Antecedentes

Primary purpose of the position: Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Advisor and in co-ordination with the Team Leader, Disaster Reduction Team, the Regional Disaster Reduction Advisor is responsible for providing technical advice and strategic direction for the development and review of BCPR’s natural disaster reduction capacity building portfolio for the Central and South Asia region. This also includes the provision of strong leadership for the assessment and strategic planning functions in support of early recovery initiatives in the post disaster period and the inclusion of risk reduction principles and practices in recovery initiatives in the wake of natural disasters. 

Level of responsibility/accountability: In collaboration with the UNDP Country Offices and the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok, The Regional Disaster Reduction Advisor will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of the regional portfolio, including achievement of expected results as a contribution to the outcome areas identified by the BCPR strategy for natural disaster reduction.

Enabling environment: The position requires a high degree of technical knowledge and interaction with partners in the area of disasters and development and would involve interaction with senior level UNDP personnel, government officials, donor governments and other key partners involved in disaster risk reduction in Asia. 
Internal/External focus: This position will involve close collaboration with UNDP Country Offices and Regional Bureaus and a range of external partners ranging from local stakeholders to regional organizations and international organizations involved in disaster risk reduction programming in the region.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Program development and management

• Provide leadership and technical input for the design and development of UNDP disaster reduction and early recovery initiatives at the national and sub-regional levels in Central and South Asia.
• In collaboration with the BCPR TASC/DRT, support the national capacity and programme development in key thematic areas: disaster risk identification, urban risk and climate risk management.
• Oversee BCPR support to UNDP Country Offices for the formulation of national and regional capacity building programmes, ensuring relevance to UNDP’s thematic and geographic strategies and priorities
• Appraise proposals for national and regional capacity building projects and recommend where appropriate to the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor the approval of BCPR resources to support fully developed proposals
• Provide appropriate technical support to ongoing UNDP Country Office disaster reduction and recovery projects, including monitoring the achievement of progress towards pre-determined results and ensuring that substantive and financial reporting is provided, in accordance with the MoU signed between UNDP and donors for those activities receiving support from BCPR managed funds
• Appraise Country Office requests for TRAC 3 Category II support in case of natural disasters and provide strong leadership for the assessment and strategic planning and programming of post disaster recovery interventions 
  Provide inputs to the preparation of UNDP corporate and business plans pertaining to disaster reduction and transition recovery issues in the region.
• Co-ordinate the preparation of BCPR annual regional  activity plans, relating to disaster reduction and recovery in the region, undertake regular reviews of progress; supervise the preparation of regular progress reports
• Supervise the BCPR staff assigned to the region on disaster reduction and recovery issues, including consultants and staff on short-term assignments
• Provide substantive inputs from the region for the development of a roster of outsourced personnel for disaster reduction and transition recovery purposes. Monitor and review the performance of consultants and provide feedback.

High level policy support 

• Provide policy level input for the development of national and regional disaster reduction strategies and institutional and legislative systems for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into national development planning and programming
• Support the development of synergies between UNDP disaster risk reduction strategies and relevant regional and national strategies related to adaptation to climate change, poverty alleviation and governance
• Organize and/or substantively contribute to regional and sub regional consultations on appropriate disaster risk reduction policy initiatives and present evidence based inputs for regional policy development based on the lessons learned and thematic results of UNDP’s experience in disaster risk reduction in the region
• Prepare regional inputs for the formulation of UNDP corporate policy, guidelines and practice notes on disaster risk reduction and recovery
• Prepare regional analytical inputs and proposed recommendations for inclusion in UN System resolutions through contributions to various UN System reports on disaster risk reduction and recovery such as ECOSOC reports, Secretary General’s Reports, UNDP Administrators reports, progress reports on the International strategy for Disaster Reduction and others.
• Contribute to the development of international thematic policies, ensuring that the needs, lessons learned and priorities of UNDP national and regional programming are appropriately reflected.

