UNDP Jobs - 53096- Senior UN Advisor for Rakhine State

Senior UN Advisor for Rakhine State

Location :

Sittwe, MYANMAR

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

01-Mar-2015

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

P-6

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 Year with possibility of extension

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

Myanmar stands at a crossroads in its history. Political, economic, legislative and administrative reforms and peace-building initiatives since 2011 deeply impact Myanmar’s interactions with internal and external actors, the United Nations (UN), and are happening concurrently, at great speed. The transitions that Myanmar is experiencing bring large opportunities, but are inevitably characterized by a high potential for tensions and conflict. The communal violence in Rakhine State that started in 2012 and took 200 lives and approximately 140,000 persons displaced. Rakhine State is caught in a protracted conflict between various ethnic groups the central government. With the recent advent of democratic freedoms, decentralization and the general opening up of the country, the avenues through which these groups pursue their interests have taken on new shapes and intensity. The 21st century added new dimensions: for the first time, the State government was thrust onto the front line of the conflict; both print and electronic media (highly restricted till recent years) add fuel to the fire; democratic processes are not well understood and are still being shaped.

The development assistance to Rakhine State should be provided with full regard of conflict and context sensitivity and in full consultation with the State Government, local communities, and the humanitarian partners. In view of the intense scrutiny by some members of the Rakhine community, full transparency in planning and implementing such development plans will be of paramount importance.

To respond to the complicated multi-facetted situation in Rakhine, organizations of the UN system are scaling up development assistance in the State, which will be coordinated by the Senior UN Advisor. The incumbent will report to UN Resident/Humanitarian coordinator and provide strategic advice to UN Country Team and to UN Rakhine Theme Group comprised of Yangon-based Heads of UN agencies. S/he will provide leadership to UN Area Team in Rakhine, coordinate development activities of UN agencies, and, working in close collaboration with UNOCHA and other humanitarian actors, facilitate smooth and seamless transition from humanitarian to development support. The incumbent will also lead strategic engagement with the State government and other national and local stakeholders on behalf of the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and the UN Country Team. S/he will convene Rakhine Donor Support Group and ensure ongoing regular consultations between the UN agencies and donor partners, as well as between the UN agencies and the civil society counterparts. In the discharge of her/his duties the incumbent will be supported by UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Yangon and by UN staff in Rakhine.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected

Under the direct supervision of the UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) and in close collaboration with the UN Country Team and UN staff working in Rakhine, the Senior Advisor for Rakhine State will have the following main functions and responsibilities:

Partnership building, stakeholder consultations and communication;
Development planning and coordination;
Support to the Rakhine Human Security System.

Partnership building, stakeholder consultations and communication

Provide strategic and analytical support to the RC and the UNCT in building their relations with government officials, academia, civil society, and with the wider political and civic leadership in Rakhine. Regularly meet with such stakeholders on behalf of the UNCT and/or RC;
Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships with key actors and development partners in Rakhine;
Explore options for establishing and strengthening partnerships with the private sector in Rakhine;
Ensure extensive stakeholder consultations on the development and implementation of an overall Rakhine Development Plan and, as requested, be a resource for other stakeholder consultations and activities;
Facilitate and coordinate the preparation and implementation of a Rakhine specific communications strategy on development assistance;
Carry out the above responsibilities with a view to enhancing the understanding of and listening to, the grievances between various ethnic communities.

Development planning and coordination

Support, facilitate and communicate the definition of the UN and wider international development community role in Rakhine State;
Support the UNCT in facilitating consultative, transparent and participatory development needs assessments and other analytical work to help determine the UNCT’s strategy and priorities in Rakhine, in line with the UNCT’s transition strategy and Government priorities;
Support the UNCT and its partners in developing and coordinating the implementation of a Rakhine specific development plan;
Establish and lead a development coordination mechanism in Rakhine State among the various stakeholders including UN agencies, INGOs, government authorities, civil society and bilateral and multilateral development partners;
Work closely with OCHA and humanitarian coordination structures to ensure seamless and complementary cooperation, and transition from humanitarian aid to development assistance where appropriate;
As requested, represent the RC and UNCT in coordination or other meetings with a wide range of stakeholders’;
Act as a trouble shooter with government and other stakeholders on those issues that prevent the smooth implementation of development activities;
Maintain a current database on international development assistance to Rakhine State

