UNDP Jobs - 56298- Communication & Implementation Support Specialist-

Communication & Implementation Support Specialist-ICRRP, UNDP Iraq

Location :

Erbil, IRAQ

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year

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

Since January 2014, more than 2.1 million Iraqis have been displaced by violence and many are still in urgent need of help. Almost half of these newly displaced Iraqis have taken refuge in the Kurdistan Region, which already hosts 230,000 refugees from the conflict in Syria and which has had a 23% increase in its population in just 1 year.

In many affected areas, the number of IDPs staying in the host communities exceeded the population of non-camp refugees or even the local population. The burden on the local government, as well as the UN and international community, to provide assistance for the displaced population has increased dramatically, but the capacity of the government and local communities has already been stretched. As armed conflicts continues to escalate in Iraq, negative economic and security impacts are inevitable, which will significantly hinder early recovery efforts and increase the risk of vulnerable groups’ exploitation, such as Sexual and Gender based Violence (SGBV), human right violations and extreme poverty. Further deterioration of socio-economic wellbeing of the displaced and local populations may lead to social tensions and people’s discontent in the society, which may result in widespread social unrest and violence.

In response to the on-going crisis, UNDP has launched the Iraq Crisis Response and Resilience Programme (ICRRP), focusing on 1) coordination, 2) basic services and accountability, 3) livelihoods recovery, 4) protection and 5) social cohesion. The overall objective of this program is to build the resilience of the communities that are most affected by the displacement of refugees and IDPs.

ICRRP encompasses large and complex project implementation arrangements and it requires well-established reporting and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) mechanism to regularly communicate and oversee the programme activities implemented by various partners nationwide, while providing support for project implementation and operation to ICRRP Staff as well as its counterparts. Information and data related to ICRRP need to be regularly collected and disseminated to the targeted audiences to ensure transparency, accountability and publicity of ICRRP. To this end, UNDP seeks for a qualified personal to ensure effective reporting and M&E, public relations, and project implementation support for ICRRP.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of ICRRP Project Manager/Programme Specialist, the Project Analyst will provide implementation and reporting support to the ICRRP, which is the main instrument of UNDP’s response to the IDP and refugee crisis. This entails ensuring proper and timely reporting on cluster/sectors, reporting to donors,

production of communication/publicity materials, operational management of financial, procurement and human resources needs of the projects, in a timely and professional fashion and reporting to Project Manager/Programme Specialist with regards to all operational and programmatic aspects linked to the implementation of the projects’ activities.

Key Functions:

Manage Programme Reporting Functions, establishing and overseeing an effective reporting and monitoring mechanism with respective project staff and partners and preparing analytical progress reports and donor reporting, highlighting results and impact of project implementation;
Develop and lead programme communications/publicity activities, ensuring proper communication of results through website/social media and production of communication materials;
Support the project manager and staff on operational and project implementation matters, identifying challenges faced and solutions available and liaising on regular basis with country office operation units, such as Finance, Administration, and Procurement.

Specific Functions/Results expected:

Project Reporting and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities:

Manage and coordinate monitoring and evaluation activities, providing regular updates on the current situations, progress of ICRRP with relevant programme and County Office (CO) staff, which includes organizing stakeholders meetings for programme review, arranging monitoring visits to the project sites, collecting information and data, and drafting monitoring and evaluation reports;
Oversee day-to-day monitoring activities carried out by the area coordinators and ensure that proper reporting is provided to cluster/sectors based on indicators of Strategic Plans;
Compile and analyse information on the programme activities and undertake research on the relevant issues. Provide input for the programme work plan as well as position papers and policy notes;
Prepare regular progress and final reports on ICRRP based on inputs provided by project personnel in a quality and result-oriented manner in liaison with Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU) in the CO;
Develop and collect data on the project activities (e.g., 4Ws) and achievement indicators. Provide the data on the result indicators to the respective audience through the designated monitoring tools (e.g., Activityinfo) in an accurate and timely manner;
Manage donor agreements and ensure that reports are provided to donors according to UNDP’s contractual obligations;
Prepare other donor and communications briefings;
Identify best practices and lessons learnt from the Programme and ensure those findings to be shared with the relevant stakeholders and utilized for refinement of the programme implementation;
Establish and manage an effective reporting and monitoring mechanisms to regularly collect information on the progress of the activities implemented by ICRRP project partners;
Ensure coordination with project counterparts on project activities, data collection, and reporting;
Provide guidance and capacity building support for ICRRP project partners to ensure quality reporting and monitoring

