UNDP Jobs - 70126- CTP Programme Support Project

CTP Programme Support Project

Location :

Bissau, GUINEA-BISSAU

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Mar-2017

Application Deadline :

30-Jan-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

1 year

Languages Required :

English French Portuguese

Expected Duration of Assignment :

1 year

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

Guinea-Bissau has experienced a wave of political and governmental instability since independence that has resulted in institutional weaknesses, without the ability to meet the challenges that the modern State apparatus has to deal with today.

Therefore, the challenge to restore the full frameworks for dialogue and cooperation with development partners is a goal for Guinea-Bissau, a country that is the recipient of international assistance and that has been subject to external conditionalities in recent years due to persistent political instability and governance. An institutionally fragile post-conflict State, with high levels of poverty and lack of resources for the financing of development, external assistance plays an important and key role in the consolidation of stability strategies, fighting poverty and promoting development.

The success of the Development Partners Conference and the urgent need for operationalization and implementation of the Strategic Plan 2015-2020 "Terra Ranka" pose new and more difficult challenges to the Government in general and the ministerial department with expertise in the field of international cooperation in particular. The challenges put up at various levels, in particular the ability to follow up on the promises of funding, coordinate the flow of resources in order to contribute effectively and efficiently to the country’s development goals.

Aware of these challenges, the Government has recently approved the structure and organizational framework for the coordination of aid, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities, through the State Secretariat for International Cooperation and Communities and the Ministry of Finance, through the Secretary of State for Planning and Regional Integration, have key roles.

The organic structure of the Government assigns the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities to the central role in the definition of policies, priorities and strategies of international cooperation, whose implementation is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Communities. In this context, the Ministry has the responsibility of revitalizing dialogue with development partners; follow-up cooperation actions; the building and consolidation of partnerships with donors; the construction and operation of platforms for the coordination of foreign aid, among other fundamental actions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) for Mobilization and Aid Coordination, working under direct supervision of the Director General of International Cooperation and under the strategic guidance of the State Secretariat for International Cooperation and Communities (SECIC), advises the Secretary of State on all related aspects of the mobilization and coordination of external aid in order to make it more effective in the context of the Paris Declaration, the Accra Action Plan and the commitments of Busan, including the internal organization of the Secretariat of State, the training of staff and institutional coordination with the Secretary of State for Planning and other government entities with responsibilities in this area.

The expected deliverables of the consultant are the following:

Advise the SECIC on effective aid management and development management processes;
Support the strengthening of the capacity of SECIC in the areas of mobilization and coordination of aid;
Provide technical support for the sector in coordination and harmonization of aid;
Provide technical support in strengthening the collaboration between SECIC and the State Department for Planning coordination and aid management.

Advise the SECIC on the effective management of aid and development management processes:

Advise the SECIC in efforts to strengthen systems and procedures for effective management of aid, including mechanisms and processes for the integration of external resources in national systems;
Support the design and implementation of an Aid Management Information System and support its integration into existing systems of financial management of the State;
Enhance the ability of the Government in the use of existing data sources to produce useful analyses of the distribution, volume and aid effectiveness;
Improve the dissemination of information on development aid to all actors, national and international;
Prepare policy documents that define the Government's positions on key issues of aid effectiveness;
Ensure the preparation and organization of high-level meetings of dialogue between the Government and development partners, focusing on results;

Support the reinforcement of SECIC capacity in aid management and coordination:

Propose the internal organization of SECIC, including organizational structure, human resources, information flow system and means necessary, conducive to effective and efficient coordination of assistance;
Support capacity building for effective leadership in the management and coordination of aid;
Guide the reflection and access to best practices and exposure to various innovative initiatives that facilitate the process of effective aid management, focusing on South-South cooperation;
Contribute to the development and sharing of knowledge on issues related to the management and coordination of aid;
Participate actively in efforts to strengthen national management systems of public finances in its connection with the management of external resources.

Provide technical support to the sector in aid coordination and harmonization:

Strengthen the capacity of the Government in the coordination and harmonization of aid through advice and technical support in the inter-sectorial dialogue on all aspects of aid coordination and management;
Facilitate the sharing of information and best practices on coordination of aid to the sector or theme;
Support the Working Group on cooperation, streamlining the interaction between the Government and development partners. The CTA will act as secretariat of the Working Group, with TORs to be developed in conjunction with the General Directorate of International Cooperation;
Advise and propose a platform for dialogue between development partners and civil society;
Promote research and analysis of information on donors and new modalities of cooperation, preparation of significant reports on possible areas of cooperation and identifying opportunities.

