UNDP Jobs - 109738- Head of Secretariat/Legal Secretary

Head of Secretariat/Legal Secretary

Location :

Juba, South Sudan, SOUTH SUDAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Nov-2022

Application Deadline :

26-Oct-22 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 months

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

Background

The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) is reform-oriented and provides for several reforms to be undertaken during the transition. In this context, it provides in Art. 1.17.1. that the Judiciary shall be independent and subscribe to the principle of separation of powers and the supremacy of the rule of law. Art. 1.17.2. provides that there shall be reforms of the Judiciary that shall include but not be limited to the review of the Judiciary Act, and efforts shall be made to build the capacity of the judicial personnel and infrastructure. The R-ARCSS outlines how the reforms will be initiated and provides in Art. 1.17.3. that the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) shall establish an Ad Hoc Judicial Reform Committee (JRC) to study and make recommendations to the R-TGoNU for consideration.

Pursuant to these provisions, the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for establishing the JRC were put in place by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission in June 2021. The R-ARCSS Parties and IGAD selected their representatives to the JRC and the Chair and Deputy Chair as required by Art. 1. 17.4. and 1.17.5. in June 2022, and the JRC was inaugurated on 28th July 2022. The Implementation Matrix of the R-ARCSS requires the JRC to finalize and submit its recommendations to R-TGoNU within six (6) months from its establishment, which is the date the JRC was inaugurated.

The JRC, being fully constituted following its inauguration, has now commenced to discharge its mandate on reforms of the Judiciary of South Sudan as provided in the R-ARCSS and ToRs establishing the JRC. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has committed to provide operational support to facilitate a Secretariat to assist the JRC to deliver its mandate within the stipulated timeframe of six (6) months. The Secretariat shall be composed of (i) Legal Secretary/Head of Secretariat, (ii) Head of Legal Research, (iii) Associate Researcher, and (iv) Communication/Media Specialist.

The Role and Functions of the Secretariat

The role of the Secretariat will be to support the JRC to deliver its mandate as provided in the R-ARCSS and ToRs establishing the JRC and outlined in its Work Plan. The Secretariat shall ensure that the JRC has adequate capacity to perform its activities and specifically perform key tasks which include:

Assisting the Chair or Deputy Chair in developing the agenda of plenary meetings of the JRC;
Reviewing and analyzing national legislation and regulations on the Judiciary and administration of justice;
Researching and preparing Concept Papers on relevant themes and topics on judicial reform;
Analyzing and comparing regional and international legislation on the judiciary and administration of justice;
Coordinating consultations and forums with rule of law stakeholders, experts, and the public;
Collating and reviewing memoranda and submissions on judicial reform received from stakeholders;
Capturing and maintaining a record of all plenary meetings of the JRC and producing true minutes;
Ensuring a presence for the JRC on the web which shall be an avenue to electronically receive submissions from the public, diaspora and stakeholders on judiciary reform and also a communication tool for the JRC;
Preparing reports of consultations of the JRC which shall include any presentations together with a summary of the discussions and professional observations;
Organizing meetings between Chair and/or Deputy Chair and stakeholders including Government institutions;
Supporting the JRC Working Sub-Committees to fulfil their respective Terms of Reference;
Preparing progress/status reports on the work of the JRC for consideration by Chair and for presentation to RJMEC;
Assisting in the preparation of the final JRC Report for submission to RTGoNU for consideration, and
Assisting the JRC in any other administrative and logistics tasks as assigned by the Chair or Deputy Chair.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities of Legal Secretary/Head of Secretariat

The Legal Secretary/Head of Secretariat will be seconded by UNDP to the JRC Secretariat and shall be the Rapporteur of the JRC and oversee the work of the Secretariat. S/he will also be the Focal Point between the JRC, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs (MoJCA), IGAD, RJMEC and other stakeholders. The Legal Secretary/Head of Secretariat will report to the Chair and perform the following functions:

Oversee and manage the work of the Secretariat in coordination with the Chair and/or Deputy Chair;
Coordinate plenary and secretariat meetings;
Support the JRC Working Sub-Committees to fulfil their respective Terms of Reference;
Capture and maintain notes of all plenary meetings of the JRC and produce minutes of the same;
Prepare reports of consultations of the JRC which shall include any presentations together with a narrative summary of the discussions and professional observations;
Liaise with JRC members and circulate required communication and documentation for purposes of the business of the JRC and receiving their feedback;
Liaise with both the Lead Legal Researcher and Associate Researcher on their respective tasks;
Liaise with Donors, IGAD, International Community, MoJCA, RJMEC, Stakeholders including Government institutions, Experts and Resource Persons on any matter concerning the JRC;
Follow up consultations with the RTGoNU, relevant institutions and stakeholders on themes and topics on judicial reform;
Properly documenting the work of the Committee;
Supervise and allocate tasks to the members of the JRC Secretariat, and
Any other task assigned by the Chair or Deputy Chair of the JRC.

