UNDP Jobs - 67312- Consultant to Support Joint UNDP-DPA Programme on

Consultant to Support Joint UNDP-DPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Aug-2016

Application Deadline :

19-Jul-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

4 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

72 working days

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 Joint UNDP-DPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention supports national initiatives that contribute to the prevention and transformation of conflicts. The Joint Programme seeks to: Develop strategic conflict prevention initiatives at the country level, including through the deployment of Peace and Development Advisors (PDAs); Provide targeted assistance for specific facilitation activities jointly undertaken in non-mission settings; Support joint assessment, analysis, and “knowledge development” by the United Nations Department of Political Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme, in the context of support for joint country level initiatives; Provide short-term support for conflict and/or political analysis through deployment of advisors in priority/crisis countries; Develop and support the application of new skills, capacities, and tools amongst the PDA cadre and other conflict prevention specialists, including through training, knowledge management, and continued engagement with Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams in complex political situations.Overseen and guided by a Steering Committee co-chaired by DPA and UNDP/BPPS, the Joint UNDP-DPA Programme is supported by a Technical Committee comprised of working level representatives of DPA, and UNDP. The Joint UNDP-DPA Programme is seeking to recruit a Consultant to provide interim support to the partnership through the provision of analytical and secretariat support and day-to-day management of the Programme. The position is to be hosted by UNDP/BPPS.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Technical Committee, the Consultant will coordinate the partnership through the provision of analytical and secretariat support while ensuring the effective day-to-day management of the Joint UNDP/DPA Programme. While under the direct supervision of the UNDP Team Leader, Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding, the Consultant will work closely with the Programme Analyst for the Joint UNDP-DPA Programme (hosted by DPA), and liaise closely with UNDP and DPA Co-Chairs of the Technical Committee, to undertake the following key functions:

Support coordination and provision of support from Joint UNDP-DPA Programme, including the deployment of Peace and Development Advisors, short-term deployments, and other collaborative support to RCs and UNCTs; Coordinate and support engagement with current and prospective donors and other partners; Support information-sharing and exchange between HQ, UNDP Regional Hubs, and country level, and within and between UNDP and DPA, including support to the PDA community of practice.

Programme Management, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

Ensure support provided to Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams is consistent with the standard operating procedures of the Joint UNDP-DPA Programme, providing substantive views on utility and viability of support requested, in conjunction with the Technical Committee; Coordinate engagement with UNDP, DPA, and PBSO counterparts to respond to requests for support, and to prioritize support provided through the Joint UNDP-DPA Programme, with a view to strengthening and streamlining processes; Provide support to UNDP, DPA, and PBSO senior management and their respective engagement with UN entities and external partners on issues pertaining to conflict prevention and peacebuilding as they relate to the support provided through the Joint UNDP-DPA Programme.

Work closely with the Programme Analyst to analyze and synthesize PDA reports and identify common trends, opportunities, and challenges experienced by PDAs with a view to informing appropriate HQ support; Work closely with UNDP and DPA counterparts to develop and provide training support to PDAs.

Coordinate day-to-day programmatic and financial management of Joint Programme

Oversee the day-to-day financial management of the Joint Programme, and facilitate the provision of all information relevant to support effective decision-making amongst Technical Committee members, and of UNDP/BPPS’s Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Team;Provide secretariat support, including the drafting of the agenda, provision of relevant background materials, and preparation of the minutes of the meetings, to the Technical Committee and the Steering Committee; Track requests for support and ensure appropriate and timely follow-up, including coordination of PDA recruitment and deployment processes in conjunction with relevant UNDP, DPA, and PBSO stakeholders and UNDP Country Office counterparts.

Coordinate and support engagement with current and prospective donors and other partners

Lead engagement with donor counterparts, in close coordination with relevant UNDP, DPA, and PBSO counterparts; Coordinate and support engagement with UN partners, including the Peacebuilding support Office and United Nations Volunteers, to ensure coherent and complementary support to country-level; Engage with non-UN partners to identify and strengthen support to PDAs and to identify other areas of possible collaboration.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Based on the activities described above, the consultants work is expected to result in the following outputs and deliverables:

Support to resource mobilization and donor engagement efforts, including through leading the drafting of donor reports, proposals, and concept notes;
Meetings of Technical Committee (Q3) and Steering Committee (Q4) effectively conducted and supported, through the provision of Secretariat support in coordination with Programme Analyst;
Production of two Quarterly Reports (Q3 and Q4), in coordination with the Programme Analyst;
Development of concept note for mid-term review of Joint UNDP-DPA Programme to take place in 2017;
Support to ongoing PDA recruitment processes (including any finalization of PDA rosters) and the organization of the induction for Peace and Development Advisors in Q3 2016, in coordination with the Programme Analyst;
Continued update of PDA deployment and financial allocation dashboard.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Ability to contribute to strategic planning and reporting;

Knowledge Management and Learning

Promotes a knowledge-sharing and learning culture in the office;
In-depth knowledge in practice area, complemented by ability to undertake research and analysis;
Advocates for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;

Management and Leadership:

Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Focuses on impact and results and responds positively to feedback;
Takes responsibility for achieving agreed outputs for him/ herself and willingly set deadlines and strives until successful outputs are achieved; Displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/ herself and willingly accepts new work assignments;

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Displays sensitivity and adaptability towards culture, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age differences.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced degree in social sciences, preferably with specialization in peace and conflict studies and/or peacebuilding, with related experience in participatory development and country or region-specific familiarity.

Experience:

At least 3 years of relevant experience in programme activities for UNDP or another international organization;
Experience working in project management is essential, including familiarity with communicating and coordinating with staff from across the UN system and field offices, as required;
Experience of inter-agency processes, coordination, and partnerships is desirable;
Knowledge and first-hand experience in supporting UN’s work in conflict prevention is highly desirable.

Language:

Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English;

Selection Criteria

The selection of the appropriate candidate will be completed via desk-review. The assessment will be completed using a joint scoring formula, with 70% weighting given to technical expertise and 30% afforded to the financial proposal. Candidate who score 70% or above technically will be invited to submit financial offer. The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as responsive/compliant/acceptable, and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews and interview) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

Criteria A – Experience in conflict transformation/peacebuilding development programming design and implementation - max. 15 points;
Criteria B - Relevance of the Master’s degree and main area of studies - max. 5 points;
Criteria C – Experience in programme management, ideally related to conflict prevention and peacebuilding - max. points 20;
Criteria D – Experience in resource mobilization and donor engagement - max points: 10;
Criteria E– Experience in inter-agency coordination, preferably within UN system — max. 15 points;
Criteria F - Knowledge of English language - max. 5 points.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points. Only candidates who score above 70% in criteria A-G will be considered technically qualified.

Best value for money (cumulative analysis). A total score is obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes. An Applicant is evaluated and points are attributed based on how well the Applicant meets the defined desirable criteria. Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which should not be less than 30% of all the desirable factors of the TOR.

Only maximum of three highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job based on the P11 desk review (criteria A-G) will be invited to submit a financial proposal.

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter in English detailing briefly the reasons why you think you are an outstanding candidate for this job (Maximum 1000 Characters). Please paste this into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.

Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc).

Financial Proposal will be by invitation and form will be provided. All offer should be expressed in US Dollars. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services. Travel costs to other missions to country offices within the region will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations.

Annexes to the TOR

A number of documents will be shared with the selected candidates to allow him/her to gain a better understanding of the project situation. These include: i) 2015 to 2018 Programme Document; ii) Standard Operating Procedures; iii) Criticality Assessment Framework; iv) 2015 Annual Report.