Background

UNDP is the UN's global development network and assists programme countries to build and share solutions to the challenges of globalization and human development.

The Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) for Europe and the CIS is UNDP’s main knowledge and advisory hub for the Europe and Community of Independent States Region (ECIS). It aims to connect the region to a global network of development experts, to build knowledge and capacity, and to forge partnerships to meet the development challenges of a large and diverse region. IRH also aims to capture and spread development successes and best practices in the region and to improve the impact of UNDP’s work through effective communications and advocacy.

UNDP helps countries pursue a development response to all citizens, to ensure that economic growth benefits everyone, including those at greater risk of exclusion (ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, internally displaced persons, rural populations, women and young people). Through investments in improved care of natural resources, we support a sustainable balancing of human and environmental priorities. This includes:

• Promoting human development and tackling the drivers of social exclusion to ensure that Roma and other disadvantaged groups are not left behind
• Integrating the Millennium Development Goals into national development strategies and transitioning to post-2015 development framework of the Sustainable Development Goals
• Promoting social protection systems to extend greater protection to the poor and at-risk groups from major natural, economic, and conflict-related shocks
• Policy design and monitoring that enables trade and productive capacities that are diversified, add value, and help create employment and livelihoods
• Sustainable management of natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystem services for expanded employment and livelihoods

The New World Project, under the Sustainable Development Team, develops an inclusive partnership mechanism between UNDP and The Coca-Cola Foundation/ Company to encourage participation of civil society organizations (NGOs, CBOs) to support innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions to key developmental challenges across several regions, including in Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East and Africa.

The overall goal of the project is to accelerate achievement of the MDGs and help building resilient and healthy communities as the world adapts into the newly shaped “Sustainable Development Goals” to set the post-2015 global developmental agenda. The objectives of the program are:

1. Increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation services and improving water resources management through inclusive community based approaches,

2. Empowering women, youth and generating employment opportunities to build resilience in vulnerable communities,

3. Supporting integrated community based approaches for enhanced wellbeing;

The Project Coordinator (PC) of the New World Project will work in the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH) Istanbul under the overall guidance of the supervisor. The Project Coordinator will report to UNDP Sustainable Development Cluster Team Leader and cooperate closely with the Steering Committee (SC).  He/she will be responsible for overall project coordination and implementation, substantive backstopping of the program countries and program reporting. In addition, the Project Coordinator may be called on to support related policy and programming issues relevant to the thematic subject area.

Duties and Responsibilities

Development and Implementation of Project activities

• Manage the realization of project outputs through activities;
• Coordinate preparatory work related to calls for proposals; organize the review of applications received and documents the decision making process.
• Develop work-plans for implementation of the project in close consultation with key partners incl. UNDP Country Offices and The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF).
• Organize Steering Committee meetings (at least once a year), including preparing the agenda, reporting on the project results and dissemination of meeting minutes to all participants, and implementation of Steering Committee decisions. 
• Act as a Secretary to the Steering Committee.
• Contribute to strengthening donor relationships and raise funds for activities within the program.
• Support an effective partnership with all stakeholders and ensure the long term sustainability of the program.
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost-sharing.
• Determination of programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities.
• Aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs and outcomes. Preparation of donor reports.

Advisory Support to Country teams, Executing partners and Other

• Contribute to ensuring highest programmatic technical quality
• Provide support and substantive advice on various technical matters related to evaluation and implementation of activities in countries.
• Provide the participating countries with technical and strategic advice ensuring highest technical quality to the formulation of projects funded by the program.
• Assist country teams with development of projects focused on sharing knowledge on best practices.
• Ensure effective interaction on needs and support components between country teams and SC as well as safeguarding that the SC are satisfied with the strategic guidance and collaborative initiatives provided through the program.

Project Implementation

• Draft internal and external reports, communication material, terms of reference, promote the exchange of best practices and innovative approaches.
• Follow-up on project activities with due consideration to budgetary issues.
• Prepare regular reporting to the Steering Committee on the status of the project, impact assessment, project formulation, communication, and advocacy.
• Prepare regular reports to donor in line with the Cost Sharing Agreement and donor requirements

Support to Sustainable Development Team

• Contribute technical advisory support to the Sustainable Development Team
• Support to implementation of regional sustainable development work-plan
• Support the development of project proposals in line with Sustainable Development Team priorities when needed.

Knowledge Management and Advocacy

• Promote the exchange of best practices and innovative approaches.
• Ensure that information materials, tools and advocacy publications are produced and effectively disseminated through the program channels.
• In collaboration with internal and external partners actively identify and contribute to the program advocacy and outreach. 
• Establishment of advocacy networks at national level and linked to international networks. Relevant, high-impact advocacy campaigns are implemented with key partners 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrating ethics and integrity  
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
• Fair and transparent  decision making; calculated risk-taking
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication

Functional Competencies:      

• Functional competencies include strong managerial/leadership experience and decision-making skills as well as proven ability to provide strategic direction in practice area. In-depth practical knowledge of water resources management and preferably knowledge and understanding of other program focus areas – gender, education, livelihoods. Excellent project managerial skills.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) and analytical skills. Proven ability to coordinate activities of a complex nature in a multi-stakeholder environment as well as ability to communicate convincingly orally and in writing on multifaceted subjects.
• Proven ability to lead a practice area and drive for results with a strong knowledge of results-based management and to manage complex budgetary arrangements. Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives. Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with diverse partners and clients.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively across disciplines in a multi-cultural environment is important. Willingness to integrate ideas of others into own thinking and applies newly acquired skills.
• Creates effective advocacy strategies
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners
• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms
• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• An advanced university degree in a field relevant to sustainable development, environmental science, water resources management, gender, rural or community development is required.

Experience:

• Experience in working with development issues.
• Solid experience in programme and portfolio management in relation to natural resource management. Preferably experience in areas of gender, education, and livelihoods.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working in environmental management, water resources management, gender issues and specifically having field experience from developing countries. UN experience is an asset.
• Experience in working with the private sector and/or private sector funded international development projects is a strong asset.
• Experience from working with various civil society groups, particularly CBOs/NGOs, operating in the field of water management, gender, education, livelihoods is a strength.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent spoken and written English language skills.
• Language of the duty station (Turkish)
• Other UN languages are an asset. 

Qualified women and members of minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. UNDP is a non-smoking work environment