UNDP Jobs - 51965- Programme Specialist, Conflict Prevention and Dial

Programme Specialist, Conflict Prevention and Dialogue

Location :

Panama City, PANAMA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

05-Jan-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English Spanish

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.

The Programme Specialist, Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding is responsible for contributing substantive policy and programme advisory services to the Country Offices and applying the products and tools relevant to the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding . S/he has expertise with regard to the New Deal, fragility and post-conflict contexts and the state and peacebuilding goals and understands methodologies and approaches for engagement on peacebuilding and statebuilding. S/he acts in response to requests from country offices and in collaboration with the integration and coordination team. S/he works in collaboration with other teams throughout the Regional Hub and HQ, Country Offices, and Global Policy Centres to ensure the execution of quality and coherent policy and programme advisory services within the region as well as across other regions, in alignment with the Strategic Plan. S/he advances the mission of UNDP and increases the credibility and recognition in the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding. S/he is responsible for performing and contributing to the following:

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

Reports to: Team Leader in the Regional Hub.

Reports: None.

Duties and Responsibilities

Programme Support and Policy Advice:

Execute policy, strategy, and programme initiatives to support key results, outcomes, and outputs of the Strategic Plan;
Support country offices and, where relevant, Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs) deployed to support RCOs, in developing and implementing strategic frameworks, programmes, and projects (including joint programmes/projects supported through the global Joint UNDP-DPA programme);
Coordinate the production of relevant analysis and guidance for policy advice and programme support that responds to country office needs;
Apply multi-disciplinary approaches, including through setting up, coordinating, and engaging with Development Solution Teams (DSTs), to deliver advisory services and programming needs in line with emerging client needs and corporate standards, as well as maintaining and developing networks of experts in UNDP’s areas of work;
Develop and implement solutions in crisis and conflict situations in response to requests coordinated by CRU and ensure proper use of policy and tools in this context;
Incorporate gender equality and human rights’-based approach in policy and programming work; and
Provide relevant contribution to UNDP SURGE.

Support Policy Development:

Support policy development and innovation through consolidation of relevant lessons from projects and programmes;
Identify gaps and opportunities for development of new policies and guide the overall team priorities and workplans;
Provide Quality Assurance to ensure alignment with global development policies, norms and standards;
Ensure cross-practice approach and cross-regional collaboration;
Create methods for reviewing policy services in the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding and assess policy success, as well as communicate these methods to other country offices and regions; and
Conceptualize and recommend policy innovations in the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding to improve programme delivery.

Policy Positioning and Representation:

Under the guidance of the team leader, mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant bodies at the regional level and provide inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives and broader UN initiatives, including the Joint UNDP-DPA Programme on Conflict Prevention;
Prepare briefing notes and speeches;
Advocate the importance of the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in various fora at the regional level, including academia and civil society, with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms; and
Support Team Leaders in engagement in UN interagency coordination in relevant policy areas by organizing and participating in regional meetings.

Partnerships and Resource Mobilization:

In collaboration with BERA, support the Team Leader to engage with regional partners and develop/implement resource mobilization plan under corporate guidelines, including to fulfill corporate and donor reporting, advocacy and information-sharing requirements;
Provide substantive inputs related to regional external partnerships in the area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding ; and
Support team leader in fostering strategic partnerships with UN and external regional partner institutions, Governments, private sector, academia, NGOs, and CSOs at regional and local level.

Knowledge Management:

Coordinate team contributions and support to corporate KM activities, at region-specific level to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in collaboration with policy teams at HQ and in Regional Hubs;
Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice; and
Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned in the thematic area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding , and verify that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools.

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

Conflict Prevention:

Knowledge of conflict prevention and ability to apply in development and crisis situations.

Civic Engagement:

Knowledge of frameworks and dialogue processes for effective and transparent engagement of civil society, women’s and youth groups, indigenous peoples and other excluded groups in national development and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.

Project and Programme Management:

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

Partnerships:

Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships.

Knowledge Management:

Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge.

Political Mediation:

Ability to facilitate political mediation and influence and recommend solutions.

Secondary

Resource Mobilization:

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

Coordination:

Ability to manage complex relationships through pathways of knowledge exchange, capacity development, funding relationships and strategic engagement.

Trends and emerging areas analytics:

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

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

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

Experience:

7 years of professional work experience providing policy advice and programme support in the general area of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in different development contexts;
Understanding of methodologies and approaches for engagement on peacebuilding and statebuilding. Experience working in developing country settings is required and experience in crisis contexts is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Spanish, both written and oral;
Working knowledge of another UN language preferably relevant to the region in which this position is based is an asset.