UNDP Jobs - 60610- Coordination Specialist

Coordination Specialist

Location :

Beirut, LEBANON

Type of Contract :

TA International

Starting Date :

01-Jan-2016

Application Deadline :

12-Oct-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

Less than a year - 364 days

Languages Required :

English

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

The impact of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon is reaching a scale unprecedented in the history of complex, refugee-driven emergencies. In April 2012, 32,800 refugees were registered or were awaiting registration by UNHCR. This number has now reached 1.1 million – equal to 25% of the entire Lebanese pre-crisis population. The crisis is not only challenging the country’s existing social and economic infrastructure, it also brings to Lebanon a new set of disparities, cleavages and tensions that threaten to undermine Lebanon’s delicate social and political stability.

Furthermore, areas with the highest concentration of refugees, North Lebanon and the Bekaa valley, are among the poorest and most underserved regions of Lebanon. Even before the crisis, social services, infrastructure and livelihood opportunities were inadequate. Now, increased refugee populations are putting enormous pressure on water, sanitation, education and health care systems. Local authorities, in these areas, will have to govern municipalities whose needs have grown exponentially.

Reflecting the protracted nature of the crisis and its profound impact on Lebanon, the response to the crisis has moved in 2015 towards an integrated humanitarian-stabilization response, the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, following 6 ‘Refugee Response Plans’. UNDP Lebanon’s role has evolved in parallel, and UNDP is now leading the stabilization dimension of the response, alongside UNHCR which is leading on its refugee dimension, under the overall leadership of the Government of Lebanon. In addition to this overall leadership role, UNDP is also leading two of the nine sectors of the response, the social stability and livelihoods sectors, while UNDP programmes are providing crucial contribution to Lebanon’s stability by supporting host communities in the areas of livelihoods, basic infrastructure and social stability. The CO requires support to properly lead the stabilization dimension of the response. Additional support is particularly needed to ensure proper coordination and strategic direction of the livelihoods and social stability programmes in the country, provide leadership on cross cutting issues for the response related to work with municipalities, social stability mainstreaming, youth initiatives, and inter-community tension monitoring and analysis.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provides effective coordination of UNDP-coordinated sector(s):

Co-chair and organize meetings of relevant working groups;
Design and update the sector strategy, ensure coordination of partners initiatives, identify gaps and duplication prevented;
Lead on relevant reviews and 2017-20 planning process;
Ensure participation and buy-in of other key partners, in particular the government and UNHCR, notably through the core groups of the relevant sectors;
Adequate reporting of the sector is ensured by supporting use of activity info and/or other reporting systems by partners, ensuring quality control of data, and submit quality dashboards and other relevant products/inputs within deadlines;
Carry out outreach to partners to ensure participation in working group, adequate reporting and sharing of information, particularly of LNGOs;
Maintain coherence and flow of information between field and national social stability working groups.

Provide effective support to UNDP leadership of the response on stabilization:

Maintain close links between UNDP and other LCRP partners, in particular other lead UN Agencies, to support UNDP leading role in the LCRP;
Ensure the integration of a stabilization perspective in all LCRP products, meetings, information management products, vulnerability analysis and coordination initiatives;
Deputize the inter-sector coordinator effectively in case of absence, and represent UNDP in cross-sectoral working groups (youth, assessment, information management);
Support the coherence of UNDP role in coordination at field and central level;
Ensure the flow of information within UNDP on relevant coordination issues.

Implement the monitoring framework of the stabilization impact of the LCRP:

Monitor and track stabilization benefits of the LCRP: set up systems and products to track, report on, and disseminate findings related to support provided to Public institution and host communities, in close collaboration with the inter-sector leadership and the other sectors;
Support the design, approval, and implementation of a monitoring framework of the impact of the overall LCRP on stabilization in Lebanon;
Support the Monitoring and Evaluation of the 3RP at the regional level by ensuring adequate reporting from Lebanon and advising/supporting other countries of the region in setting up appropriate monitoring and evaluation framework;
Participate in conferences, workshops, and review appropriate documents.

Provide leadership on tension and conflict mapping, tracking and analysis, and on integration of conflict sensitivity and stabilization within the response:

Ensure the integration of social stability and conflict sensitivity in the work of other sectors;
Provide the response governing bodies (steering committee, Humanitarian Country Team, RC/HC) with regular and quality analysis on the evolution of inter-community tensions in the response;
Support the management and coordination of the conflict mapping and analysis project of UNDP peacebuilding team, managing relations with appropriate partners and consultants, and ensure the use of the projects outputs within the LCRP.

Ensure coordination of activities around key cross-cutting issues municipalities, and youth and social stability:

Lead coordination of initiatives related to municipalities: maintain accurate, updated, and relevant mapping of all initiatives engaging directly municipal institutions, by engaging key UN agencies and partners, other sectors, UNIFIL and government counterparts;
Disseminate the finding of such initiatives and ensure their use and relevance by other actors.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation:

Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability).

Leadership:

Execute & Learn (Perform defined tasks).

People Management:

Execute & Learn (Perform defined tasks).

Communication:

Originate (Peer Regarded Lead Expert);
Delivery: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability).

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/Advancing a Policy-Oriented Agenda: Originate (Peer Regarded Lead Expert):

Creates effective advocacy strategies;
Contributes to the elaboration of advocacy strategies by identifying and prioritizing audiences and communication means;
Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management: Originate (Peer Regarded Lead Expert):

Identifies country needs and strategies using a fact-based approach;
Sets performance standards, monitors progress and intervenes at an early stage to ensure results are in accordance with agreed-upon quality and timeframes and reports on it;
Makes use of a variety of resources based on UN/UNCT priorities to achieve results, such as cross-functional teams, secondments and developmental assignments, and collaborative funding approaches;
Oversees and documents the process of strategy formulation for programmes at country level.

Building Strategic Partnerships: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability):

Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UN/UNCT’s strategic agenda;
Sensitizes UN Partners, donors and other international organizations to the UN/UNCT’ strategic agenda, identifying areas for joint efforts;
Develops positive ties with civil society to build/strengthen UN/UNCT’s mandate;
Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
Effectively attentive to programmatic synergies in inter-agency meetings.

Marketing New Approaches: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability):

Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals;
Generates for regional and innovative ideas and effective solutions to problems;
Looks at experience critically, drawing lessons, and building them into the design of new approaches;
Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations;
Documents successes and uses them to project a positive image.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability):

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.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise: Originate (Peer Regarded Lead Expert):

Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff;
Continues to seeks new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit;
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.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals: Execute & Learn (Perform defined tasks):

Performed analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it for use at country level.

Client Orientation: Apply & Adapt (Recognized contributor with demonstrated ability):

Anticipates client needs;
Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree or equivalent in Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences or related field.

Experience:

At least five years experience, a significant part of which would be from countries in special development situations;
Significant experience at the national or international level in providing policy advisory services on Aid Coordination;
Significant experience on local governance, conflict prevention and resolution, conflict analysis, and livelihoods programs;
Hands-on experience in design, monitoring and overseeing implementation of support to building national capacity for Aid Coordination and establishing inter-relationships among international organizations and national governments;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages;
Knowledge and experience from the Middle East region.

Language:

Fluency in English;
Knowledge of Arabic and French would be an asset.