Background

The promotion of community reconciliation in Iraq is a major strategic entry point for UNDP and part of the Stabilization activities in newly liberated areas. While acknowledging differences in status and authority, it can promote multiple opportunities for deliberation, dialogue, joint decision making, co-operation and reciprocity between different political and social groups towards a common agenda. It can also help in acknowledging grievances and starting a restorative approach that has far reaching benefits to the society’s peace and stability as it prevents reoffending, empowers victims by giving them a voice and allows for greater possibility for restitution and compensation and also enhances community involvement in dispute resolution processes.

Within this context, UNDP has developed a Social Cohesion project that addresses support to the National Reconciliation Commission from a social perspective, but UNDP has also formulated the Community Reconciliation window under the Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization which is now being implemented.

Local conflict analysis and assessment is one of the main initial steps to start a program for increased dialogue and strengthens the representation and democratic decision making.

UNDP will along with implementing partners train facilitators selected form the targeted communities in conflict resolution, community dialogue and mediation. The training will be comprehensive and enable these facilitators to set up a series of workshops through which they will engage with community representatives, government officials, women, youth and community members, and members of the justice system. In a second phase, the workshops will lead to establishing and consolidating informal conflict resolution mechanisms that will be inclusive and target community leaders and members of the local authorities. In participating in those workshops, the various communities involved will be able to establish a commonly agreed set of measures that they can employ in addressing local grievances. In the third phase, implementing partners and local NGOs will engage with local community members to implement a series of activities that family–centered social work, provide victim support care centers and implement positive activities such as shared alphabetization programmes, joint clothe or food distribution programmes, inter-community reconstruction programmes, and inter-community cooperatives so that the social fabric can be rebuilt parallel to the liberated areas’ infrastructure and foster joint ownership and responsabilization over their development.

In the fourth and final phase, UNDP intends to build the capacity of select governorate governments to adopt and implement a social cohesion approach at a whole-of-government level.  While having localised benefits, the efforts will also provide an example of how such an approach can work at a national level. UNDP will also work with media to develop messaging and to create an inclusive platform of dialogue.

UNDP’s community reconciliation activities are currently funded by several international  partners. The project specialist also collaborates with the Emergency livelihoods and Social Cohesion cluster for the humanitarian response.

Under the guidance and the direct supervision of the Team leader for Stabilization and the overall supervision by the Country Director, Project Specialist is responsible for the technical analysis, the program development and reporting on project implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensures technical analysis and support  to program/project delivery focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensures the implementation of the Social Cohesion project outputs and the Community Reconciliation window of the Funding Facility for the Immediate Stabilization in liberated areas in Iraq;
• Carry out in-depth local conflict analysis in Iraq, particularly for newly liberated areas , though interviews with a wide range of stakeholders;
• Thorough analysis of the political and socio-economic situation in the country and preparation of substantive inputs to CCA, UNDAF, CPD, CPAP and other documents where applicable;
• Ensures compliance with UNDP’s policies and procedures on project management in all stages of the project cycle;
• Ensures application of effective Results Based Management (RBM) tools and    systems, and advises on effectiveness;
• Advises on conflict sensitive programming and project planning, including draftingof concept notes and reports where required.

Ensures effective coordination, monitoring and reporting on program/project implementation achieving the  following results:

• Ensures coordination and implementation of programme/project activities in the field of community reconciliation by working closely with country office program and project colleagues;
• Organizes regular monitoring visits to various parts of Iraq and in particular the newly liberated areas;
• Drafts regular progress reports in line with scheduled reporting deadlines, including risk framework;
• Identifies and provides recommendations to solutions in order to mitigate risks and overcome bottlenecks;
• Supports activities related to capacity building of counterparts;
• Supports the design and formulation of CO programme within the area of responsibility, translating UNDP’s priorities into local interventions. Coordination of programme implementation with the executing agencies. Introduction of performance indicators/ success criteria, cost recovery, targets and milestones;
• Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the projects, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions.

Ensures creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Development of partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFI’s, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society in the specific thematic areas based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities;
• Quality assurance for timely and quality donor reporting;
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.

Ensure program development focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Research and draft concept notes, proposals, project documents and related documentation in support of program development;
• Organization of all program related meetings and events, including but not limited to project board meetings and workshops;
• Regular liaison with stakeholders, donors, partners and other relevant program/project stakeholders.

Ensures provision of top quality advisory services and  facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to programme country policy goals;
• Support to development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on programme issues.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:             

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

• Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UNDP’s mandate.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management:

• Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work;
• Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration;
• Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation;
• Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development;
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly;

Building Strategic Partnerships:

• Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues;
• Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

• Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches.

Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations):

• Analyzes information/databases on potential and actual donors;
• Develops a database of project profiles.  Identifies opportunities for project proposals for presentation to donors.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals:

• Identifies and communicates relevant information for advocacy for UNDP’s goals for a variety of audiences;
• Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities for advocating for UNDP’s mandate.

Client Orientation:

• Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
• Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Self-development, initiative-taking;
• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Creating synergies through self-control;
• Managing conflict;
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others;
• Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
• Informed and transparent decision making.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or related field.

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing analysis on conflict situations, social cohesion or conflict sensitive programming;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.

Language:

• Fluency in English and in Arabic.