Background

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:

The position is located in the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) in Kosovo[1] and reports to the Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning/ DCO Team Leader.

The UN Secretary-General’s bold new global reform, repositioning the UN Development System to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet, was launched on 1 January 2019. As part of this process, the United Nations Development Coordinator’s Office in Kosovo is seeking qualified and experienced candidates for the following new National Professional position:

1. Associate Development Coordination Officer, Partnerships and Development Finance (NOB)

The core required capacity of the position, will include expertise in coordination and strategic planning, tailored policy support, results monitoring and evaluation, and strategic partnerships, including the ability to communicate effectively both to partners and within the United Nations Kosovo team.
This post is part of this new generation of strengthened UN sustainable development coordination offices globally, with the new skillset and competencies required to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

[1] All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of the UNSCR 1244 (1999)

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities: Within delegated authority, the Associate Development Coordination Officer, Partnerships and Development Finance will be responsible of the following duties:

Summary of Functions:

  • Assists in providing substantive support for strategic planning for and coordination of UN Kosovo Team (UNKT) partnerships
  • Participates in joint resource mobilization for the UNSDCF (United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework)
  • Provides substantive support on financing for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as directed, in line with EU integration and other local development strategic priorities
  • Supports knowledge management and capacity development

Description of Functions:

1. Provides substantive support for strategic planning for and coordination of UNKT partnerships

  • Provides substantive support, as assigned, for the development and implementation of the UN Partnership Strategy in alignment with and support of the UNSDCF in the country;
  • Monitors and assesses the strategy at regular intervals to harness new emerging opportunities, to identify probable changes to the internal direction and external environment, and to make mid-term adjustments;
  • Provides substantive support to the Development Coordinator (DC) and the UNKT in identifying risks and opportunities related to specific partnerships, and suggests mitigation measures as relevant;
  • Prepares inputs on due diligence processes of potential investment and partnership opportunities, in accordance with UN regulations and procedures;
  • Provides substantive support to DC/UNKT to develop and implement locally-tailored partnerships and resource mobilization strategies and initiatives;
  • Contributes to dialogues with partners to improve development assistance policies and practice;
  • Assists in liaison and coordination with UN entities at country, regional and HQ levels, to help package and define UN business strategies, including differentiated value propositions to attract partners, both traditional and non-traditional.

2. Participates in joint resource mobilization for the UNSDCF

  • Provides substantive support to the DC/UNKT to develop and implement locally tailored resource mobilization strategies and initiatives, and identify appropriate data and benchmarks to measure progress and success;
  • Monitors and analyzes existing resource mobilization partnerships and relationships, including those with high net worth;
  • Contributes to the design, formulation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of joint programmes and programming processes for use in joint resource mobilization;
  • Assists in the production and distribution of marketing materials to raise awareness about opportunities for working with the UN on SDG investment, as complementarity to the EU integration priorities
  • Contributes to building the UN brand via events, media and public relations opportunities targeted to the diverse partners, in close collaboration with the UNKT Communications Group.

3. Provides substantive support on financing for accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, as directed

  • Provides substantive support on financing for development options, instruments, modalities to the DC/UNKT, in alignment with the Common Kosovo Analysis (CKA), UNSDCF, MAPS (Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support) and similar processes;
  • Analyzes trends and provides substantive support on new and innovative financing mechanisms for development and SDG acceleration;
  • Provides inputs for briefing papers and discussion points on issues related to financing for development for consideration by DC/UNKT;
  • Assists in engaging with external stakeholders - including the local institutions, international organizations in Kosovo, international financial institutions and others - on financing for SDG acceleration;
  • Contributes to the design and execution of innovative proposals to strengthen the UNKT engagement and reputation, and to generate greater financial resources in support of the SDGs;
  • Assists in the establishment and management of the country-based SDG Fund ion close collaboration with Multi Partner Trust Fund Office (where relevant)

4. Supports knowledge management and capacity development

  • Assists in the development, maintenance and sharing of knowledge and intelligence, to inform and position the DC/UNKT to effectively generate and harness opportunities to meet its resource mobilization targets;
  • Contributes to knowledge networks and communities of practice at national, regional and global levels;
  • Undertakes activities to strengthen the capacity of UNKTs to mainstream and promote SDG investment partnerships, in line with other strategic development priorities such as the EU integration
  • Provides substantive support for the discovery, evaluation and selection of partnership opportunities at the sourcing and origination stages.

Competencies

  • Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of sustainable development theories, concepts and approaches. Ability to identify and develop sources for data collection.Ability to undertake research, analyze data, make recommendations and write draft reports on sustainable development issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
  • Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
  • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
  • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
  • Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
  • Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.
  • Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
  • Commitment to Continuous Learning: Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession; actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and personally; contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.
  • Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in business or public administration, sustainable development, social sciences, education or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

  • A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in providing strategic support to partnerships, project/programme management, resource mobilization or development finance in the context of development cooperation or related area is required.

Language:

  • Fluency in spoken and written English
  • Excellent knowledge of the working languages (Albanian and Serbian) in Kosovo is necessary
  • Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Additional requirements:

  • National Professional Officers are nationals of the country in which they are serving, and their functions must have a national context, i.e. functions that require local experience or knowledge of the local language, culture, institutions, and systems.

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 UNDP Personal History Form (P11), your application will not be considered. The UNDP Personal History Form (P11) can be downloaded at this link:http://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/operations/jobs/