UNDP Jobs - 59013- Advocacy and Government Component Coordinator, SC

Advocacy and Government Component Coordinator, SC (Strengthening SME Business Membership Organizations)

Location :

Kyiv, UKRAINE

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

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

Ukraine is a country with a very challenging business environment, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Around 10% of GDP is produced by SMEs, whereas in developed market economies this figure exceeds 50%. There are excessive regulations and inconsistencies in the norms and requirements governing the SMEs. Ukraine has also a negative track record in permits giving and licensing processes which are overall non transparent and prone to corruption practices.

The voice of SMEs asking for a simplification of business regulations and, in general, a better business climate is not heard, partially because of the weak institutional capacity of structures that are called to represent their interests.

Therefore, the Project aims to accelerate the development of the SMEs sector in Ukraine by strengthening the capacities of the Business Membership Organizations (BMOs) that will contribute to the reinforcement of a much needed dialogue between the private and public sectors. BMOs generally refer to organizations with companies or individual entrepreneurs as members and include business associations, chambers of commerce, federations of business associations, employers’ clubs, and so on. To be a strong and reputable representative of the private sector to the public sector, BMOs must be able to advocate member interests and concerns; be strong organizations with proper governance structures; and respond to member needs by delivering high quality and affordable services and information.

The Project is to design and deliver a tailored capacity development programme to selected BMOs throughout Ukraine to help improve their institutional/organizational/financial capacities to represent interests of the private sector and facilitate a more active, responsive, professional and policy-oriented dialogue between public and private sectors.

The Project is expected to positively impact on the ability of BMOs to attract members, promote constructive cooperation with governmental structures and to contribute to policy development leading to SMEs sector growth. Increased membership of BMOs coupled with higher institutional effectiveness, resulting from the support received from the Project will contribute to the financial sustainability of BMOs and spur mobilization of the entrepreneurs, therefore strengthening the ‘collective voice’ of business.

The Project will be implemented through four interconnected components dealing with the BMOs’ capacities building, good governance, improvement and expansion of services provision, advocacy and effective cooperation with the government at all levels.

To this end UNDP Ukraine invites applications from highly qualified and experienced Ukrainian professionals for the post of the Advocacy and Government Component Coordinator who will be responsible for implementation of respective project activities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, Advocacy and Government Component Coordinator will coordinate the implementation of Project’s activities aimed at strengthening advocacy and intermediary capacity of BMOs, ability to formulate policy proposals, and development of the cooperation framework with the key governmental actors in order to reinforce the public-private dialogue and enable the involvement of the private sector to the decision making process.

Specifically, s/he will perform the following key tasks:

Strengthening advocacy and intermediary capacity of the selected BMOs for the benefit of SMEs

Plan, coordinate and conduct the assessment of initial communication and advocacy needs of the BMOs;
Coordinate the definition of the BMOs’ advocacy targets;
Coordinate and contribute to the development of methodology for involvement of BMOs’ into the decision-making process through dialogue platforms, direct advocacy, grassroots campaigns, public relations etc.;
Coordinate and contribute to the design, development and delivery of training and coaching sets for the BMOs (including manuals, seminars and workshops) on effective communication techniques, interaction with media and improving their public appearance;
Support the selected BMOs in delivering more effective advocacy activities;
Coordinate and contribute to the design, development and delivery of training for the BMOs in policy analysis and development of policy proposals for the Government;
Design and provide targeted training to develop the capacity of BMOs to mediate between government and member interests;
Facilitate involvement of government agencies as stakeholders in the advocacy process;
Facilitate training of the BMOs to self-regulate specific issues within their competence;
Facilitate the establishment of linkages and networks between BMOs and (member) SMEs, and between SMEs and other relevant entities;
Support establishment of the SME-oriented platform for stakeholders’ consultations and advocacy campaigning.

Strengthening government’s capacity to constructively engage with the private sector and support effective dialogue

Coordinate the assessment of existing needs and capacity gaps of the key governmental actors to further help them constructively engage with the private sector and support effective dialogue;
Support the development of cooperation framework with the key governmental actors at national and sub-national levels;
Coordinate and contribute to the design, development and delivery of training programmes for the government authorities at national and regional levels aimed at opening up the decision-making process to the private sector through proper involvement of SMEs and BMOs;
Provide the advisory support to the government agencies, BMOs, NGOs at national and regional level on advocacy, communications and public-private dialogue;
Organize monitoring of the results (impact assessment) in improvement of the public-private cooperation;
Provide the professional platform for networking and partnership building with the national and local authorities, non-governmental actors, private sector and international development organizations or projects;
Keep track of the developments and ensure availability of up to date information on all critical issues in the subject area.