Support to the Rakhine Human Security System

Be the focal point in Rakhine for coordinating inputs into the Rakhine Human Security System comprising ongoing contextual analysis and an early warning/early action component; the continuing context analysis includes analysis on political developments and conflict dynamics with a view to identifying appropriate entry points for conflict prevention and recommending appropriate strategic responses for the UN system; coordinate closely with the RCO in Yangon in this regard.
Build and keep up to a date a stakeholder analysis and mapping of key stakeholders in Rakhine;
Establish and maintain networks and strategic partnerships for conflict prevention, management, mitigation and response;
Identify areas of programmatic or other engagement and support the RC and the UNCT in the preparation of the UN response to government requests related to conflict prevention, dialogue, early warning and early action;
Provide substantive leadership for strategic initiatives on conflict prevention including convening on behalf of the RC and the UNCT dialogue processes; assisting conflict resolution activities in conflict-affected communities; building skills for negotiation and mediation for all stakeholders; establishing and extending the capacities of networks of mediators and facilitators at the state and local levels.

Competencies

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

Builds consensus concerning UN’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives;
Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management

Identifies country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach;
Makes use of a variety of resources within UN to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches;
Ensures the full implementation of country programme and Financial Resources to obtain results.

Building Strategic Partnerships

Makes effective use of UN’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships;
Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking;
Conceptualizes more effective approaches to programme development and implementation and to mobilizing and using resources.

Resource Mobilization

Contributes to the development of resource mobilization strategies at UNCT level;
Actively develops partnerships with potential donors and government counterparts in all sectors at country level;
Strengthens the capacity of the country office to mobilize resources.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Promotes UN as a learning/knowledge sharing organization.

Job knowledge/Technical Expertise

Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures;
For managers: applies a broad knowledge of best management practices; defines objectives and work flows, positions reporting relationships in such a way as to obtain optimum effectiveness for the unit/branch;
Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally;
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
Demonstrates expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments;
Excellent organizational and management skills;
Ability to negotiate at decision-making level;
Able to work in a high-stress environment and remain calm and composed;
Ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit and positive working relationships;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills;

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UN’s Goals

Advocates for increased priority given to human development issues internationally and in national planning frameworks;
Advocates for increased resources at international and national level.

Client Orientation

Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives;
Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services;
Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNDP programmes and operation

Core Competencies:

Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
Building support and political acumen;
Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
Building and promoting effective teams;
Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
Leveraging conflict in the interests of UN & setting standards;
Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced degree (Master) in international development studies, law, political science, economics, social science, international relations, public policy, communications or another relevant subject.

Experience:

At least 15 years senior level relevant work experience in development coordination and/or transitional operations and/or conflict prevention. At least six years working experience in the field, ideally in a complex conflict or post-conflict setting;
Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience and track record of engagement with senior levels of government, United Nations, and donors;
Proven strategic vision with strong technical and highly developed analytical capabilities;
Politically astute with demonstrated experience in stakeholder analysis and engagement;
Proven ability and experience in working in environments where there is heightened animosity to the international community and allegations of bias on the basis of ethnicity/religion. Expertise in developing strategies to develop stakeholder engagement plans and relevant response planning to reduce such tension;
Extensive experience within the UN system, procedures and operational activities for development coordination in transitional settings;
Previous experience in preparing long term development plans and/or conflict prevention initiatives will be considered a plus;
Excellent knowledge of and extensive experience in Myanmar, including in dialogue and conflict prevention initiatives, is an advantage;
Previous work experience in South-East Asia would be an asset.

Language requirements:

Fluency in oral and written English is essential;
Knowledge of local languages will be considered an advantage.