UNDP Jobs - 11427- Regional Director (UN Millennium Campaign)

Regional Director (UN Millennium Campaign)

Location :

Nairobi, KENYA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

07-Sep-2009

Application Deadline :

16-Aug-09 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-6 (Fixed Term Appointment)

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Year

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

Working under the direct supervision of the Director of the UN Millennium Campaign and supporting the campaign as a whole, the Regional Director is responsible for the analysis of political, social and economic trends and leads formulation, management and evaluation of programme activities within his/her portfolio, provides policy advice services as well as identifying new partners and strengthening of established partnership with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Media, Youth Organizations, Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), Local Governments, Parliamentarians, UN Country Teams, and Private Sectors.

The Regional Director’s role is to lead the regional presence of the UN Millennium Campaign in Africa, with emphasis on Campaign co-ordination with connection to the Millennium Campaign’s global experiences. The Regional Director’s functions are fully integrated in the regional structure, results planning and delivery.

In addition, the Regional Director will (i) Lead and oversee the management, both substantively and operationally, of large regional, sub regional and national programmes; (ii) Manage a large volume of financial resources being invested in the region from multiple sources with a high degree of accountability for delivery of those resources; (iii) Manage, lead and coordinate several policy advisors, media and communications, operations staff at various levels; (iv) Manage the substantive area of work in a politically complex environment; and (v) Lead the Campaign in the region ensuring its credibility to deliver on a highly visible programme which in turn links to delivering on the MDG by 2015.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Contribute to the design and formulation of national/sub-regional/regional programmes drawing upon lessons from programmes and other initiatives in and out of the region and from global experiences
Contribute to the design and formulation of national/sub-regional/regional programmes drawing upon lessons from programmes and other initiatives in and out of the region and from global experiences
Develop regional policy and guidance in MDG advocacy related areas with the UN Millennium Campaign Director in NY;
Provide substantive inputs to national/international fora to help shape global and regional strategies on campaigning for the MDGs;
Lead advocacy on the MDGs in the region including promotion of the MDGs, targets, progress towards the achievement of the MDGs, and the sharing of the Campaign’s global experience
Coordination and formulation of programme strategies
Management of the Campaign programme in Africa;
Creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy
Provision of top quality policy advisory services to the Director and other UN Millennium Campaign staff as well as the facilitation of knowledge building and management within the Campaign.

Detailed description of responsibilities:

1. Ensures Design and implementation of national strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

Catalyze national campaigns at the national level building partnerships with key national Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Faith Based Organizations (FBOs), parliamentarians, UN Country Teams (UNCTs), local authorities, youth groups, media, and other stakeholders;
Liaise with national counterparts in the region on progress of activities, including appropriate flows of information from HQ to national campaigns in the region and vice versa;
Represent the UN Millennium Campaign in internal and external meetings, presentations and conferences and High Level events in the region;
Participate in meetings in relation to planning, budgeting and follow up of Millennium Campaign activities and projects at the national level in Africa.
UN Millennium Campaign in Africa related business processes mapping and preparation of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management;
Ensure maximum synergies and coordination with UN Resident Coordinators system and UNCTs;

2. Ensure strong partnership with, local authorities, CSOs, FBOs, Parliamentarians, the media, youth organizations at the regional level in order to achieve the following goals:

Satisfactory coordination of the Campaign's strategies in the areas of local authorities, civil society and faith-based organizations;
Coordinate and participate in internal and external meetings, as well as attend UN-sponsored conferences and events and participate in local authorities-related events;
Lead and support the annual Standup for the MDGs mass mobilization
Manage and guide the flow of information between HQ and local authorities and faith-based and other stakeholders’ focal points at the regional level;
Give de-briefings to Director of the UN Millennium Campaign after participation in such events.

3. Ensure Implementation of regional strategies focusing on the achievement of the following results:

Creation of strong links with regional institutions and UN agencies including African Union (AU), African Development Bank (AfDB), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Economic Commission of Africa (ECA), etc…;
Liaise with regional counterparts on progress of activities including appropriate flow of information from HQ to regional campaigns in Africa and vice versa;
Represent the UN Millennium Campaign in internal and external meetings, presentations and conferences as well as high level events in the region;
Participate in meetings in relation to planning, budgeting and follow up on UN Millennium Campaign activities and initiatives at the regional level in Africa;
Ensure maximum synergies with the other regions and the overall global resources of the UN Millennium Campaign.

4. Ensure effective UN Millennium Campaign Fund raising programme in order to achieve the following results:

Lead and manage activities related to development of fund-raising strategies; oversight of specific research to identify sources of funding for Campaign activities;
Lead funding-related missions;
Represent the UN Millennium Campaign in meetings with donors.

5. Ensure provision of top quality services in procurement and other operational matters by the regional team and African National coordinators 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 Millennium Campaign’s goals.
Overall guidance and supervision of regional team and staff as well as the national coordinators problems and needs in collaboration with the Regional teams and other strategic partners.
Sound contributions to regional and global knowledge networks, media and communities of practice.

Competencies

Corporate:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;

Functional:

Strong skills in MDG campaigning and advocacy initiatives in Africa;
Capacity to interact with senior officials and credibly influence senior decision makers in UN Millennium Campaign priority countries and other international development organizations;
Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products,
Represent the organization and present global policies, norms and tools; Professional and/or academic experience in one or more of the areas of practice/thematic area.

Leadership:

Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to provide credible leadership;
Innovative approaches/experience on global development issues;
Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic overview and corporate vision;
Demonstrated flexibility in leadership by performing and/or overseeing the analysis/resolution of complex issues;
Strong managerial/leadership experience and decision-making skills with proven track record of mature judgments;
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
Knowledge and expertise/recognized expert in MDG advocacy;
Proven ability to lead a practice area and drive for results;

Managing Relationships:

Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational skills;
Strong ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff;
Excellent negotiating and networking skills with strong partnerships in academia, technical organizations and as a recognized expert in the MDGs area;
Strong resource mobilization and partnering skills.

Managing Complexity:

Ability to address global development issues; Substantive knowledge and understanding of development cooperation;
Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives;
A sound global network of institutional and individual contacts;
Provides constructive coaching and feedback.

Judgment/Decision-Making:

Mature judgment and initiative;
Proven ability to provide strategic direction in the area of MDGs;
Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling major policy issues and challenges. Knowledge Management and Learning:
Ability to strongly promote knowledge sharing and build knowledge products and services;
Demonstrated ability to understand partners' needs and concerns; respond promptly and effectively to partners’ needs and customize services and products as appropriate;
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with others in own unit and across boundaries; acknowledge others' contributions; promote collaboration and facilitate teamwork across organizational boundaries;
Open to new ideas; shares own knowledge; applies knowledge in daily work; builds partnerships for learning and knowledge sharing;
Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside the UN system;
Provides constructive coaching and feedback;
Familiarity with current Knowledge Management technologies.

Required Skills and Experience

A Masters degree or higher in the social sciences, such as political science, sociology, economics or a related discipline.
15 years of overall relevant professional experience as well as a proven professional record in MDGs advocacy. Work experience from a developing country context is a necessity. A track record of extensive national/international working experience with increasing managerial responsibilities in the development arena. Experience in programme management. Experience in leading/managing knowledge product development and dissemination.
Fluency (both written and verbal) in English and knowledge of a regional language is an asset.