Communications and public relations on ICRRP-related matters:

Lead production of publicity materials on the progress and achievements on the activities of ICRRP, in collaboration with Communication Specialist of UNDP Iraq;
Document and develop stories that highlight UNDP’s impact and results, which can be posted on the website and other communication tools for social media;
Lead preparation of media materials and disseminate key information on the programme activities to the media and the general public;
Conduct media campaigns for the programme in collaboration with CO Communication Specialist;
Provide inputs to form the response to the inquires from the media and the general public;
Coordinate and liaise with development partners, such as UN agencies, bilateral donors, and NGOs, and provide timely and pertinent information on the programme activities.

Operational support related to project implementation:

Assist Project manager in developing an implementation mechanism to deliver the programme results in timely and result-oriented manner;
Act as an interface between the programme units and operation sections to smoothen potential bottlenecks and further improve the delivery levels of programme outputs;
Prepare operational plans detailing recruitment, procurement and disbursement processes and schedules for both projects in close coordination with CO Admin/Finance/HR Departments. Carry out as requested by the project manager regular updates of the work plans;
Advise Project Manager on operational feasibility of project requirements and arrangement;
Carry out detailed operational needs assessment for each activity as per implementation strategy;
Prepare a Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of project implementation arrangements for both UNDP staff as well as its partners in collaboration with Project Associate;
Ensure mobilization of human resources as per plans developed by project manager in liaise with Human Resource Unit in the CO;
Support preparation and review of the TORs for staff and consultants and follow up recruitment process with CO;
Support ICRRP Project Associate for preparation of and review of all procurement-related documents and their timely submission to CO for processing. Follow up all stages of procurement processes and take action where needed if delays;
If applicable, organize preparation and implementation of events (training, seminars etc);
Organize briefing on operational matters for incoming staff and consultants.

Other tasks:

Provide capacity building support to staff as required;
Participate in Task Forces and other ad-hoc internal working groups on cross-cutting themes as requested;
Perform any other tasks as required by project manager.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Excellent writing skills in English;
Understating project implementation cycle and relations between programme and operations departments in during project implementation;
Understanding the challenges of working in a multi cultural environment and working in a crisis setting;
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster good working relations with various persons, good working knowledge of information and computer technology.

Leadership and Management

Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Excellent analytical and organizational skills required;
Ability to plan own work, manage conflicting priorities, report on work progress and deliver outputs in a punctual manner;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Sets clear performance goals and standards; executes responsibilities accordingly;
Strong communication (spoken and written) skills and ability to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style.

Results-Orientation and Development Effectiveness

Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals;
Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to lead implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources;
Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage transactions, financial analysis and reporting.

Innovation & Judgment

Conceptualizes and analyses problems to identify issues, underlying problems and how they relate;
Contributes creative, practical ideas and approaches to deal with challenging situation;
Strives for quality client-centered services (internal/external) when making decisions and taking action.

Job Knowledge & Expertise

Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence;
Uses ICT and web-based management systems effectively as a tool and resource;
Is motivated & demonstrates a capacity to pursue personal development & learn.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master Degree in preferably Business administration, Management, Development or related field. Candidates with master studies in other fields might be qualified depending on their relevant work experience.

Experience:

At least 5 years of directly relevant experience in project or program management, preferably in UN;
Of which minimum of 2 years working experience working with UN;
Experience in post conflict environment is a strong advantage;
Proven experience in result-based reporting, public relations/communication. Prior experience on monitoring and evaluation is an asset;
Knowledge of UNDP’s rules and regulations and experience in operational aspects of projects implementation including finance, procurement and human resources field;
Experience on result-based M&E and reporting;
Experience on public relations and communications;
Excellent understanding of financial, procurement and human resources functions;
Knowledge of ATLAS system for project management highly desired;
Security awareness and knowledge of UN security procedures;
Proficiency in usage of computers, office software packages and advance project management software as well as in handling of web-based management system;
Experience of the Arab region an advantage.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English required;
Fluency in Arabic is an advantage.