Expected Deliverables

Submission of monthly report of activities of the JRC to the Chair summarizing the following deliverables;

Maintenance of the Secretariat Office: ensure that the secretariat office has the necessary equipment, stationary and other materials, and that they are used efficiently and are maintained in good condition.
Meetings and Minutes: secretariat and plenary meetings, subcommittee meetings, consultations and hearings are well coordinated and conducted, including scheduling, agenda preparation, issuing of invitations, securing venue, required equipment and materials. Notes, narrative summaries, true minutes, and action points are captured for all meetings and consultations.
Correspondence and Communication: incoming correspondence is properly registered, the Chair and JRC are advised on appropriate action, and relevant responses are prepared and delivered
Drafting and Reporting: reports of the JRC, including reports on consultations, are drafted, edited, and finalized.
Maintenance of Documents and Records: official documents and records of the JRC, including records of meetings, official documents and reports and correspondence, are properly registered and archived.
Management of the Secretariat Office: the members of the secretariat receive clear tasks and assignments and sufficient supervision and support to carry out the workplans and responsibilities of the secretariat.
Engagement with stakeholders and donors: donors, IGAD, MoJCA, RJMEC, government institutions and relevant stakeholders are informed of JRC activities and outputs and maintain good relations with the above.
Handover: at the conclusion of the mandate of the JRC, complete formal handover of all records, equipment, and materials.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Demonstrates diplomacy and tact in dealing with sensitive and complex situations.
Effective communication, team building, interpersonal, analysis, and planning skills.

Professionalism

Effective communication
Problem-Solving skills
Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment.
Shows pride in work and achievements.
Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results.

Planning & Organizing

Organizes and accurately completes multiple tasks by establishing priorities while considering special assignments, frequent interruptions, deadlines, available resources, and multiple reporting relationships.
Plans, coordinates, and organizes workload while remaining aware of changing priorities and competing deadlines.
Establishes, builds, and maintains effective working relationships with staff, partners, and beneficiaries to achieve the planned results.

Knowledge sharing/Continuous learning:

Takes responsibility for personal learning and career development and actively seeks opportunities to learn through formal and informal means. Learns from others inside and outside the organization adopting best practices created by others. Actively produces and disseminates new knowledge.

Valuing diversity:

Demonstrates an international outlook, appreciates differences in values and learns from cultural diversity;
Takes actions appropriate to the religious and cultural context and shows respect, tact and consideration for cultural differences;
Observes and inquires to understand the perspectives of others and continually examines his/her own biases and behaviors.

Managing Relationships

Working in teams:

Works collaboratively with colleagues to allow the achievement of common goals and shared objectives. Actively seeks resolution of disagreements and supports the decisions of the team.

Communicating information and ideas:

Delivers oral and written information in a timely, effective and easily understood manner;
Participates in meetings and group discussions actively listening and sharing information;
Frankly expresses ideas with the intent to resolve issues, considers what others have to say and responds appropriately to criticism.

Conflict and self-management:

Manages personal reactions by remaining calm, composed and patient even when under stress or during a crisis and avoids engaging in unproductive conflict. Expresses disagreement in constructive ways that focus on the issue not the person;
Tolerates conditions of uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to work productively.

Working with people:

Empowerment/Developing people/Performance management:

Integrates himself/herself into the work unit seeking opportunities to originate action and actively contributing to achieving results with other members of the team;
Knows his/her limitations and strength, welcomes constructive criticism and feedback and gives honest and contractive feedback to colleagues and supervisors. Seeks new challenges and assignments and exhibits a desire to learn;
Accepts responsibility for personal performance participating in individual work planning and objective setting seeking feedback and acting to continuously improve performance.

Required Skills and Experience

Evaluation criteria

Applicants shall be evaluated using a Combined Scoring method, where the technical evaluation (qualifications, required Skills and Experience) will be weighted 70%, and combined with the price offer weighted 30%. Contract award is to the candidate who obtains the highest score; ranked 1st in the combined score.

The criteria to be used for rating the qualifications, required Skills and Experience is outlined below:

1. Relevant Educational Experience (10%)

An advanced university degree (Master’s) in law, political science, international development or related field;

2. Relevant Work Experience as per TOR Requirements (50%)

A minimum of six (6) years of relevant work experience in policy work including as a rapporteur in high-profile conferences, meetings or workshops;
A good understanding of the socio-political and rule of law environments in South Sudan;

3. Competencies, Skills & language (10%)

A proven commitment to the values of good governance, rule of law, constitutionalism, democracy, human rights and gender equality;
Excellent writing and communication skills;
Proven ability to work under pressure, individually as well as in a team;
Good inter-personal skills and ease with working in a multi-cultural team;
Ability to work with short deadlines;
Very strong knowledge and experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc).
Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of local languages is an asset.

NOTE: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial evaluation (total 30 points)

The financial proposals of all the technically qualified applicants will be scored up to 30 points based on the formula provided below. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals shall receive points according to the following formula: p = y (x/z)

Where:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal (30).
X = price of the lowest priced proposal
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.