Provide technical support to reinforce the collaboration between SECIC and Government institutions involved in the coordination and management of aid:

Provide technical support and facilitate collaboration between SECIC and the Secretary of State for Planning on the coordination of aid, including ensuring the connection of systems and aid management procedures;
Provide technical support in facilitating dialogue between SECIC and other Government entities in the agenda of aid effectiveness;
Contribute to the establishment of cooperative activities and exchanges between the different institutions involved in cooperation in the country and national and international key stakeholders.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Promote the vision, mission and strategic objectives of UNDP.
Demonstrate integrity towards models and ethical values of the UN.
Have sensitivity and adaptability to the values and cultural differences, gender, religion, race, nationality and age.

Functional Competencies:

Technical Knowledge

Demonstrate a good understanding in the International Cooperation field particularly on the mobilization and coordination of external aid;
Demonstrate a good knowledge of issues relating to institutional development and the country's complex environment;
Demonstrate ability to provide expert advice in the areas of strategic planning and policies;
Demonstrate knowledge and experience in applying approaches based on human rights and promoting gender equality.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

Ability to lead and build for domestic and international processes of strategic planning, processes of change, results-based management, work planning and reporting;
Ability to understand, develop and manage budget, oversee the implementation monitoring and evaluation of development projects linked to the national system;
Ability to apply development theory to specific context of the country to identify creative approaches and practices to overcome challenging situations;
Ability to build and maintain effective partnerships with UN agencies and Mission and its main components, promote effectively, communicate sensitively with the different components;
Ability to mobilize resources;
Ability to implement new systems and behavioral and attitude changes.

Knowledge and learning management

Promote knowledge sharing and learning culture;
Have good knowledge of the UNDP program and operational issues and understanding of the UN integrated planning processes;
Actively work for continued learning and personal development in one or more areas of their professional activity, acting on learning plans and apply newly acquired competences;
Have knowledge of the program and policies of UNDP and UN in contexts of development during crises or weaknesses.

Management and leadership

Build strong relationships with stakeholders and clients; focus on the impact and results for clients and respond positively to feedback and suggestions;
Ability to establish effective working relations in a multi-cultural team environment;
Excellent interpersonal skills;
Attending to work consistently with energy and positive and constructive attitude;
Demonstrate strong skills in oral and written communication;
Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively, resource management; ability to plan and organize programs effectively;
Demonstrate flexibility, initiative and insight;
Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage difficulties;
Capacity to work under pressure and maintain a positive mood and outlook.
Teambuilding skills and ability to work with diverse groups and facilitate dialogue.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Master's degree or equivalent in Political Science and International Relations, Economics and Management.
Additional qualifications on Cooperation and Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategic Planning of Foreign Policy will be an advantage.

Years of experience:

Minimum 15 years of experience at national and international levels on issues of management in Cooperation and Development and the provision of high-level consulting services in programs and international cooperation policies.
Proven experience in strategic/sectoral planning, resource mobilization and aid coordination, performance management and strengthening the institutional work with government agencies and international organizations.
Experience in the implementation and strategic management of policy cooperation, supported by the UN in Portuguese-speaking countries will be an added advantage.
Deep understanding and practice in international development issues, and practical experience of working with partners for development on a high level.
Demonstrated experience in the application of approach based Public Aid mobilization for Development and International Cooperation;
Knowledge and mastery of the role of information technology, preferably in international cooperation and planning/budgeting systems is an advantage.

Required documents:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal:

Explain why they are the most suitable candidate for the work;
Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work;
Provide a personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

Lump sum contracts:

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel:

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Cumulative analysis:

When using this weighted scoring method, 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 and financial criteria specific to the solicitation:
- Technical Criteria weight; [70%]
- Financial Criteria weight; [30%]

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 % would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Evaluation criteria:

Criteria A: Education background - 10;
Criteria B: Experience as defined in the ToRs - 25;
Criteria C: Competences as defined in the ToRs -20;
Criteria D: Understating of the ToRs -10;
Criteria E: Methodology and overall approach -25;
Criteria F: Overall quality of the proposal (Comprehensiveness, structure, language and clarity) -10.