UNDP Jobs - 55932- Joint Project Co-ordinator: Increased Political Pa

Joint Project Co-ordinator: Increased Political Partipation of Women in Samoa (For Samoan Nationals Only)

Location :

Apia, SAMOA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

01-May-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months initial contract

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

Increasing women’s participation in parliament and securing their access to political life at both national and sub-national level is crucial to achieving gender equality and democratic sustainable development. The link between women’s presence in national legislatures and human development is clearly outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to promote gender equality and empower women. Gender equality in political participation in Samoa remains a challenge. Women currently hold three out of forty-nine (49) seats in the Samoan parliament. Of 162 candidates that ran for parliamentary elections in March 2011, only eight (8) were women. Between 2001 and 2006 there was a 10% increase in the number of women registered with a Matai title. This however has yet to translate into a change in the number of women running in elections and/or entering parliament. In 2013, the Parliament passed a Constitutional Amendment to ensure a minimum quota of 5 women (or 10%) in the Samoa Parliament. This is seen as a significant milestone in efforts to increase the participation of women in parliament. Given the importance of the party system in Samoa it is hoped that the Constitutional Amendment, will see more women nominated as Party candidates. Currently, no parties in Samoa have provisions in support of women candidates. The Increased Political Participation of Women in Samoa (IPPWS) project aims to increase the awareness of the importance of women influencing the national development processes through increased political leadership, working with women candidates to increase their capacity and working with political parties to raise awareness on gender issues leading into the general election in 2016, and lastly supporting the women members of parliament through a mentoring programme after the general election. The IPPWS project will focus its activities to achieve four specific outputs. The project is scheduled to run for one year with the majority of activities being implemented in the year preceding the scheduled 2016 election and with the remaining activities relating to Output 4 of the project being implemented following the Samoan general election.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall project management:

Manages the realization of project outputs through activities;
Provides direction and guidance to the Participating UN Organizations (PUNO) and project team(s)/responsible party(ies);
Liaises with the Project Board or its appointed Project Assurance roles to assure the overall direction and integrity of the project;
Identifies and obtains any support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the project;
Responsible for project administration;
Liaises with any suppliers; and
May also perform Team Manager and Project Support roles.

Running a project:

Plans the activities of the project and monitors progress against the initial quality criteria;
Mobilizes goods and services to initiate activities, including drafting TORs and work specifications;
Monitors events as determined in the Monitoring & Communication Plan, and updates the plan as required;
Manages requests for the provision of financial resources by UNDP, using advance of funds, direct payments, or reimbursement using the FACE (Fund Authorization and Certificate of Expenditures);
Monitors financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports;
Manages and monitors the project risks as initially identified in the Project Brief appraised by the LPAC, submit new risks to the Project Board for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; updates the status of these risks by maintaining the Project Risks Log;
Be responsible for managing issues and requests for change by maintaining an Issues Log;
Prepares the Project Quarterly Progress Report (progress against planned activities, update on Risks and Issues, expenditures) and submit the report to the Project Board and Project Assurance;
Prepares the Annual review Report, and submits the report to the Project Board and the Outcome Board;
Based on the review, prepares the AWP for the following year, as well as Quarterly Plans if required.

Closing a Project:

Prepares Final Project Review Reports to be submitted to the Project Board and the Outcome Board;
Identifies follow-on actions and submits them for consideration to the Project Board;
Manages the transfer of project deliverables, documents, files, equipment and materials to national beneficiaries;
Prepares final CDR/FACE for signature by UNDP and the Implementing Partner.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Highly effective in working with multi-sector teams;
Ability to function effectively under pressure and tight timelines;
Self-motivated and able to work independently;
Creative thinking and emotional intelligence;
Excellent consultation and problem-solving skills;
Excellent networking and problem solving skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Bachelor or Master’s degree or equivalent in a related field of expertise in community or organizational development, program management, gender and development work.

Experience:

Master’s degree with 5 year’s work experience, or, a specialized license with 6 year’s work experience, or, a Bachelor’s degree with 7 year’s work experience;
Good understanding of political and socio-economic issues in Samoa;
The candidate should have solid experience in working with computers and online systems.

Language:

Fluent in English and Samoan both verbal and written.

Note:

Women candidates are encouraged to apply.