Background

Since independence and transition from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has and continues to face political, institutional, social and economic challenges. The government, with support from development partners continues to strive for better development outcomes. However, challenges in the slow progress in fulfilling the social contract between government and the general citizenry is observed culminating in crises in 2013 and in 2016.  Even after these crises there was optimism and hope with the signing of Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in September 2018. Prospects for government and development partners to work towards stabilizing the fragile political situation and economic downturn appeared encouraging. This is largely because the R-ARCSS provides opportunities to strengthen governance systems, management of public funds, optimize service delivery, and stabilize the economy. Some requirements are however critical to realize the opportunities offered by the R-ARCSS which include: Capacity building and legislative reforms of key institutions are considered key determinants of the successful implementation of the ambitious R-ARCSS backed by political will and leadership. As strong institutional and human capacities is being prioritized it became apparent that government will continue to need support from development partners to successfully implement the R-ARCSS and avert relapse into conflict.

With this backdrop, UNDP in South Sudan is supporting the government on the commitment to Agenda 2030 and the implementation of the SDGs. As the lead UN development agency, UNDP has experience and policy expertise in supporting government in achieving the SDGs through integrated solutions. Implementing and achieving the SDGs requires concerted efforts between the government of South Sudan and Development partners. It also requires the partnership between the government and private sector, CSOs and citizens. This is especially the case in South Sudan given the daunting task of resource constraints and the mounting service delivery needs in the country. About half of the population of South Sudan needs humanitarian assistance; a situation that is posing challenges for the required gradual shift from humanitarian aid to sustainable development. On the other hand, South Sudan has initiated several reforms that continue to serve as opportunities for the acceleration of SDGs implementation in the country. The ongoing public financial management reform agenda and the implementation of provisions of the R-ARCSS, especially chapter 4 that focuses on the economy and that requires the review of the National Development Strategy are good examples.

The Strategy, Policy and Capacities for Economic Management (SPACE) unit at UNDP South Sudan is working to support the Revitalized Transitional Government through research, policy advice, strategic guidance, and through implementing projects related to strengthening economic management in the country. This includes a portfolio on Public Financial Management, which is funded by the African Development Bank, the Government of Japan, the Joint SDG fund, and UNDP jointly.

With this background, UNDP South Sudan is recruiting the services of Policy and Programme Support consultant to support ongoing efforts to strengthen State Development Planning and SDG achievement in South Sudan, and ensure effective programme management in the SPACE unit, under the direct supervision of the PFM Technical Specialist and overall supervision of the Economic Advisor.

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of the consultancy is to strengthen policy and technical support to the State Development Planning process, SDGs achievement, and ensuring programming management support. The following are the functions to be performed under the contract.

Provides policy and technical support to strengthen the preparation of the State Development plans, and SDG achievement in South Sudan:

• Supports processes relating to aligning the State Development Plans (SDP) to the SDGs, and adaptations of the National Development Strateegy (NDS) to the SDPs;
• Supports the re-establishment of State Development Planning Committees, and to strengthen their ability to formulate and implement comprehensive SDG-aligned development strategies;
• Coordinates and supports SDG awareness-raising events and campaigns;
• Provides direction and advice to UNDP management on key policy issues related to integrating SDGs in national and State policies;
• Liaises with external partners to ensure effective and well-coordinated implementation of the Joint SDG fund project
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Provides technical support to programme management and ensures compliance with corporate and donor requirements

• Drafts quarterly reports, donor reports, and other reports as required;
• Supports resource mobilisation efforts by providing inputs on concept notes and calls for proposals;
• Drafts concept notes, Terms of Reference and other documents required for activity implementation, and effective financial delivery;
• Follows up with procurement unit to ensure timely implementation of activities;
• Coordinates joint programme implementation with external partners, including donor reporting, communication events, and project board meetings.

Deliverables

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Demonstrates diplomacy and tact in dealing with sensitive and complex situations;

• Strong communication, team building, interpersonal, analysis, and planning skills.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
• Demonstrates experience with violations mapping exercises;
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment;
• Shows pride in work and in achievements;
• Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.

Planning & Organizing: 

• Organizes and accurately completes multiple tasks by establishing priorities while taking into consideration special assignments, frequent interruptions, deadlines, available resources and multiple reporting relationships;
• Plans coordinate and organizes workload while remaining aware of changing priorities and competing deadlines;
• Establishes, builds and maintains effective working relationships with staff and partners to achieve the planned results.
• Contracts will be output-based, and payment issued only upon delivery of satisfactory outputs.

Functional Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of conflict issues and South Sudan context;

• Ability to communicate sensitively across different focal points;
• Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Master’s Degree or equivalent in Economics, Social Sciences, Development Studies, International Development, or related field.

Experience

• Minimum of three years professional experience working in the field of sustainable development or policy development is required.
• Experience in carrying out research, preparing policy briefs and drafting high-quality reports is required;
• Experience in effective development cooperation, politics, governance, project/programme management, and capacity development are desired;
• Experience in managing multi-stakeholder policy processes is desired;
• Knowledge and experience related to SDG mainstreaming and UNDP Integrated Solutions for SDG promotion is desired
• Work experience in an international organization is an advantage, as is knowledge of UNDP policies and procedures.

Interested applicants are required to submit the following:

Technical proposal comprising of the following:

• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP.
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and three (3) professional references.
• Brief description (max. 1 page) of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment.
• The proposal containing the methodology (max. 1 page) for how you will approach and complete the assignment