UNDP Jobs - 58749- Senior Adviser

Senior Adviser

Location :

Oslo, NORWAY

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

15-Sep-2015

Application Deadline :

16-Aug-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-5

Duration of Initial Contract :

Initial appointment for one year, renewable

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

31 December 2017

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, including through its six Global Policy Centres (GPCs) and partners to be more innovative, and knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

The UNDP Oslo Governance Centre [OGC] was established in 2002 as one of the first GPCs designed to provide support to the practical and operational work of UNDP in assisting partner countries in developing more democratic and effective forms of governance for sustainable peace and development. The OGC was part of the Democratic Governance Group [DGG] in the Bureau for Development Policy [BDP] which has now transitioned into the new Bureau- BPPS. Within the framework of a vision to eradicate poverty and significantly reduce inequalities and exclusion within and among societies, the 2014-2017 UNDP Strategic Plan sets out a plan of action with three core work areas; one of these areas is the building and/or strengthening of inclusive and effective democratic governance.

Resulting from a forward-looking assessment (2014) of the OGC over the next Strategic Plan period, the Centre will have a specific mandate to work on the governance and peacebuilding pillar of UNDP’s work by focusing on the distillation of existing global knowledge, expertise and perspectives to develop innovative policy solutions that promote effective and accountable governance and contribute to conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

Inclusive and effective governance is essential for the achievement of sustainable human development—this is even more vital for countries emerging from conflict or crisis and/or undergoing political and/or economic transitions. As a global policy centre on governance and peacebuilding, the Oslo Governance Centre (OGC) will undertake applied research and disseminate knowledge on how countries take different pathways to develop more inclusive economic and political institutions, in post-crisis settings and transitions. Of direct importance in analysing these trajectories is the way in which countries evolve in the governance of natural resources and in addressing inequalities in society, in particular gender equality and women’s empowerment. The OGC will conduct applied research and policy development in these three priority focus areas: (1) Governance challenges in countries that are transitioning towards more inclusive institutions and research on diverging pathways towards more inclusive, peaceful, prosperous and resilient societies; (2) Governance of extractive industries in post-crisis and post-conflict settings and its impact on sustainable development pathways and progress towards more inclusive institutions and (3) the governance of inclusion, and in particular how societies evolving from crisis and conflict address gender equality and the political and economic empowerment of women.

In addition to these three focus areas, the OGC will also take the lead in researching, consolidating and further developing UNDP’s approach to governance indicators and the measuring of progress and results in the area of governance and peacebuilding. OGC will liaise with development partners and lead think tanks and research institutions and ensure UNDP’s positioning within a global community of practice on governance indicators.

To ensure results, the OGC will rely on strategic partnerships in the Nordic countries and beyond, strengthen internal coordination and bolster its role as a knowledge broker through a clear knowledge management and communication strategy. The Centre will also build on OGC’s prior work on measuring governance for development results to influence the contributions of UNDP and partners in the discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the post-2015 agenda.

Set up with shared resources and under shared governance arrangements, the Oslo Governance Centre will draw on the respective strengths of Norway and the UNDP and strive to eventually create a world-class reference facility in applied governance research.

With regard to the three focus areas, the Centre will have a double mandate:

To be a leading research hub, that draws upon the best quality material emanating from the various think-tanks in Norway, in the region and other countries;
To be a convening hub that maximizes the unique position of Norway and experience of Norway in the focus areas of the Centre, promotes South-South collaboration and the sharing, exchange and co-creation of knowledge. UNDP’s global outreach and networks are expected to help the Centre to become a global hub for policy research and development and knowledge sharing on the governance of public service capacity for sustainable development.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Advisor will lead on generating and disseminating applied research and policy options on OGC’s thematic areas, bringing together the best available knowledge resources and producing publications and other outputs. S/he will also contribute substantively and managerially to convening policy dialogues and forums.

The Senior Advisor will leverage partnerships to support OGC’s resources in the areas of its mandate, connecting OGC with existing networks, institutions, universities, civil society organizations and think tanks in Norway and the Nordic Region and beyond. S/he will also work closely with the UNDP Nordic Representation Office, Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) to strengthen the broader partnership between UNDP and Norway.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following functions:

Policy research and policy development;
Management/Coordination;
Advocacy;
Partnership Building; and
Knowledge Management.

