Background

UNDP and UNCDF are providing support to the Local Governance and Community Development Programme phase-II (LGCDP II) which is a national programme being implemented by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) and supported by a number of other development partners. The overall objective of LGCDP II is to contribute towards the national goal of poverty reduction. The programme focuses on effective, equitable and sustainable service delivery through community empowerment, capacity development and policy reform to improve local governance. The Programme covers both the demand side and supply side of local governance reform. The demand side focuses on citizens and communities engaging actively with local government’s processes to enable greater citizen-community input and oversight. The supply side focuses on increasing capacity of local bodies to guide local development and ensure that basic services are delivered in an inclusive and equitable manner.

Coordination and oversight mechanisms were delivered in highly fragmented ways in the first phase of LGCDP and incurred high transaction costs. The new arrangement will represent a significant improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of in-house policy advice, coordination and quality assurance, which will guide planning and implementation of LGCDP II core activities and aligned programmes.

As a part of the Policy and Programme Support Facility (PPSF), which is a UN Joint Programme between UNDP, UNCDF and UNV supporting LGCDP II, a Development Partner Coordination Cell (DPCC) will be established to facilitate coordination and help assure quality of the Program implementation. The incumbent will be the head of the DPCC. S/he will work four days in a week in the Ministry providing support to successful implementation of the program, and assuring quality in program monitoring and reporting; and one day in the DPCC working on DPs coordination and reporting. In the Ministry the incumbent will work under the guidance of the National Program Director and National Program Manage in coordination with Local Governance Advisor (National). In terms of DPs coordination and quality assurance of the overall programme, the incumbent will work closely with and under the guidance of the Joint Financing Arrangement Development Partners Focal Point.

The incumbent, in coordination with the Local Governance Advisor (National), will support and advise, the National Program Manager (NPM) and National Program Director, and the relevant output managers in the implementation of the LGCDP II components. The incumbent will work under the overall guidance of Deputy Country Director (Programme), UNDP Nepal and direct supervision of Assistant Country Director (ACD), Governance and Rule of Law Unit, UNDP Nepal as the primary supervisor.  The UNCDF technical advisor for Nepal country programme will be the secondary supervisor. These terms of reference describe the scope of work and qualifications/experience required of the Programme Specialist (Local Governance).

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected:

Summary of key functions:

• Provide high quality technical support to enable successful implementation of LGCDP II;
• Provide high quality programme monitoring, follow-up and quality assurance;
• Provide high quality policy analysis;
• Ensure effective and efficient coordination among Development Partners (DPs)  and between DPs and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD);
• Additional duties as assigned.

Provide high quality technical support to enable successful implementation of LGCDP II:

The incumbent, in coordination with the), will support and advise, the National Program Manager (NPM) and National Program Director, and the relevant output managers in the implementation of the LGCDP II components. This will include:

• Provide technical support to output groups/coordinators, TASC, NPD and NPM, if required, in the development and implementation of Annual Strategic Implementation Plan (ASIP)/Annual World Plans (AWPs), AMEP and ATAP;
• Provide support to MoFALD in drafting high quality trimester and annual progress and financial reports;
• Provide support to MoFALD to improve reporting that meets JFA needs (e.g. fiduciary risk reporting, periodical status reports);
• Provide technical support to PCU in preparations Sub-NAC and NAC meetings;
• Assist the LGCDP II in identifying areas where external national and international technical assistance will be required, draft/edit ToR, and assist in translating recommendations into action;
• Provide technical support to monitoring program implementation as per the ASIP and Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP);
• Review and provide inputs to periodic progress reports and outputs produced, support to redesign and improve outputs;
• Review and provide inputs to minutes of the TASC, Sub-NAC and NAC meetings.

Provide high quality programme monitoring, follow-up and quality assurance:

• Follow up on the implementation of the recommendations of various reviews and assessments of LGCDP II;
• Follow up on the status of agreed action plans (e.g. Financial Risk Reduction Action Plan- FRRAP);
• Discuss progress with the National Programme Director, National Programme Manager,  Outcome Coordinators, output managers and  Specialists to ascertain progress (vs. ASIP) and identify existing constraints and emerging challenges;
• Follow up on and support priority activities as agreed in the DPs, Sub-NAC and Technical Assistance Sub Committee (TASC) meetings;
• Draft terms of reference for LGCDP II Joint Annual Reviews, mid-term reviews and evaluations;
• Draft terms of reference for LGCDP II thematic reviews, focused evaluation etc. under TA Pillar 3 as prioritized by MoFALD and DPs and agreed with the TASC;
• Review terms of reference for LGCDP II technical assistance associated with TA Pillars 1 and Pillar 2;
• Participate in field visits and report on progress and key issues;
• Ensure programme Financial Management Report (FMR) and audit reports are professionally assessed (e.g. by professional audit organizations) and that concerns are raised in DP and sub-NAC or Fiduciary Risk meetings;
• Synthesize and critically analyze the outcomes of LGCDP II’s baseline and citizen perception surveys.

