new research, including through working with the Global Policy Centers; and
Guide the quality assurance of policy services and foster policy innovation in the specific thematic area to enhance programme delivery.

Policy Advice/ Programme Support Delivery

Provide guidance and input to teams in Regional Hubs in their provision of policy advisory services to country offices, helping them to ensure relevance of the services provided to country and regional context including crisis situations;
In collaboration with the BPPS teams the Regional Hubs, deliver technical policy advice and programme support that responds to country office needs, including through the provision of capacity building and backstopping;
Support the use of integrated multi-disciplinary approaches, including through Development Solutions Teams (DSTs), to meet policy and programming needs in line with corporate guidance and standards; and
Liaise with the CRU to ensure a rapid and well-coordinated response to crisis and conflict situations and provide related contributions to UNDP SURGE for country offices.

Overall Management and Resource Mobilization

In collaboration with BERA, the Team Leader and the Chief of Profession for Governance and Peacebuilding, lead resource mobilization to support the delivery of UNDP results in the area of HIV, health and sustainability.;
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; and
Where relevant, ensure that Performance Assessments are carried out according to UNDP procedures.

Partnerships, Representation and Advocacy

Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant bodies and provide substantive inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives;
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;
Advocate policy and positioning of this thematic area in various fora, including academia and civil society.

Knowledge Management

Guide and coordinate cross-regional exchange of knowledge by collaborating with policy teams in Regional Hubs 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;
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.

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:

HIV, Health, and Development

Understanding and practical experience of issues related to HIV, Health, and Development and social determinants of health and the ability to apply them to strategic and/or practical situations.

Social Determinants of Health

Understanding and practical experience of social determinants of health, and the ability to apply them to strategic and/or practical situations.

Universal Health Coverage Monitoring

Ability to assess and monitor universal health coverage.

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 other agencies and forge productive working relationships.

Secondary:

Trends and emerging areas analytics

Ability to scan the horizon and identify approaches and initiatives to bring into policy and programme design.

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 economics, business administration, social sciences or related disciplines.

Experience:

10 years of professional work experience providing policy advice and pioneering approaches in the area of HIV, Health and Sustainability in different development contexts, with particular experience working on non-communicable diseases and universal health coverage including as related to excluded groups;
Experience working in developing country settings is required.

Language Requirements:

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