UNDP Jobs - 50358- National Area Coordinator

National Area Coordinator

Location :

Sulaymaniyah, IRAQ

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

18-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SC-10

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

Iraq is at a turning point and is facing its most severe crisis in years, with the country on the brink of break-up amid lightning offensives by armed groups. Several key Iraqi cities, most notably Mosul, fell under full control of the armed groups, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) - an al-Qaeda breakaway. This has unleashed widespread violence across the country, especially in the disputed territories of Iraq, resulting in huge displacement of populations and a humanitarian crisis. In addition to over 500,000 IDPs from Anbar, OCHA figures from September 2014 indicate that an estimated 1.8M Iraqis is displaced. Both Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqis are highly concentrated in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and within Kurdistan, the majority of the IDP’s and refugees are hosted in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in Kurdistan. However, Erbil and Suleymaniya also have substantial number of IDPs and refugees. The burden on the local government, as well as the UN and international community, to provide assistance for the displaced population has increased dramatically, but the capacity of aid-providing bodies (government, NGOs, UN) has already been stretched to the limit. The current UNDP support provided to the Syrian refugees requires continuity and more support for the host government and the communities to ensure institutional sustainability for the provision of the emerging assistance needs.

In order to respond to this situation, UNDP has formulated the Iraqi Crisis Response and Resilience Program complementing the humanitarian response which is composed of 5 areas of support:

Improved Crisis Response coordination, management, structures and mechanisms
Improved participatory decentralized basic service delivery, institutional responsiveness and accountability

Improved livelihoods opportunities for crisis-affected communities
Protection mechanisms strengthened for vulnerable communities, specifically women and youth
Strengthened Social Cohesion through dialogue and capacity development of local and national stakeholders

UNDP’s support takes into consideration the situation of the IDPs, refugees as well as the highly stretched capacities of the host communities and has been framed from a resilience lens, looking at longer term durable solutions.

Sulaymaniyah Governorate is one of the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Sulaymaniyah governorate has been hosting around 95,000 IDPs as well as over 23,000 Syrian Refugees. A number of local and international organizations are based in Sulaymaniyah governorate, implementing various activities for the refugees and displaced population. UNDP has been implementing its support for SGBV projection for Syrian refugees and is planning to launch more activities both for Syrian refugees and IDPs in Sulaymaniyah, specifically for livelihoods enhancement and resilience based activities. To this end, UNDP Iraq wishes to strengthen its coordination and liaison capacity in Sulaymaniyah to implement UNDP’s activities in an effective manner.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Under overall supervision of the Sr. Program Coordinator for the Crisis Response and Resilience Program and day-to-day and the direct supervision of the International Field Coordinator, liaison with the respective Project Managers for Syrian and IDP support projects, the incumbent will perform the following tasks

Support Project Implementation Focusing on achievements of the following:

Coordinate internally the implementation of the ICRRP related project including Rule of Law projects (“The Project”)
Coordinate with all relevant stakeholders, including engagement with senior Government Officials, for the execution and implementation of The Project in Sulaymaniyah.
Provide advice and support to the technical staff working with The Project.
Monitor and report on the development of implementation of The Project.
Provide technical inputs into The Projects on different thematic areas.
Liaising with all key national and international stakeholders – key domestic political and civic actors, civil society organizations, international NGOs, UN partners, donors
Maintain strong relationship the local authorities in Sulaymaniyah and identify areas for UNDP assistance, in line with the UNDP Crisis Response and Resilience Program.
In the context of the above functions; and establish and update a related database.
Provide advice and assistance in data collection to establish baselines to monitor progress in relation to The Projects.
Develop and design interventions in Sulaymaniyah, projects and other activities based on the accurate information and risk analysis on the ground and utilizing lessons learned.
Conduct research to assist in the development of concept notes, project documents and policy frameworks and project activities as directed by the supervisor.
Organize, facilitate, conduct, attend and monitor trainings and workshops as advised.
Perform other work-related outputs as requested by the project manager including administrative and logistical work.
Work closely with the Government in Sulaymaniyah to towards their institutional development and capacity building.
Assist in translating, drafting production of information and publicity materials and sharing of correspondence and taking notes on meetings as required.

Overall supervision and management of multidisciplinary project/initiatives focusing on achievement of the following results:

Preparation of accurate and timely reports on the progress of project activities in Sulaymaniyah with specific focus on the indicators achieved, timely delivery and funds utilized.
Preparation of work plans, monitoring and reporting on project achievements.
Provide and /or develop inputs for annual work plans.
In coordination with the International Field Coordinator and the Programme Support Unit, compile narrative and financial reports for submission to donor partners as required.

Provision of analytical and design support to the Governance and Crisis Management Area and broader Country Office initiatives.

Design of sectoral programme initiatives to support broader Governance Crisis Management area and Country Programme goals and to ensure quality design.
Analysis of sectoral programme initiatives to support broader Governance Crisis Management area and Country Programme goals.
Assessment and analysis of project proposals for relevance and coherence and to ensure quality design.

Analyze and share information with UNDP Country Office on the political, social and economic situation in Sulaymaniyah and its neighboring areas from the aspect of refugee/IDPs response and resilience-based development approach.

Competencies

Display corporate commitment and direction: Work to promote UNDP’s vision, mission, values and strategic goals

Manage for results: Translate strategic aims into achievable plans, with established priorities, and monitor them, making periodic adjustments as required
Plan and prioritize work activities: Plan and prioritize work to meet organizational area-based development goals, organize and oversee work processes efficiently, to achieve quality results.
Build and sustains strong client relationship: Build and sustain relationships with key constituents (Regional Government, UN Agencies, bi-multilateral, private, civil society, etc.). Seek and apply knowledge, information and best practices from within UNDP and outside
Negotiation, leadership and team building skills: Demonstrate good negotiation, leadership and team building skills
Apply existing knowledge to work: Bring all relevant UNDP and external knowledge and resources to bear on area-based development initiatives in the key governmental offices in order to improve quality of work, efficiency, and apply analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree or Bachelor’s in humanitarian development related disciplines, economics or any other relevant social science fields.

Experience:

With Master’s degree minimum of 5 years or Bachelor’s degree with minimum of 7 years of extensive coordination and development experience that combines intellectual, strategic and managerial leadership in development programmes.
Extensive working experience in Development or crisis response programmes in KRG or Sulaymaniyah an asset.
Proven ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams in a multilateral work environment.
Track record with of successful programme management preferably within the UN.
Experience with and knowledge of UNDP policies and procedures an asset.
Experience with UN or international organization working in crisis-affected country, especially Iraq would be an advantage.

Technical skills required:

Functionally-related professional management skills.
Ability to plan and prioritise work activities to meet organizational goals and organize and oversee work processes efficiently to achieve quality results.
Knowledge of strategic planning processes, programming.
Knowledge of fund raising, project and programme drafting.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Kurdish required
Arabic language skills are considered an asset

Previous UN Experience:

Experience from previous UN assignments and/or multilateral organizations and bi-lateral aid organizations would be an asset.

Min Monthly Remuneration: US$ 3,565.41 (Including Pension)

Instruction for submission of applications:

Please fill out a P-11 form posted on http://www.iq.undp.org/content/iraq/en/home/operations/jobs.html and apply online. Please note that no other type of application form, including CVs, will be considered for such positions, other than the one found at the link specified above.
Only candidates who are short-listed will be contacted.
We strongly encourage qualified female candidates to apply. UNDP seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities, and that staff members are able to keep an appropriate balance between work and private life.
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, as a matter of practice, does not charge any application, processing or training fee at any stage of the recruitment process.