UNDP Jobs - 59454- Senior Consultant: Aid Effectiveness and Aid Flows

Senior Consultant: Aid Effectiveness and Aid Flows Expert / Team Leader

Location :

Amman, JORDAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

10-Sep-2015

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

65 working days

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 impact of the Syrian crisis on the development trajectory of countries in the region can easily span a decade. The magnitude of the conflict has not only led to a high loss of human life and massive population displacement both within and outside of Syria, but it has also destroyed the social, economic and political fabric and has seriously compromised the future of the country and the region. The regional situation is further aggravated by a growing displacement of more than 2.9 million Iraqi refugees and IDPs and increased military action in Iraq and Syria.

The scale of the refugee influx and its impact on host countries calls for dedicated action, as coping mechanisms are stretched and resilience is eroding. There is increasing recognition amongst concerned governments and the international community that the crisis has begun to compromise development gains and that overall stability of many countries is at risk, as social tensions continue to increase, as evidenced by declining human development and growth trends, and increasing levels of vulnerabilities. The development loss is amplified in the sub-region, which is reliant on intra-regional trade and a vibrant private sector.

A long-term vision is required, to guide the short and medium term interventions that generate immediate, concrete changes in lives of people affected by the crisis while simultaneously arresting development loss. Countries affected by the Syrian crisis are in the middle-income bracket, which suggests that there are domestic resources available and systems in place that international support can build upon. Responding to these challenges requires a strategic shift that coherently brings together humanitarian and development interventions for a sustainable, nationally-led and resilience-based response.

The launch of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) for 2015-2016 is a major milestone for the UN system. It represents a collective effort from the international community, NGOs and UN agencies. UNHCR and UNDP have taken a leading role in co-chairing this initiative in an unprecedented UN integrated response for the five countries affected by the Syrian crisis. Indeed, in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and Turkey, humanitarian and non-humanitarian support is provided through different mechanisms and aid architecture systems. Ongoing monitoring of financial flows to the region has not successfully taken into account all variables, such as such as contributions from and to national budgets, ongoing IMF support programmes and – still more important- contributions made from ongoing and planned development budget support.

In the context of the preparation and implementation of the 3RP, a more complete picture is essential for affected government and the international community to take strategic decisions and better plan a response to the crisis. Furthermore, a better understanding of financial flows and aid architecture systems will support the definition of the right "financing deficit" and would allow a new stimulus in filling it with new programmes and fresh resources.

The UNDP Sub-regional Response Facility proposes a study entitled “Comparative analysis of aid architecture systems in Crisis Context – Financial flows in countries affected by the Syria Crisis”.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Functions

The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Sub Regional Facility and the UNHCR-UNDP Joint Secretariat in Amman and in partnerships with the relevant United Nations Resident Coordinator Offices (UNRCOs) in the region. The consultants will also work in close collaboration with the relevant national authorities, including the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Cooperation in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt.

The deliverable is a comprehensive report that include quantitative, qualitative and comparative analysis, which will support the International Community and Governments in the region to take strategic decision in order to ensure a more sustainable, resilience-based and cost-effective response to the crisis, as well as inform the implementation and prioritization of the 3RP.

The expected outcome is a comparative analysis in three intersecting thematic areas, making a report available to support countries responding to the protracted crisis. The three core elements of the multi-country study is intended to support the implementation of a resilience-based development response in situations of protracted conflict.

The analysis is intended to support the identification of catalytic initiatives, that can be taken to scale so local and national partners, including the private sector, are better able to cope with the sudden on-set of shocks, recover and eventually transform capacities to be better equipped for future shocks. In addition to continuing to deepen the resilience-based development response, the expected outcome of the analysis will permit partners to better formulate response strategies, identify new partners and support national plans.

The team leader, will supervise and cooperate with a public finance consultant will develop a methodology, work plan, division of labor and report outline at the beginning of the exercise. Regular team meetings will be held to enable team to make the necessary linkages so that analysis is coherent, cross linked and integrated.

The study will cover Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt, and will employ a number of methodologies to collect and analyze the necessary information including (but not limited to) the following:

Consultations with key experts in development planning and public finance at the government, IFIs and other key partners and donors. The consultations can take the form of a series of meetings or workshops;
Literature review of relevant studies and plans related to development/humanitarian costing, public finance and aid flows;
Data collection from statistical offices or other sources of data;
Comparative Analysis of aid architectures and financial flows in the region;
Analysis of trends and projections based the outcome of the research.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Strong analytical skills;
Excellent ability to synthesize information and analysis from a number of sources;
Ability to conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders proactively and appropriate to the country context;
Uses information and internet technology applications effectively as a tool and resource;
Ability to work independently, against tight deadlines;
Excellent ability to write clearly, insightfully and persuasively in an accessible, journalistic style;
Excellent communication skills including presentations, networking and interpersonal skills;
Proven ability to persuade and influence others to cooperate.

Corporate Competencies:

Display culture, gender, religious, race, nationality and age sensitivities and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's Degree in International and Development Studies, Economics, Finance or related area.

Experience:

At least 10 years of relevant professional work experience, with at least 5 year working in development finance or aid coordination areas;
Previous experience in producing or facilitating development policy-related knowledge products;
Specialist knowledge of development issues and particularly development cooperation, public finance, global frameworks for financing development, development, economics, humanitarian aid and appeals;
Excellent knowledge of economic and development cooperation issues, development finance challenges and related fields of developing countries globally and in particular in crisis response;
Experience in the Middle East is a strong advantage;
Public financial management expertise and experience;
Experience in conducting reviews and/or evaluations of financial flows, reports and analysis in related areas and produced high quality review or evaluation reports

Language:

Proficiency in English with advanced command of speaking and writing..

Documents to be included when submitting the proposal

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Cover Letter: Brief one-page letter explaining why the applicant thinks they are an outstanding candidate for the job;
Detailed Technical proposal for the assigned tasks;
Financial proposal: indicating all-inclusive lump sum fee in USD;
Personal CV and/or signed P-11: including past experience in similar projects and the name and contact details of 3 references.

Evaluation

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;
Technical Criteria weight; [100]70%;
Financial Criteria weight; [100]30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 50 point would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 100 points:

Master’s Degree in International and Development Studies, Economics, Finance or related areas- 5;
At least 10 years of relevant Professional work experience, with at least 5 years working in development finance or aid coordination areas- 5;
Previous experience in producing or facilitating development policy-related knowledge products-10;
Specialist knowledge of development issues and particularly development cooperation, public finance, global framework for financing development, development, economics, humanitarian aid and appeals- 10;
High level of knowledge of economic and development cooperation issues, development finance challenges and related fields of developing countries globally and in particular in crisis response-10;
Previous experience working for UNDP on substantial international projects and/or studies-10;
Public financial management expertise as team leader-10;
Experience in conducting reviews and/or evaluation of financial flows, reports and analysis in related areas and produced high quality review or evaluation reports-10.