UNDP Jobs - 77089- Senior private sector expert

Senior private sector expert

Location :

Tirana, ALBANIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

22-Feb-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 working days (during the period March- May 2018)

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

In Albania, the situation with the rights and services for such vulnerable groups as people with disabilities, and Roma and Egyptian communities requires a special attention. The private sector financing and government cost-sharing in areas of human and social rights are still very limited, even though there is Government’s commitment to the agenda and willingness to implement targeted programmes.

The relevant legal framework, currently in effect, has not been implemented properly and therefore has failed to produce concrete results. To date people with disabilities are recipients of passive disability benefits (over 150,000), which is disproportionate to the numbers of those actively seeking employment (less than 500).

UNDP Albania is implementing an intervention seeking to help mobilize private sector financing for piloting of an Employment and Skills Development Fund for persons with disabilities, whose employment and training needs remain largely unaddressed. The initiative builds on UNDP partnerships, past work and experience, including in employment and skills development, social inclusion and private sector engagement. Over the past 9 years, UNDP Albania, has implemented several skills development/employment related interventions and it has built a strategic vision that recognizes the importance of creating employment opportunities as a means to addressing both poverty reduction and inequalities and exclusion.

The overall aim of the intervention is to convene the private sector and catalyze their capital for social and developmental impact and to address this discrepancy through a social impact fund.

The intervention pursues several specific objectives:

1) To leverage the significantly larger capital, equity and assets of the private sector for a social cause with the ultimate aim of raising income of people with disabilities by providing them with opportunities/interventions to acquire productive skills and strive towards independent lives;

2) To operationalize the Law in favour of persons with disabilities and setting up the Fund and mechanism for private investments and government cost-sharing, and eventually for loans and levies for future blended financing; and

3) To promote social impact investments and public private partnerships.

The intervention will seek to reach people not covered by mainstream interventions such as the active labour market programmes implemented by the National Employment Service. It builds on the Government’s own policies and systems, as well as years of UNDP leadership and programming.

It is expected that the intervention will result in:

a) Setting-up and operationalization of the Employment and Skills Development Fund for Persons with Disabilities,

b) Piloting of a mechanism for partnership between private companies, public sector and organisations for people with disabilities, and

c) Obtaining evidence of financial viability for interventions of a larger scope and magnitude.

The role of the private sector in the proposed intervention will be two-fold. On one hand, the intervention will promote the collection of private sector contributions into the fund, and on the other hand enable the private sector to tap into the Fund. Through the engagement of private sector intermediary organizations (i.e. chambers of commerce) during the piloting phase, it is envisaged that private sector financing will be solicited alongside the Impact Investment Facility of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS, which provides core funding for the intervention.

Beyond this pilot intervention targeting people with disabilities, the ultimate aim is to support the Government of Albania in establishing an extra-budgetary Employment and Skills Development Fund that beyond addressing the employment of people with disabilities could support efforts to raise the productivity, competitiveness, and incomes of enterprises and individuals by providing them with needed skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP is seeking to hire the services of a senior private sector expert to assist in accessing, discussing, presenting and ultimately galvanize the support of the private sector for setting up and functioning of the employment fund. In more detail the expert will:

Elaborate an approach to define the appropriate platforms and/or channels to discuss with the private sector the potential establishment of the employment fund;
Work with private sector organisations, intermediaries and business associations to detail and fine-tune the operationalization of the fund
Assist MoFE and relevant line institutions with the analysis and recommendations for the new regulatory framework for establishing the employment fund from the perspective of the private sector;
Assist in organizing round tables and consultations with the private sector representatives for any regulations or legal changes that need to be enacted
Analyze the existing regulatory framework to identify areas where additional regulation or changes to existing regulation are most needed;
Support MoFE and its relevant institutions during the presentation of the proposed regulations and incorporating any comments from the private sector;
Carry on other related activities as required.

Deliverables

While the work will entail intense contacts and meetings with the private sector intermediaries and representatives, the main deliverable of this consultancy will be the establishment of a working platform with the private sector that would serve as the basis towards the creation of an employment fund. At the end of the work a document that articulates the carried work, meetings, findings, suggestions and proposals will be presented to UNDP.

Competencies

Core values:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards;
Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

Core Competencies:

Communication: Excellent communication skills, including the ability to pose questions, listen, evaluate and capture opinions, suggestions and comments, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different stakeholders;
Client orientation: Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with national partners and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs, and matching them to appropriate solutions;
Demonstrated analytical and practical skills on issues related to private sector.

Functional Competencies:

Excellent communication skills (written, spoken, composing, presentation) and networking;
Political and cultural sensitivity and commitment to UNDP’s development objectives in the country.
Ability to generate creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
Strong technical and practical knowledge in issues related to the private sector and the relationship with state institutions on labour and employment
Ability to work well in multi-disciplinary teams
Excellent interpersonal skills and objectivity

Required Skills and Experience

Advanced degree in economics, international development, business administration or closely related field.
Substantial experience working in, with and in support of the private sector;
Minimum 10 years of professional experience in issues related to the private sector;
Demonstrated ability to understand, analyse and present complex terms on labor market & employment policies;
Analytical thinking and strategic planning skills, ability to facilitate, consult and negotiate with a broad range of government and non-government partners;
Good inter-personal and communication (oral and written) skills, efficiency in a multi-tasking and multi-cultural environment;
Ability to work and adapt to a dynamic working environment, judgment, results-orientation, and ability to perform under pressure.
Full working knowledge of English, including excellent report writing and presentation skills in English.

Evaluation Procedure

Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Combined Scoring method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.Applicants obtaining 49 % or more of the total technical points will be considered for financial evaluation.

Combined weighted scoring:

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

Educational background. (15 points)
Professional experience and in similar assignments. (20 points)
Experience working for and in support of the private sector. (35 points)

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30

Application Procedure

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

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability-please fill in the attached form...http://www.un.org.al/doc/PSU_%20Individual%20Contract_Letter%20to%20UNDP.docx
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Download here.
Financial Proposal in ALL* - specifying a total lump sum in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified in this announcement. The attached template may be used - http://www.un.org.al/doc/Financial%20Offer%20template.doc Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).
Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

* Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should be both part of your application.

How to Submit the Application:

How submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs);
Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal, Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.
Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded

UNDP retains the right to contact references directly. Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Qualified women and individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.