UNDP Jobs - 3468- Research Team Leader (National)

Research Team Leader (National)

Location :

Jakarta with travel to the region(s), INDONESIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

15-Jan-08 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months (with possible extension)

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

UNDP Indonesia's mission is to be an agent for change in the human and social development of Indonesia. We aim to be a bridge between Indonesia and all donors as well as a trusted partner to all stakeholders. We work in four key areas of development: Governance Reforms, Pro-Poor Policy Reforms, Conflict Prevention and Recovery, and Environment Management, with the overarching aim of reducing poverty in Indonesia. Besides the four priority areas, UNDP Indonesia is also engaged in a variety of crosscutting initiatives focused on HIV/AIDS, gender equality, and information and technology for development.

Background Information

The Provincial Governance Support Program (PGSP) supported by UNDP and implemented by the government of Indonesia, has been developed to assist the government of Indonesia to address some of the key challenges associated with decentralization.

In 1999, through path-breaking legislations, Indonesia commenced radical decentralization. This initiative has led to new powers for regions and to the special autonomy agreements for Papua and Aceh. The change has also created confusion over overlapping roles and responsibilities between provinces and districts as well as concerns over the scale of proliferation of new provinces and districts. Decentralization has not led to an effective transfer of power and resources from the central government to local governments in order to better serve the communities and citizens, improve welfare, and better generate the economy. Instead, some allege, power is captured by local elites.

It has been observed that under the current legal framework the role of provincial government as both representative of national government and as a government of an autonomous region has been unclear or even weakened. On the other hand, making development work in sub-national regions of a vast and diverse arch pelagic country like Indonesia will need strong coordinating functions at regional level. Managing decentralization cannot be done effectively only from and by the central government. The political and administrative "distance" is simply too long and too difficult to manage. Capable provincial government is a logical, as well as, according to Law 32/2004, legal solution to these problems.

Through PGSP, UNDP aims to support the Government of Indonesia (GOI) in re-defining and strengthen the role of the province in the context of decentralization in Indonesia. This project will have two-pronged assistance: (a) the development of relevant decentralization policies, and (b) identifying and piloting concrete framework or tools of good governance to assist provincial governance system. The project will explore how to creatively apply provincial powers and responsibilities to facilitate equitable economic growth and good governance among the districts.

This project is designed to respond adequately to rapid policy and political changes that directly or indirectly affect the decentralization regulatory framework as well as the roles of provincial and district governments in Indonesia. Key policy issues that will be tackled in the next three years are, among others: the revision of Law no.32/2004; the enactment of key Government Regulations such as PP 38/2007 on Distribution of Roles and Functions of National, Provincial and Local Governments, PP 41/2007 on Organization of Provincial and Local Governments, PP on Minimum Public Service Standards, the revision of PP 129/2000 on Establishment, Proliferation and Merging of Regions, PP on the Evaluation of the Performance of Local Government; as well as the enactment of the package of laws on public service reform that are now being developed by the Ministry of PAN (Public Administration Reform).

The project responses will be framed into several key strategic approaches such as: policy research and advocacy on key national and local regulatory frameworks; promotion of best practices in local governance; technical assistance to key ministries as well as to DPR and DPD to further develop an improved framework to regulate decentralization; as well as research for policy alternatives in regards to key decentralization issues such as proliferation of regions, and alternative development planning, budgeting and monitoring mechanisms.

The PGSP provides a framework that: 1) allows province governments access to technical assistance and practical tools to strengthen good governance in the province, and 2) allows for timely policy research and development based on real experiences at the local level. The framework is sufficiently flexible to tailor support to individual provinces by providing a menu of tools and supporting technical assistance.

