UNDP Jobs - 56822- Partnerships Specialist

Partnerships Specialist - Peacebuilding, International Dialogue, New Deal

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

06-Jun-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Year

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

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

The Strategic Policy and Global Positioning (SPGP) Unit within BPPS has two primary foci:

Lead UNDP’s policy research agenda, policy incubation, provide forward-looking analysis, identify emerging development trends in multiple contexts (including crisis) and collaborate with academia and think tanks to advance UNDP’s contribution to global policy debates and the implementation of UNDP’s Strategic Plan;
Collaborate and engage with key external partners, as appropriate, such as the UN Secretariat, key UN agencies, International Financial Institutions, EU, International Dialogue/New Deal, G20, the OECD, and humanitarian actors to advance UNDP’s positioning in key global development processes and fora.

On 20 December 2005, upon the recommendations of the Secretary-General and his high-level panel, the Security Council and the General Assembly ended a long phase of intergovernmental negotiations by adopting, by consensus, joint resolutions 16545 and 60/180 establishing a new UN Peace Building Commission (PBC). UNDP supports the work of the PBC and its Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) by:

Assisting national actors in proposing integrated strategies to the PBC for its support;
Supporting the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) to use its limited resources effectively for the promotion of catalytic post-conflict stabilization and peace consolidation initiatives;
Partnering with the PBSO in policy, knowledge, practice and advocacy efforts related to a broad range of peace building objectives, including in its role to help streamline UN system support to peace building at HQ and country level;
Ensuring UNDP engagement with the various bodies of the PBC and its members.

BPPS leads UNDP’s support to the PBC and PBSO. Under the supervision of Senior Policy Adviser, Crisis, Fragility, Risk and Resilience, the Partnerships Specialist, Peacebuilding, will focus predominantly on this work and s/he is a liaison and focal point for UNDP’s engagement in key inter-agency fora, mechanisms, and UN legislative bodies dealing with humanitarian, development and political affairs. S/he is responsible for performing and contributing to the following:

Coordinates UNDP contribution to International Dialogue (ID) and International Network on Conflict and Fragility (INCAF);
Leads UNDP support to New Deal implementation;
Collaborates on efforts to ensure a stronger strategic focus in BPPS’s overall partnership work, including with PBSO;
Ensures effective knowledge management of peace building issues and experiences.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

UNDP contribution to International Dialogue and INCAF:

Coordination of UNDP contribution and co-chairing of INCAF;
Coordination and cooperation with key partners, including g7+, OECD, WB, civil society, bilateral donors, and UN entities.

UNDP support to New Deal implementation:

Manage the implementation of the New Deal Implementation Support facility including country support, facilitation travels and other operational needs for g7+ members and Secretariat;
Undertake relevant research on the transformation of fragile situations to advance sustainable development, as part of the New Deal implementation.

Stronger Strategic focus in BPPS’s overall partnership work, including with PBSO:

Participation in international policy debates on new and emerging CPR trends related to fragility and peace building in close collaboration with the Governance and Peacebuilding cluster;
Contribute to policy discussions about new trends and developments in the area of peacebuilding and fragility;
Provide feedback from New Deal, ID and INCAF engagement and keep UNDP abreast of developments in the International Dialogue for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding;
Support to BPPS’s participation in INCAF, including the Task Team on Financing and Aid Architecture, Implementation Task Team and the Knowledge and Policy Task Team;
Lead other partnership and inter-agency work, as necessary, as part of SPGP to ensure consistent UNDP positions and engagement in various inter-agency forums, including those related to transition and integration.

Effective knowledge management of peacebuilding and fragility issues:

Create synergies between New Deal implementation and related processes such as the post conflict needs assessments, in liaison with relevant BPPS, Hubs and CO units;
Commission, manage and participate in applied studies of post-conflict state-building linked to the peace building agenda.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivering results

Ability to get things done.

Functional/Technical Competencies:

Building Strategic Partnerships

Identifying and building partnerships;
Ability to effectively network with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda;
Ability to sensitize UN Partners, donors and other international organizations to the UNDP’s strategic agenda, identifying areas for joint efforts.

Peacebuilding and Reconciliation

Ability to support peace processes to facilitate recovery and development.

Advocacy/Advancing a Policy-Oriented Agenda

Analysis and creation of messages and strategies;
Ability to contribute to the elaboration of advocacy strategies by identifying and prioritizing audiences and communication means;
Ability to use the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for advocacy work.

Promoting Organizational learning and knowledge sharing

Developing tools and mechanisms;
Ability to make the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
Ability to Identify new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms.

Job knowledge/technical expertise

In-depth knowledge of the subject-matter;
Ability to understand more advanced aspects of crisis prevention, recovery and peace building, as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines;
Ability to keep abreast of new developments in areas of crisis prevention, recovery and peace building and develop him/herself professionally.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in international relations, political science, development studies or a related discipline.

Experience:

At least seven (7) years of professional experience in the area of international relations, crisis prevention and recovery programming and development co-operation;
Post-conflict field experience.
In-depth knowledge of the UN system and its operational mandates.

Language:

Fluency in English, both oral and written, including excellent writing skills is required;
Working knowledge of other UN official language is an asset.