Policy research and policy development:

Stay abreast of research and policy developments in governance and peacebuilding for sustainable development;
Manage policy research in coordination with partners on assigned thematic portfolios in line with OGC’s mandate, building on field experiences and evidence from projects, programmes and initiatives undertaken by various actors (not only UNDP);
Produce analytical pieces/ policy briefs and reviews of knowledge and think pieces related to the OGC mandate;
Contribute substantively to corporate policy and guidance on governance and peacebuilding in particular with regard to the programmatic focus areas of OGC’s work;
Support, as needed, the provision of policy and programe support delivered by the Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster, in the thematic areas within the purview of the OGC;
Provide substantive inputs to national, regional and international fora to help shape global and regional development strategies, policies, norms and standards (related to governance and peacebuilding);
Provide guidance on cross thematic issues and optimize intra-organizational synergies on programmatic areas of OGC’s work.

Management and Coordination:

Take responsibility for coordinating and managing research portfolio’s related partnerships, events and knowledge codification, as assigned by the OGC director;
Provide effective guidance and follow-up to ensure timely feedback and reporting on implementation of programmes and initiatives which contribute to the OGC work plan.

Advocacy:

Lead advocacy related to research and policy development initiatives on OGC’s work in governance and peacebuilding;
Contribute to the development of a series of flagship knowledge products that will position the Center as a global center of excellence in the focus areas of the OGC;
Represent UNDP (and where appropriate, UN partner organizations) to advocate for corporate messages in the regional and international discussions on governance and peacebuilding;
Leverage external partnerships, especially in Norway and among Nordic institutions in support of UNDP initiatives.

Partnership Building:

Contribute to strengthening partnerships with research institutes, civil society organizations and other relevant bodies interested in governance and peacebuilding, specifically in OGC priority areas, especially supporting South-South and triangular knowledge sharing, and ensuring that OGC works closely with both Nordic as well as Southern think-tanks and institutions;
Provide guidance and leadership for the engagement of civil society in OGC’s programmatic areas, the promotion of civic engagement and the establishment of strategic partnerships;
Engage Nordic, global and regional CSO and private sector partners to collaborate with the OGC and well as with the broader governance and peacebuilding cluster in delivering on the Strategic Plan;
Support partnerships with key multilaterals (BWIs, OECD/DAC, etc) and other existing and potential partner institutions working on the inter-linkages between governance in transitional contexts and sustainable development;
Where appropriate, support resource mobilization for the GP cluster and OGC’s work in particular.

Knowledge Management:

Ensure cutting-edge knowledge production and dissemination.
Facilitate the learning agenda within OGC and BPPS, including through support to knowledge management, devoting a significant proportion of time to building knowledge, disseminating lessons learned, and networking;
Strengthen, in co-ordination with OGC team and relevant technical teams in HQ, lessons learnt, best practices, and relevant knowledge products to shape UNDP’s global strategies on governance;
Lead local KM sharing events and support the corporate KM agenda;
Support the development of a knowledge system and support the utilization of KM strategies and tools (e.g. UN Teamworks).

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.

Functional Competencies:

Primary:

Democratic governance and peacebuilding for sustainable development;
Knowledge of governance and peacebuilding and ability to apply in development situations.

Representation:
Ability to productively share UNDP knowledge and activities (at UN and other venues).

Partnerships:

Ability to engage with other agencies and forge productive working relationships.

Resource mobilization:

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

Secondary:

Advocacy:

Ability to advocate a point of view and influence others.

Knowledge management:

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

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:

Master's degree in social sciences, political science, law, international relations, development studies, natural resource management, public or business administration, or equivalent field;

Experience:

Required:

At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in the area of governance and peacebuilding;
Particular policy and research experience in governance in transitional contexts (including post-conflict and peacebuilding), governance of natural resources, and/or gender equality and women’s empowerment;
Experience of integrating research and analysis into practice in the areas of governance and peacebuilding;
Excellent networking and interpersonal skills, including ability to establish and maintain high-level contacts with representatives from government, international organizations, CSOs, academia and other partners;
Solid understanding of Norwegian and Nordic development aid priorities and familiarity with the relevant CSO and research community in the Nordic region.

Language:

Excellent knowledge of English, as well as writing, presentation and communication skills;
Fluency in other UN languages is an asset.