At the provincial and district level the full-fledged PGSP will work with the provincial and district governments through key program components:

Technical expertise and facilitation support to prepare Province level Human Development Reports (PHDR);
Technical assistance to help provinces incorporate the findings of their HDR into planning documents. In select provinces this will be combined with on-going support for public expenditure analysis provided by the Support Office for Eastern Indonesia and the World Bank;
Technical assistance and facilitation support for locally elected representatives to strengthen their oversight capacities with "eye on performance" of local governments" plans and budgets;
Technical assistance and facilitation support for provincial and district level development planning agencies to incorporate the multi-stakeholder planning approach as spearheaded in the GOI-UNDP BRIDGE project;
Support for development of province-specific civil service reform strategy incl. access to know-how and existing tools and methodologies for practical human resource change management.

The policy unit of the program allows for systematic monitoring of lessons and for strategic and timely action-oriented research in the working areas of the program. To ensure donor harmonization, the policy unit works closely with other donor-supported initiatives through the Decentralization Support Facility and likeminded initiatives.

The Program Management Unit (PMU) based in Jakarta is designed to lead the overall implementation of the program (including the technical assistance and tools component and the policy development component) and provide timely quality support for area teams based at the province level.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Team Leader of PGSP, and in close collaboration with the Decentralization Advisor and the PGSP Policy Manager, the Decentralization Research Team Leader oversees and manages research activities conducted under PGSP.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The Decentralization Research Team Leader is responsible for ensuring that research activities supported by PGSP are carried out ethically, timely and with a focus on high quality. In addition to carrying out first hand research, the Decentralization Research Team Leader may also at times be tasked with the responsibility of providing guidance and direction to short-term research consultants.

The Decentralization Research Team Leader works in close cooperation with other PGSP colleagues to identify challenges and opportunities in the light of the on-going decentralization policy debates in Indonesia.

More specifically, during the first five months, the Decentralization Research Team Leader will work closely with the Decentralization Advisor to provide high quality and strategic research to the relevant GOI partners:

on the debates over policy framework of proliferation of regions in Indonesia
on the revision of Law no.32/2004
on the enactment of PP 38/2007 on Distribution of Roles and Functions of National, Provincial and Local Governments
on the enactment of PP 41/2007 on Organization of Provincial and Local Governments, PP on Minimum Public Service Standards
on the revision of PP 129/2000 on Establishment, Proliferation and Merging of Regions
on the planned enactment of PP on Minimum Public Service Standards
on the planned enactment of PP on the Evaluation of the Performance of Local Government
on the planned enactment of the package of laws on public service reform that are now being developed by the Ministry of PAN (Public Administration Reform).

Competencies

Competencies and Critical Success Factors

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN?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.
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Operational Aspect of Project Management

Has demonstrated knowledge and experience in working on bureaucratic reform and/or decentralization.
Displays maturity and excellent communication and networking skills.
Ability to work independently and in an organized manner.

Knowledge Management and Learning

Shares knowledge and experience.
Actively mentors research team members under her/his supervision.

Management and Leadership

?Demonstrates strong analytical and management skills.
Strong monitoring skills focuses on impact and results and responds positively to feedback.
?Ability to lead formulation, monitoring and evaluation of development of the work and mobilize support for the work.
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Bachelors/Masters degree in relevant field, e.g. economics, international relations, political science, public administration, preferably a PhD.

Experience:

For Bachelors degree: six (6) years of undertaking research on governance sector in Indonesia;
For Masters/PhD degree : two (2) years of undertaking research on governance sector in Indonesia;
Experience developing research methodology and leading teams of consultants;
Proven track record in publishing research material;
Proven leadership and facilitation skills;
Excellent communication skills including: proven writing skills, inter-personal skills, and public speaking in formal settings; and
Experience using computers and office software packages and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages.

Language Requirements:

Excellent command of English and Bahasa Indonesia, both spoken and written.

OTHER SELECTION CRITERIA

The Decentralization Research Team Leader is a highly professional, practical, and self-motivating person who is able to work at all levels of government and engage with civil society actors.

The successful Research Team Leader has a strong background in research methodology and excellent oral and written communication skills. He/she must have demonstrated research experience in relevant subject matter. He/she must have demonstrated proven outstanding track record in public policy research.