UNDP Jobs - 528- Programme Coordinator and SURGE Manager

Programme Coordinator and SURGE Manager

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

200 Series

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

29-Sep-06 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

ICS-12 (L-5), Pending Classification

Duration of Initial Contract :

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

Programme Support and Operations is one of the three new clusters in the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR). It is designed to provide both strategic programme and operations support to strengthen UNDP’s ability to support countries in crisis. It will be BCPR’s first point of entry to Regional Bureaux and country offices and, as such, will help to ensure that countries in conflict and post-conflict situations have the capacity to develop and implement programme activities that integrate recovery into on-going development efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

- Coordinate and manage the activities of the five Regional Teams, who provide programme support to country offices in their respective regions, through strategic work- planning, substantive advice, and regular monitoring.
- Convene cross-UNDP (BCPR, Regional Bureux, Bureau of Management, etc.) country office support teams to respond to country office needs, and help them develop relevant and effective intervention programmes in the area of crisis prevention and recovery.
- Provide strategic staffing to country office to increase programme management support through deployment of specialists, United Nations Volunteers, and other modalities available within the “Surge Capacity’ framework.
- Provide crisis and post crisis (CPC) policy and operational guidance to country offices to ensure optimal programme design, management of conflict prevention, and recovery activities linking relief and development.
- Coordinate strategic support within BCPR and support Crisis Prevention Recovery programme implementation in the five regions.
- Provide strategic planning and programme support to country offices that share common problems to develop cross-border strategies and initiate/monitor programmes in collaboration with all BCPR units. Engage in follow-up of cooperation Frameworks and programmes and advise on most appropriate allocation of TRAC 3 and TTF resources.
- Provide strategic advice, planning and programme support to country offices through provision of guidance, technical assistance and catalytic funding.
- Co-ordinate ongoing socio-economic analysis to identify strategies to minimize crises and risks at the regional level.
- Lead, participate in and/or undertake individual missions, as required, for emergency assessment/evaluation of areas affected by, or recovering from crises; programme planning, development and design in early recovery interventions; periodic monitoring of BCPR supported projects and programs.
- Manage and guide the SURGE Project and the team ensuring timely and quality delivery of its outputs (the SURGE Team, the SURGE Procedures and Organizational Arrangements, the SURGE Toolkit) as per the Project Implementation Document under the direction of the SURGE Project Executive Board. Continuously maintain and monitor developments around the project risk and issues logs.
- Coordinate closely with different BCPR units ensuring that the project builds on past and current experiences and (best) practices.
- Ensure that the SURGE Project outputs are fully aligned with and build on the mandates, plans and experience of other parts of the UNDP house, be they in country offices, Regional Centres, Regional Bureaux and specialized bureaux, notably Bureau of Management.
- Produce project stage plans, end-stage reports, exception reports as required, and ad-hoc reports if and when required. Ensure that progress under the project is well communicated to the different audiences inside and outside UNDP.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN 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
Excellent analytical and organizational skills

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
In-depth knowledge on UNDP programme and operational issues
Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
Knowledge of UNDP/UN policies and programme in crisis and post-crisis situations
Knowledge of UNDP/UN regulations, rules, policies, procedures and practices; operations

Development and Operational Effectiveness

Ability to lead and contribute to strategic planning, change processes, results-based management, work planning, and reporting.
Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.
Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with UN Agencies and main constituents, advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.

Management and Leaderships

Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback
Ability to establish effective working relations in a multicultural team environment
Excellent staff management and supervisory skills
Excellent interpersonal skills
Contribute effectively to teamwork
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
Demonstrates strong team management skills
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
Strategic thinking, strategic decision-making and proven leadership qualities and experience in management of teams and large groups
Demonstrates capacity to communicate effectively; resource management; capacity to plan and organize programme effectively
Demonstrates resourcefulness, initiative and mature judgment

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced university degree in social sciences, management, international relations or other development-related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in the related areas; field experience in crisis and/or post-conflict settings highly desirable.
• Fluency in English and French, both verbally and in writing. Working knowledge of another UN language will be an asset.