Provide support for efficient and effective implementation of project activities and delivery of project results:

Oversee the BMOs’ / government capacity development activities at the national and sub-national levels, closely work with respective authorities, contractors and experts to ensure the Project components’ activities are implemented timely and efficiently and targets are met;
Maintain close liaison with the project stakeholders, including national authorities, to ensure their engagement and ownership in the implementation of the project;
Lead and coordinate a team of experts, consultants and contractors engaged in implementation of the respective project components;
Contribute to the selection processes of contractors and experts, supervise and monitor the services/works delivered by them in terms of quality and timeliness;
Provide inputs to annual, quarterly, and detailed implementation work plans, and other related documents for timely commencement and implementation of the components’ activities;
Contribute to project reports, including progress and annual reports, as well as ad-hoc technical reports related to the implementation of respective project components;
Contribute to preparation and implementation of the Project communications strategy and plan;
Ensure budget for the components’ activities is efficiently and properly utilized;
Contribute to project’s communication activities to ensure that national and local authorities, SMEs, NGOs and international development organizations are well informed about project activities;
Collect, analyse and disseminate data related to components’ activities;
Facilitate monitoring and evaluation of the respective project components;
Participate in relevant working group meetings and share information with partners and UNDP;
Carry on other related activities as requested by the Project Manager.

Measurable outputs of the work assignment:

Full and appropriate implementation of the project’s components on advocacy and government’s capacity development;
Comprehensively assessed and addressed advocacy, communication and leadership needs of the selected BMOs;
Designed advocacy methodology and capacity building programme for BMOs;
Strengthened advocacy and intermediary capacities of the selected BMOs;
Results of the capacity development activities properly monitored, evaluated and reported; lessons learned records compiled;
Developed cooperation framework between the governmental actors and SMEs to participate in the decision-making process.

Performance Indicators for evaluation of results:

Annual work plan related to respective components is fully and timely implemented;
Funds delivery assigned to project’s components reached 100%;
Project activities are carried out in strict accordance with UNDP rules and procedures;
Number of issues advocated by the trained BMOs;
Number of proposals / draft legislations presented by the trained BMOs to government authorities;
Number and nature of advocacy/PR activities held by the trained BMOs (public hearings in which BMOs participated, number of press clippings; number of interviews given to the media).

Competencies

Ability to manage project components for results, including the ability to translate strategic aims into achievable work plans;
Excellent interpersonal communication skills;
Sound judgment and maturity to foster a positive work environment;
Ability to work effectively as part of a team;
Demonstrated strong coordination and facilitation skills;
Demonstrated ethics and integrity;
Excellent usage of computers and office software packages.

Required Skills and Experience

Master’s Degree or equivalent in Management, Public Administration, Economics, International Relations, Business Administration, Law, Finance, Political Science, Social Sciences, Communication, Public Relations or other relevant areas; Post-graduate degree will be considered as an advantage;
At least 5 years of relevant working experience preferably in the field of private sector development, business consultancy, management, capacity development, advocacy, policy analysis or public administration;
Experience in preparation, management or coordination of projects or project components in the economic or private sector development field;
Experience related to BMOs development or management, including in advocacy area, will be considered as an advantage;
Experience in training and coaching would be an advantage;
Strong understanding of the project context, familiarity with national legislation on private sector development as well as key BMOs, their services and capacity needs is highly desirable and will be considered as an advantage;
Familiarity with UNDP rules and regulations will be considered as an advantage;
Fluency in Ukrainian/Russian and good working level of English are required.

Application Instructions:

Click on the "Apply now" button.
Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. You can type in or paste your Resume into the last box.
Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload your Resume. Instead of uploading your Resume, please submit a fully completed and signed UNDP Personal History Form (P-11). When completing the Form and, even though not currently requested, please include email addresses for your Supervisors.
Without the completed and signed P11 your application will not be considered. The UNDP Personal History Form can be downloaded at link . Failure to disclose prior employment or making false representations on this form will be grounds for withdrawal of further consideration of his/her application or termination, where the appointment or contract has been issued.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted and please ensure that copies of your educational qualifications are available when contacted.

This is a locally recruited position and no expatriation benefits will apply.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 31 AUGUST 2015

UNDP will use a transparent and competitive screening process, though will only contact those applicants in whom there is further interest. Applications may only be submitted for specific vacancy. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.