Antecedentes

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Democratic Governance Area Coordinator, the Programme Specialist will contribute to the implementation of the UNDP Democratic Governance Programme in the country.

In Colombia, UNDP is managing an ambitious governance programme which aims at (i) building responsive and accountable institutions by improving public administration capacities and supporting territorial government authorities and local governance; (ii) ensuring inclusive politics by broadening participation among sub-represented groups, supporting electoral processes, providing parliamentary support and promoting cross-cutting civil society participation in decision making processes; (iii) fostering resilient state-society relations by developing capacities for dialogue and mediation and cultivating new leaders and leadership; and (iv) promoting partnership among stakeholders by facilitating spaces for dialogue and by catalyzing consensus around key governance issues.

In this context, the Programme Specialist will be asked to manage two major components of the overall UNDP Colombia governance programme: local governance and anticorruption. This will involve the management of complex projects, which aim at (a) improving public administration capacities at local level, (b) promoting people’s participation and the engagement of vulnerable groups into decision making processes, (c) strengthening democratic institutions, including public mechanisms of accountability, (d) promoting citizens’ access to information and oversight. He/she will be also expected to be able to provide high-quality policy advices on key government reform programmes, including anti-corruption, public administration and decentralization.

Furthermore, the Programme Specialist will be asked to contribute, through technical and policy advices, to the elaboration and implementation of the UNDP crisis governance strategy in Colombia.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Summary of key functions:

• Management of the Local Governance programme portfolio.
• Management of the Anticorruption programme portfolio.
• Contribution to the elaboration and implementation of the crisis governance strategy.
• Contribution to the development of strategic partnerships and coordination with key national and international stakeholders.
• Supervision and management.

Management of the Local Governance programme portfolio, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Ensures effective implementation of the programme in order to maximize its sustainability and impact.
• Provides advices to sub-national government counterparts and facilitates knowledge management and learning on local development planning, implementation, and performance measurement.
• Provides guidance and technical assistance to sub-national government counterparts in undertaking their basic functions and responsibilities to achieve a more cost-effective delivery of services to the people.
• Provides policy guidance and expertise to local stakeholders and government agencies on issues related to the strengthening of public administration and citizens´ participation to decision making processes.
• Ensures that sub-national counterparts endorse and participate in the identification of priority interventions, building their local capacity and ensuring their growing responsibilities.
• Supervises national and international consultants, ensuring good quality of their deliverables.
• Performs regular field visits and organizes Project Boards and Steering Committee meetings, reporting on project progress and constraints.
• Contributes to knowledge management and knowledge sharing on local governance programming
• Ensures integrity of financial and administrative operations in the programme area by over sighting the financial and budgetary aspects of the programme.

Management of the Anticorruption programme portfolio, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Ensures effective implementation of the programme in order to maximize its sustainability and impact.
• Provides strategic advices in the formulation, implementation and revision of the operational planning and budgeting system for the programme.
• Provides policy guidance and expertise to national stakeholders on issues related to citizens’ access to information and public mechanisms of accountability.
• Supports the implementation of the activities defined in the Annual Work Plans.
• Contributes to the development of strategies and approaches to increase national and local capacities for fighting corruption and strengthening transparent and accountable processes.
• Promotes close coordination with key national and international stakeholders on anticorruption issues.
• Contributes to knowledge management and knowledge sharing on anticorruption programming
• Ensures mainstreaming of cross-cutting UN/UNDP priorities in anticorruption programmes, in particular environment, gender and human rights.

Contributing to the elaboration and implementation of the crisis governance strategy of UNDP Office, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Provides high quality technical support to UNDP Office for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities related to governance and anticorruption in post-conflict settings.
• Explores synergies between the Democratic Governance and Peace and Development Areas of UNDP Colombia on issues related to democratic governance.

Contribution to the development of strategic partnerships and coordination with key national and international stakeholders, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Liaises with UNDP colleagues and experts in the Regional Centre and Headquarter in order to ensure programme alignment with corporate priorities on local and crisis governance and on anticorruption.
• Contributes to the development of partnerships and alliances for achievement of UNDP’s overall strategic plans and policies, with other UN organizations, multilateral organizations, regional member state organizations, private sector, civil society and the academia, and with donors.
• Assists in developing and fostering an enhanced level of partnership and cooperation between and among municipalities, departments, central state, and civil society organizations to address critical political development requirements and service delivery;

Ensures resource mobilization to secure resources in order to engage in new initiatives.

Supervision and management, focusing on the following results:

• Provides guidance, supervision and coaching to programme support colleagues.
• Promotes team work and results-based management.
• Represents UNDP at official meetings and functions and undertake all other tasks related to those functions

Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the overall success of the country programs and reaching UNDAF/ CPD goals. In particular, the key results have an impact on the design, operation and programming of activities in the area of Democratic Governance. Additionally, the effective implementation of the Democratic Area’s objectives enhances the image of UNDP Colombia Office as a key and strategic partner for national stakeholders. Incumbent’s own initiative is decisive in results of work and timely completion of results.

Competencias

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
• Building support and political acumen
• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation
• Building and promoting effective teams
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking

• Provides information for linkages across programme activities to help identify critical points of integration
• Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation
• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals

• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency

• Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals
• Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
• Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor

• Analyzes information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach
• Identifies and compiles lessons learned
• Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

• Nationals from Colombia are not eligible to apply.
• UN/UNDP internal candidates may be applying for this position.

We strongly encourage qualified women to apply.