Background

The “Empowering Youth for a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Sustainable Future in Kosovo” (EYPPSFK) project, funded by the UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, is an 18-month joint initiative implemented by UNDP-UNV, UNICEF and UN Women, under the strategic guidance of the UN Development Coordinator in Kosovo, that will directly engage positive influencers of a shared future, namely young women and men from communities divided by perpetuation of conflict dynamics, who have been under-represented in leadership to work together on issues of shared interest and concern and become more active changemakers who will catalyze peace and trust-building efforts in Kosovo. 

Building upon the success of existing youth-led initiatives in Kosovo supported by United Nations and its partners, this project is also an effort to catalyze the United Nations trust-building framework for Kosovo. In doing so, the project will focus on establishing and consolidating a “habit” of cooperation, providing empirical challenge to divisive narratives. The project is time-sensitive, targeting the rising dissatisfaction, frustration and anxiety that results from stalled political process and a noted increase in community-level distrust in public institutions in both majority and non-majority communities. Moreover, the project is innovative and human-centered because it focuses on direct community mobilization and facilitated cooperation between people and institutions. Its modular design allows for easy scale-up, and where appropriate replication across different geographical target areas. Finally, the project will be catalytic, because it results in the participants themselves being empowered as advocates for positive change, embedded at community level.

The project theory of change is that if young women and men can be brought together to work jointly on issues of shared concern and implement their efforts in cooperation with the institutions of service delivery, and if their capacity and influence to be more active changemakers, in particular that of young women, can be enhanced, then persistent prejudices between communities and mistrust between communities and the institutions will be challenged and diminished by empirical observation, and those young women and men will become effective advocates for a shared future. 

The outcome of this project will be that the influence of conflict narratives and prejudice has decreased through improved social cohesion resulting from local populations working together and with local institutions on contemporary issues of shared interest to jointly develop solutions for a common future.

The joint project will implement activities under three core outputs: 

Output 1: Young women and men from communities polarized in the current political environment have established the practice of jointly addressing issues of shared interest and concern. 

Output 2: Trust in public institutions/service providers and confidence in gaining employment opportunities has improved through direct engagement based on responsive, transparent and participatory interaction.

Output 3: Leadership capacity and influence of women and young girls to engage in peacebuilding has been increased.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Chief Technical Adviser [CTA] will perform his/her functions under the formal supervision of the UNDP Resident Representative, and day-to-day supervision by his/her delegated representative. S/he is matrixed to the UN Development Coordinator. The CTA is integral part of the Project Implementation Team. As part of the project team, including the Joint Project Coordinator, implementing UN Agencies in the EYPPSFK project and the Joint Project Steering Committee, the Chief Technical Adviser will execute duties and responsibilities outlined below in the following functional areas:

1. Capacity-building, subject-matter expertise delivery, and knowledge management; 
2. Partnership coordination, horizon scanning, and resource mobilization; 
3. Results monitoring and reporting;

1. Capacity-building, subject-matter expertise delivery, and knowledge management

• Provide subject matter expertise to the joint project in the domain of social cohesion, dialogue, conflict prevention, and peacebuilding;
• Advises to the team on issues that would benefit from high-level advocacy efforts, on Programme development, and delivery; alert the Joint Project Coordinator, the UNDP RR and ARR & Programme Coordinator, and the UN Development Coordinator on any potential project risks;
• Support the Joint Project Coordinator to report to the Joint Project Steering Committee to assure overall direction and integrity of the project, streamlining social, gender, and human rights considerations, as well as to ensure that the project is well-placed strategically within the UNKT’s overall programmatic priorities and in synergy with work by other United Nations entities on community trust building; 
• Collect and analyses lessons learned throughout the project implementation as well as from other interventions in Kosovo and beyond, distil them into recommendations, follow-up actions, and knowledge tools and products for more effective and efficient project implementation; 
• Facilitate the transfer of knowledge through delivering trainings or other forms of developing capacities of the joint project coordination team, participating Agencies, as well as relevant partners in the field of peacebuilding, trust-building, social cohesion and dialogue;

