Background

I. Organizational Context

The Office of the United Nations Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias (UNORC) was established in September 2005 to support the Government of Indonesia. As the Government has taken a strong lead in the post-emergency phase with the establishment of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias (BRR), it is imperative that UNORC takes responsibility for facilitating strong coordination among the UN Agencies, the international NGO community, and bilateral donors in full and timely support of the Government’s reconstruction and recovery efforts.

Staffed by personnel from the UN Secretariat and various UN Agencies, UNORC serves as the main point of contact between the UN system, BRR and Provincial and District Governments. UNORC aims to facilitate a unified United Nations system approach, to put into place structures for coordination at all levels, to minimize gaps in the response and provide linkages and strategic policy that transcend all sectors. UNORC is also deeply committed to incorporate the principle of equity into the recovery efforts, with a particular focus on protecting and advocating on behalf of the vulnerable. UNORC works with many partners and continues to strengthen its field presence to overcome pressing issues in Aceh and Nias. Information, research, analysis and monitoring also constitute an essential service provided by UNORC to the Government of Indonesia and partner organizations through the UNORC Information Analysis Section (UNORC-IAS).

UNORC-IAS is currently composed of two units: the Information Management Unit tasked with gathering and disseminating data to ensure needs of stakeholders are met, as well as oversight on collating, cleaning and processing data sets using the common UN platform, DevInfo, also providing direct technical support to the Solutions Exchange service/project; the Statistical Research and Analysis Unit is tasked to develop timely analytical reports and data/indicator products to feed into policy making. A third and final unit, Solutions Exchange, is just now being established.

UNORC is seeking to tap into the vast knowledge base regarding the Aceh situation and will therefore establish on-line communities of practice using the proven platform of “Solutions Exchange” through which recovery practitioners in Indonesia and elsewhere can exchange knowledge, expertise, lessons learnt and good practices. The platform will not only bring together the recovery community for exchanging ideas and experience but will foster collaboration, cooperation and create opportunities for joint activities.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Project Coordinator for Solution Exchange Indonesia, the incumbent will be responsible for creating, managing and generally motivating a specific Community of Practice, comprised of possibly over a thousand development practitioners in (the relevant thematic area) drawn from government, NGOs, academic/research institutes, UN and other multilateral and bilateral agencies.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

 

II. Functions / Key Results Expected

1. Supports development of a "Community of Practice" in the relevant thematic area.  Anchors Community collaboration; facilitates information-sharing of members; solicits new members; coordinates workshops and events to strengthen Community identity.
2. Manages the Community's electronic network mail group(s).  Moderates the network overall including moderating, directing and filtering messages; actively encourages member participation; facilitates electronic discussions; determines the relevant information resources for the network and ensures these resources are maintained on the website.
3. Synthesizes responses to community member requests for advice and assistance.  Consults with members; guides the Research Associate’s search for documentary information; compiles member replies; formulates concise responses; indexes responses in the knowledge base for intuitive retrieval.
4. Directly manages the drafting of consolidated replies (CR) as well as responsible to ensure the overall quality of the CR and other written material circulated within the network.
5. Advises the UN Agency convener and the Community’s Resource Group (its guiding body) in identifying cutting edge issues of concern to the Community; organizes Community teams to develop strategies, programmes or projects to address them.
6. Coordinates the specific Community development and support activities with the activities of the other Communities. Collaborates on collective initiatives; ensures systems conformity and compatibility with the other Communities; shares information on Community initiatives.

III. Impact of Results

The key result expected from a fully operational Solutions Exchange project: to build and enhance collaboration and cooperation in a sustainable manner through a systematic knowledge management system; to ensure that the Solutions Exchange platform becomes a common service to the entire recovery community; to direct the work of six thematic areas:

1. Housing and Infrastructure, covering issues relating to temporary shelter, barracks, beneficiary criteria including renters, land title including joint titling, community planning and management, village infrastructure, social infrastructure, water and sanitation, quality control, etc.
2. Health and Nutrition, covering issues relating to reproductive and mental health, hygiene, disease surveillance, child and maternal health, communicable disease control, health information systems, etc.
3. Education, covering strategies for access to education, school development planning, vocational training, teacher training, etc.
4. Disaster Management and Risk Reduction, covering issues relating to disaster preparedness and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, coastal protection, early warning capacities, and contingency planning.
5. Economic Development Community, covering livelihoods, micro-credit, sectoral planning and investment, natural resources management, Hyogo Framework for Action -  2015
6. Governance Community, covering democratic decentralization, transparency and accountability, rule of law, gender equality, local jurisprudence, civil service reform, public procurement reform, local governance, and local government capacity building

 

 

Competencies

IV. Competencies

Corporate Responsibility & Direction:

• Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of the UNORC.
• Supports the implementation of action plans, delivers against established priorities; demonstrates good judgment.

Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of the UNORC.

People Skills:

• Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others; gives credit to the contributions of others.
• Able to efficiently moderate discussions while keeping the interest of the wider community. Generate and maintain enthusiasm of large groups. Encourages that a wide range of actors become interested in and active as content contributors.

Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others; gives credit to the contributions of others.

Managing for Results:

• Strong team-building skills; proven ability to create an enabling work environment
• Plan and prioritize work activities to meet clear goals.
• Can work under tight deadlines and independently.

Partnering & Networking:

•  Supports and strengthens relationships with key constituents within the recovery and development communities.
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices.

 Supports and strengthens relationships with key constituents within the recovery and development communities.

Innovation & Judgment:

• Remains current on key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate.
• Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.

Communication:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both Bahasa and English.
• Able to communicate clearly and effectively through e-mail. Steers and contributes to e-discussions as well as the preparation of discussion summaries.

Excellent written and oral communication skills in both Bahasa and English.

Job Knowledge & Expertise:

• Thorough knowledge of the key concerns and challenges facing development practitioners in the relevant substantive area.
• Highly effective at networking and at securing information and expertise.
• Computer literate and willing to learn new applications.

 

Required Skills and Experience

 

V. Recruitment Qualifications

Education: 

University degree (Bachelor or Masters) in a specialization relevant to the Community of Practice, or the equivalent combination of education and experience in a related area.

Experience: 

At least 6 years for Bachelor and 2 years for Masters degree, progressively responsible experience in the relevant development specialization (refer to the six thematic areas). Prior experience in a research or academic capacity helpful; experience in communications and reporting, advocacy, public awareness campaigns helpful. General experience in information technology tools helpful.

Working experience with UN Agencies or comparable international development organizations would be an asset Reporting and analytical skills are important.

Language Requirements: 

Bahasa and English; knowledge of other languages would be helpful

 

“Female candidates are encouraged to apply”