UNDP Jobs - 73019- Strategic Planning Specialist

Strategic Planning Specialist

Location :

Kuwait, KUWAIT

Type of Contract :

Other

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

05-Oct-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Other

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year

Languages Required :

Arabic 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

Under the framework of the “Institutional Capacity Development for Implementation of the Kuwait National Development Plan (ICDI/KNDP)” project, UNDP and the State of Kuwait, represented by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Planning and Development (GSSCPD), strive to enhance the human and institutional capacities at various government agencies to support them in implementation of the Kuwait National Development Plan. This is achieved by providing them with necessary technical expertise that is responsive to their needs and demands in line with the KNDP.

The Public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) was established to set up a national food and nutrition policy and to advocate for legislation and appropriate implementation of laws related to food and nutrition. It aims at ensuring optimal food safety, food security and the promotion of healthy community nutrition at the national level.

The mission of establishing PAFN is to prevent outbreaks and epidemics resulting from food, to control nutrition related non- communicable diseases and to ensure high quality food to consumer.

The authority’s mandate includes monitoring the implementation of national and international standards related to food safety and quality through quality control/quality assurance protocols to ensure the control of food imports, local food production & food markets in addition to taking actions against violators.

Within this context, the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition is seeking to recruit a Strategic Planning Specialist to support its mandate and objectives. The assignment will contribute to the following:

The assignment will also contribute to the following ICDI/KNDP project outputs:

Output 1.3: Increased technical expertise and institutional capacities for strategic planning and implementation of KNDP projects by public entities.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main responsibilities and tasks of the specialist are as follows:

Strategy and planning

Conduct a baseline assessment of the current projects and programs under implementation by different sectors at the authority;
Meet with the board members of the authority to understand their strategic direction;
Develop and present a comprehensive strategy for the authority that take into account the current vision and mission of the authority and the existing projects and programs;
Coordinate and liaise with relevant national entities (Ministry of health, ministry of commerce, ministry of industry, Customs, and other relevant entities);
Provide advice on the best approaches per international experiences and best practices;
Propose clear goals and objectives that are SMART and would enable the authority to achieve its overall strategic mission and vision;
Devise implementation and action plan with clear timeline to execute the strategic plan;
Put in place Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure and monitor performance;
Review the current work procedures and suggest SOPs with business flow charts;

Implement Best Practices

To identify successful examples of different countries’ lessons learned on policy reform related to food and nutrition.
Keep abreast and research experiences of GCC countries and countries with a comparative context in relation to Food and Nutrition support
Identify policies, strategies and methods that can be utilized/adapted to the Kuwaiti context and propose general recommendations and directions for improvement of the food and nutrition sector.

Training and Knowledge transfer

Build capacity of staff at the Authority on various elements of successful strategy development, monitoring and evaluation.
Conduct training workshop sessions as required;
Coordinate closely with all sectors and staff working at the authority to ensure knowledge transfer and hands-on training

Indicative approaches

A key approach in this assignment is to develop national capacities through facilitating learning from other countries experiences, training and knowledge and skills transfer to the staff of the Authority and other methods that the specialist would determine to ensure his/her skills and experience is transferred to the department. The specialist would thus be required to submit a capacity development/expertise and knowledge transfer plan based on an understanding of the needs of the Department.

The specialist is expected to include a gender approach in all the work requirements and ensure gender sensitivity of all the deliverables which would be based on a gender analysis to ensure that the needs and specific considerations related to men and women are taken into account.

Outputs

A Work Plan at the outset of the assignment - 2 weeks
A capacity development plan
Strategy and yearly annual plan for the authority
Execution and implementation action plan with clear timelines
Development of KPIs for each sector working at the authority with clear monitoring and evaluation
Development of internal SOPs and work procedures for each sector at the authority;
A report on other countries regional and international experiences in the area of Food and Nutrition-
Monthly and quarterly progress reports as per standard templates.- Ongoing

Roles and Coordination Requirements

The Specialist will work under the Head of the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition. The latter will be responsible to provide the existing information about the assignment and will be responsible for approving the specialist’s deliverables.
The Specialist will also report to the Project Management of the ICDI/KNDP project based with the International Cooperation Department at the GSSCPD by submitting regular reports on progress and impact of the assignment.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Reliably delivers on promises and honours commitments, holding himself/herself accountable for actions taken ?
Gains cooperation from others through understanding of the political and organizational culture.
Helps peers to identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, training and development needs.
Inspires, motivates and empowers team members to excel in their responsibilities
Works collaboratively with team members sharing information openly and displaying cultural awareness and sensitivity.
Synthesizes multiple/complex messages, identifies appropriate key points for different audiences and communicates concepts in a manner that influences the perceptions/behaviours of others.
Expresses own point of view in a neutral manner rather than in an argumentative tone, avoiding unproductive conflict.

Functional Competencies

Client Orientation

Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
Solicits feedback on service provision and quality.

Conceptual Innovation in the provision of technical expertise

Documents and tracks innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches;
Ensures that the design of policies are appropriate to regional and country social and development context;
Leverages multi disciplinary, institutional knowledge and experience of other countries and regions to promote UNDP’s development agenda.

Promoting organizational Learning and knowledge sharing

Develops and/or participates in the development of tools and mechanisms, including identifying new approaches to promote individual and organizational learning and knowledge sharing using formal and informal methodologies.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Minimum Masters in Business management, strategic planning, economics or any other related field;

Experience

Minimum 10 overall years of experience;
Minimum 5 years of experience in working for similar assignment, preferably in food and nutrition projects;
Experience in working for similar authorities in the region is a high advantage;
Proven experience in setting strategic plan;
Strong mentoring and advisory skills related to capacity building efforts;
Exposure to other country experiences and experience in other countries is an asset.

Language Requirements

Fluency in English and Arabic (both in writing and oral) is a must.

Note

This position will be on governmental contract administered by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development;
As part of the application, the applicant must attach a CV;
Priority for Kuwaiti Nationals.