Provide high quality policy analysis:

• Extract and support the Ministry, as requested, in channeling of learning and policy lessons from the LGCDP II as input into ongoing policy discussions on local government and administration in Nepal;
• Provide policy analysis support to DPs as requested and be an in-house technical resource-person to the National LGCDP II;
• Analyze and circulate reader-friendly summaries and interpretations of progress reports, guidelines, and other programme related documents;
• At the request of MoFALD and DPs, analyze specific GoN reform and policy initiatives related to sub-national and local governance and circulate analysis to MoFALD and to DPs.

Ensure effective and efficient coordination among Development Partners (DP)  and between DPs and MoFALD:

Facilitate effective coordination among DPs and between DPs and MoFALD by:

• (a) supporting the preparation of key LGCDP meetings (e.g. National Advisory Committee -NAC), Sub-National  
• Advisory Committee -Sub-NAC), identifying key issues and facilitating discussion on preferred outcomes among DPs prior to these meetings;
• (b) Coordinating to develop a common approach and messages from DPs to MoFALD;
• (c) Participating in key LGCDP II meetings (e.g. Sub-National Advisory Committee), United Nations Joint Programme  
• (UNJP) in coordination with NPM and LGCDP II DP meetings and share key news items and issues that require attention with LGCDP II DPs and MoFALD;
• (d) Assisting MoFALD in preparing for key LGCDP II meetings to align with DP’s expectations.

Ensure high quality management of the Development Partner Coordination Cell and coordinate with Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) in the Ministry.
Assist in timely completion of programme implementation priorities that require joint DP and Government of Nepal (GoN) coordination.
Actively seek to resolve programmatic issues by discussing possible solutions with MoFALD, Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA) partners and UN agencies.
Discuss weekly priorities and issues with MoFALD and identify any issues that need DP attention.
Facilitate a common understanding of priorities among e.g. Annual Strategic Implementation Programme (ASIP), Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (AMEP), Annual Technical Assistance Action Plan (ATAP) and with LGCDP II stakeholders;
Oversee the drafting of monthly updates for LGCDP II DPs on programme-related activities and issues and circulate them to all key stakeholders.
Draft and circulate periodic spotlight reports on key programmatic areas that DPs or MoFALD identify as needing further discussion and reflection.

 Additional duties as assigned:

• Considering the nature and the timeframe of the programme, there may be additional duties assigned at a later stage if deemed necessary from a management point of view and such additions shall be jointly agreed between MoFALD and UNJP.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:      

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:
Analysis and creation of messages and strategies

• Creates effective advocacy strategies;
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses.

Results-Based Programme Development and Management:
Contributing to results through provision of information

• 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.

Building Strategic Partnerships:
Identifying and building partnerships

• 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 meetings.

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:
Developing new approaches

• 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.

Resource Mobilization:
Implementing resource mobilization strategies

• 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.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:
Developing tools and mechanisms

• 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.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:
In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter

• 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.

Global Leadership and Advocacy for UNDP’s Goals:
Analysis and creation of messages and strategies

• Performed analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
• Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it for use at country level.
  

Client Orientation:
Contributing to positive outcomes for the client

• Anticipates client needs;
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider;
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective;
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality.

Core Competencies:

• 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master/Post Graduate Degree in Social Sciences, Public Management, Public Policy, Public Finance or other related fields;
• Ph. D will be seen as an added advantage;
• Prince2 training and certification, RMG.

Experience: 

• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience with programme management and working in complex, Government-led programmes in developing countries;
• At least 5 years of experience of working on local governance issues in developing countries;
• Strong analytical and writing skills and a track record of producing high quality reports and other materials;
• Professional competencies in Microsoft Window, Word, Excel and Powerpoint;
• High level of communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills and experience in working effectively in a multi-cultural environment;
• Sensitivity to diverse opinions and difficulties arising from differing social and cultural perceptions;
• Ability to contribute towards conflict resolution in the workplace;
• Working experience with Local Government System in Nepal is desirable.

Language:

• Fluency in English language is a requirement;
• Understanding of Nepali will be an added  advantage.