Knowledge management

• In collaboration with the Regional Disaster Reduction Advisor for the Asia-Pacific region develop and operationalize a sub-regional disaster reduction and recovery knowledge networks on themes and issues that have been identified in Regional CPR Networking initiatives for Asia
• Organize periodic knowledge networking meetings of UNDP national focal points, project managers and national and regional partners exchange experiences and lessons on disaster risk reduction and recovery
• Ensure the documentation, systematization and dissemination of the lessons learned from UNDP’s disaster reduction and recovery activities in the region
• In co-ordination with the Regional Centre in Bangkok provide relevant substantive inputs to knowledge networking, including responding to Country Office requests for information on best practice and offering referrals to experts and expert institutions.
• Ensure that the sub-regional knowledge networks in the region are fully integrated into the BCPR global electronic knowledge network.

Advocacy and Resource Mobilization

• Represent BCPR on policy, strategy and technical matters in inter-agency, regional and international meetings; present UNDP position on disaster reduction and recovery issues; present UNDP policies, strategies; results and lessons learned in workshops, seminars and conferences
• Support regional advocacy efforts related to the promotion, adoption and endorsement of regional disaster reduction strategies
• Supervise the production and dissemination of both regular and occasional reports on UNDP activities in disaster reduction and transition recovery in the region
• Lead the preparation of national and regional evidence to support increased investment in disaster risk reduction
  Identify and follow up on potential opportunities for resource mobilization in support of national and regional programming in the region; 
• Prepare funding proposals and briefings in support of UNDP resource mobilization efforts
• Supervise the organization of donor briefings and presentations, with donor representatives in the region, for resource mobilization purposes.
• Undertake working level negotiations with counterparts in multi and bilateral agencies located in the region
• Contribute to the preparation of appeals in co-ordination with OCHA’s regional advisors, ensuring that UNDP transition recovery needs are adequately reflected 

Partnership Building   

• Represent BCPR on matters of operational policy and strategy in inter-organizational working groups and participate in task forces within established inter-organizational bodies and networks towards developing common programming principles and approaches and joint programmes for disaster reduction and recovery
• Identify critical components for the development of strategic partnerships and alliances relevant to the achievement of UNDPs overall strategy and policies in the region, with other UN organizations (in particular OCHA, ISDR Secretariat and other disaster related programmes), multilateral organizations, regional organizations, scientific, academic and technical organizations and with donors and programme countries; contribute to the negotiations in establishing such partnerships, drafting of agreements and monitoring their implementation
• Provide substantive inputs and present UNDP policy as required,
• Provide advice to BCPR in building strategic alliances and developing compacts within UNDP and between BCPR/UNDP and other UN agencies and international organizations with respect to early post-crisis recovery approaches and potential joint activities.
• Promote co-operation with other BCPR units; support alliances and working partnerships within UNDP (Country Offices, Bangkok Regional Centre, BDP policy advisors, UNESCAP) mainstreaming disaster reduction into UNDP supported development initiatives, creating synergies and coherence in UNDP efforts

Competencias

•  Integrity and fairness -- embodies UN values and promotes the well-being of all individuals regardless of gender, religion, race, nationality, or age.
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability – communicates effectively with and relates to people of different cultures, demonstrating an ability to see issues from other perspectives   ·     
• Strong corporate commitment - works to achieve the goals of UNDP as a whole making significant contributions to corporate priorities or initiatives led by other UNDP offices and bureaus

Functional:

• Knowledge of the international disaster reduction system at field and headquarters levels
• Excellent computer/information systems skills
• Knowledge of risk assessment theory and practice
• Ability in disaster risk assessment and in application to risk management decision-making

Managerial:

• Ability to build strong client relationships - establishes lasting relationships and substantive dialogue with clients that create valuable intervention opportunities for the office/unit
• Ability to build strong relationships with other external actors – cultivates productive relationships with donors, partners and other important institutions and individuals
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to anticipate and understand client needs, formulate clear strategic plans, prioritize interventions, and allocate resources according to priorities
• Ability to manage projects effectively - consistently ensuring timeliness and quality of project work  
• Ability to develop innovative solutions - encourages and contributes creative solutions to address challenging situations

Behavioral:

• Ability to establish effective working relations in a multicultural team environment
• Excellent interpersonal and supervisory skills
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills
• Resourcefulness, initiative, and maturity of judgment

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

• Advanced University Degree in international development and/or a related field.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in disaster risk management including field experience; experience in developing/application of risk information tools at different levels.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is essential.  Working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.