2. Partnership coordination, horizon scanning, and resource mobilization

• Analyze emerging social, political, and economic trends and factors which would affect the project and identifies measures to ensure smooth implementation;
• In collaboration with the Joint Project Coordinator and the project team maintain excellent working relations and effective dialogue with relevant institutional and organizational partners (e.g. local authorities, international organizations and donors, civil society, youth and women groups, media, UNMIK and other UN bodies, etc); 
• Support identification of linkages among related UN system and other international partners active projects in Kosovo, maximizing efficient and effective use of resources, streamlining mutual learning, reducing potential overlap and leveraging synergies;
• Provide expertise and inputs into the joint project Stakeholder Platform as a coordination, knowledge management and exchange, advocacy, and scale-up mechanism;
• Formulate ideas and concepts for further resource mobilization and scaling-up of successful approaches, collect and share best practices;
• Provide quality assurance, support wide dissemination, and ensure visibility of achievements of the joint project, and support awareness raising on the topics tackled by the joint project including on cross-cutting areas (gender, human rights, etc.);

3. Results-based management, reporting, monitoring

• Provide technical inputs into and quality assure the Project Quarterly/Progress/Annual Narrative and other reports as required by the UN PBF / MPTFO, the Joint Project Steering Committee for review and approval; 
• Support the joint project coordination team with reviewing and providing technical advice to improve the quality of results-based management, including planning, monitoring and reporting on annual work plan;
• Support the Joint Project Coordinator in the preparation of joint annual work plans;
• Provide technical expertise into the identification and monitoring of project risks and issues;
• Deliver technical expertise into design and roll-out of the monitoring and evaluation framework of the joint project in line with the overall M&E framework;

Impact of Results 

• The results of the work of the Chief Technical Adviser will have a direct impact on the implementation of the joint project and the achievement of results. Specifically, the results have an impact on the planning, implementation, and coordination of project activities in order to meet expected results, management of partnerships, monitoring and reporting of results, knowledge management, lessons learning, and scaling-up.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Integrity – An ability to work honestly, openly, impartially and in accordance with the values of the United Nations.
• Professionalism – An ability to work in a calm, competent and committed manner; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Respect for Diversity – An ability to work effectively, respectfully, and inclusively with people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives. 

Core:

Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work
• Level 5: Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them

Leadership

• Ability to persuade others to follow
• Level 5: Plans and acts transparently, actively works to remove barriers

People Management

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
• Level 5: Models high professional standards and motivates excellence in others

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Level 5: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others

Delivery

• Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement
• Level 5: Critically assesses value and relevance of existing policy / practice and contributes to enhanced delivery of products, services, and innovative solutions

Technical/Functional:

Collaboration and Partnership:

• Ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside (Programmes/projects) or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.  Sets overall direction for the formation and management of strategic relationships contributing to the overall positioning of UNDP.
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Strategic thinking/Visioning:

• Ability to analyze the organization’s value proposition and shape visionary/long term plans.  Use insight to identify target audiences and partners and to inform communication objectives, messages and solutions. 
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Knowledge Management:

• Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge.
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Trends and emerging areas analytics:

• Ability to scan the horizon and identify approaches and initiatives to bring into policy and programme design.
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Knowledge of methodologies, assessment tools, systems and apply practical experience in planning, monitoring, evaluating and reporting and ability to apply to practical situations. 
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Social Cohesion:

• Knowledge of methods and experience of supporting communities to achieve greater inclusiveness, more civic participation and creating opportunities for upward mobility.
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Communication:

• Ability to effectively communicate intensions and requirements to internal and external stakeholders.
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Stakeholders management:

• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and balance often contradictory expectations, building and maintaining relationships
• Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in peace and development studies, conflict studies, international relations, or other relevant degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of relevant work experience in related fields and demonstrated knowledge of peacebuilding/conflict resolution;
• Previous strong experience in programming of local, national and regional projects in the domains of peacebuilding, reconciliation, trust-building, dialogue, youth engagement, social inclusion, governance, human rights and/or other development sphere; 
• Knowledge and practical experience in strategic planning, stakeholder cooperation, multi-partner coordination, knowledge management;
• Sound understanding of project cycle management and results-based management;
• Thorough understanding of conflict/post-conflict dynamics in Kosovo and the Western Balkans in general;
• Familiarity with the UN system and previous experience of working for or with the UN is considered a distinct asset;
• Experience and proficiency in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in both oral and written English.
• Fluency in oral written Albanian and/or Serbian is a distinct asset.

Other:

• Non-Smoking environment 

Application Instructions:

• Click on the "Apply now" button;
• Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. You can type in, or paste your short Resume into the last box;
• Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload your Resume. Instead of uploading your Resume, please submit a fully completed and signed UNDP Personal History Form (P-11);
• System will only allow one attachment. All docs (P11, academic qualifications/diploma) should be included as one attachment;
• Without the completed and signed P11, your application may not be considered. The UNDP Personal History Form can be downloaded at this link: http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/operations/jobs/