UNDP Job Vacancies in Nairobi Kenya; Programme Specialist

Job Title:        Programme Specialist UN Joint Programme On Local Governance (UNJPLG-PMU)
Job Location:   Nairobi, Kenya
Employer:    UNDP
Type of Contract:FTA Local
Post Level :    NO-C

About Us
The UN Joint Programme on Local Governance and Decentralized Service Delivery in Somalia (UN JPLG) is a five year joint programme comprising of ILO, UNCDF, UNDP, UN-HABITAT and UNICEF.
JPLG’s goal is that ‘Local governance contributes to peace and equitable service delivery in Somalia‘.

The Joint Programme has two specific objectives which are:

•     Communities have equitable access to basic services through local government;
•     Local governments are accountable and transparent.

JPLG commenced in April 2008 and has now entered in its second phase (2013-2017) and it expanded programmatically and geographically with average annual work-plans budgets of USD 25-32M/year. JPLG works with the Federal Government of Somalia, the Governments of Puntland and Somaliland, local governments, communities and non-state actors. The programme specialist position will be located within the JPLG Programme Management Unit (PMU) which is responsible for the overall coordination and management of the Joint Programme. The PMU Unit is headed by the Senior Joint-Programme Manager to whom the Programme Specialist will report.

Job Overview:
Under the supervision of the UN JPLG Senior Programme Manager, the Programme Specialist is responsible for management of JPLG programme within the thematic / sectoral areas of JPLG. The Programme Specialist analyzes political, social and economic trends with particular attention to gender issues and leads formulation of JPLG annual work plans, monitoring and evaluation of programme activities and provides policy advice services. He/she also supports resource mobilization and manages partnerships with donors and national counterparts.

The Programme Specialist supervises and leads JPLG area team leaders and coordinates their activities in support of all UN JPLG agencies. The Programme Specialist works in close collaboration with the UN JPLG Agencies and their staff, Government officials, technical advisors and experts, donors and civil society ensuring successful JPLG programme implementation.

Job Requirements:
Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

•     Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating JPLG’s mandate.

 Results-Based Programme Development and Management:

•     Assesses programme performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work;
•     Contributes to gender analysis of all project interventions;
•     Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration;
•     Monitors specific stages of programme implementation;
•     Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development;
•     Participates in the formulation of new programme proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly.

 Building Strategic Partnerships:

•     Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues;
•     Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders.
•      Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:
•     Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things, including how to promote gender equality effectively within the project portfolio;
•     Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches.

 Resource Mobilization (Field Duty Stations):

•     Analyzes information/databases on potential and actual donors;
•     Develops a database of project profiles. Identifies opportunities for project proposals for presentation to donors.

 Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

•     Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things, including how to promote gender equality effectively within the programme portfolio, documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

•     Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
•     Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
•     Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
•     Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
•     Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments.

 Global Leadership and Advocacy for JPLG’s Goals:

•     Identifies and communicates relevant information for advocacy for JPLG’s goals for a variety of audiences
•     Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities for advocating for JPLG’s mandate.

 Client Orientation:

•     Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
•     Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
•     Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.

Core Competencies:

•     Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
•     Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
•     Self-development, initiative-taking;
•     Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
•     Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
•     Creating synergies through self-control;
•     Managing conflict;
•     Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member
•     Informed and transparent decision making;
•     Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
•     Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of JPLG;
•     Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
•     Treats all people fairly without favouritism.     

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

•     Master’s Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Development Studies or any related field.

Experience:

•     5  years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, and  monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
•     Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web based management systems;
•     Previous work experience with local governance and gender mainstreaming into project design is an asset.  

Language:

•     Fluency in written and spoken English and Somali.

Job Duties:
Summary of Key Functions:

•     Ensure implementation of programme strategies;
•     Provision of support in management of the JPLG as per the mandate of the PMU;
•     Ensure effective oversight of the Programme, in particular Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting in close collaboration with JPLG M&E Specialist, and providing operational advice to UN JPLG agencies’ projects;
•     Creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy;
•     Provision of top quality policy advice services to the JPLG partners and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

Ensure implementation of programme strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

•     Thorough gender sensitive analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country and preparation of substantive inputs to the programme and other policy documents;
•     Identification of areas for support and interventions within the PMU mandate;
•     JPLG business processes mapping and preparation of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management;
•     Coordinate key programme strategies and results for programme components; and ensure that it is line with the Programme document and other strategic processes;
•     Advise on the development of gender sensitive strategies in the area of local governance;
•     Provide Specific input to the design, implementation and coordination of JPLG agencies projects, assist JPLG work planning process in the field and other technical missions as required;
•     Ensure that integration of cross cutting issues, such as peace building and gender into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programme;
•     Identify new areas of support and facilitate implementation of new initiatives;
•     Coordinate donors and partner steering committee meetings, programme review and preparation of JPLG briefs and updates for partners.

Ensure effective management of the Programme as per the mandate of PMU, focusing on quality control from formulation to implementation of the programme achieving the following results:

•     Effective application of RBM tools, establishment of management targets and monitoring achievement of results in close collaboration with the M&E specialist;
•     Design and formulation of programme related documents within the area of PMU responsibility, translating JPLG’s priorities into local interventions, coordination of programme implementation with the UN agencies, introduction of performance indicators/ success criteria, targets and milestones;
•     Perform functions of Manager Level 1 in Atlas for POs and vouchers approval, participate in recruitment processes for PMU staff and other JPLG agencies’ staff if required;
•     Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the programme, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions, and participation in the audit of the programme
•     Follow up on audit recommendations. All exceptions are timely reported;
•     Aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs and outcomes. Preparation of donor reports.

 In close collaboration with the M&E specialist and with the UN JPLG agencies and teams , ensure effective oversight of the Programme, in particular Monitoring and Evaluation and Reporting, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

•     Ensure quality assurance of programme management through the review of relevant documents, draft annual and quarterly work plans, and track progress of programme activities;
•     In close collaboration with the M&E Specialist, design and manage an outcome monitoring system for the programme including effective indicators for all cross-cutting issues;
•     Assist M&E specialist to prepare, or coordinate the preparation of proper reports to donors on programme implementation, review programme reporting on the progress towards outcomes and impact, ensuring quality control and accurate reporting on results as well as constraints, particularly through efficient and regular communication with colleagues in the field;
•     Assess programme impact on men and women, effectiveness and the programme environment, including making suggestions for timely readjustment to the portfolio.

 Provide operational advice to the UN JPLG projects, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

•     Prepare implementation-related agreement with partners for the implementation of specific programme outputs within the mandate of PMU;
•     Track delivery of the various components of programme and advise the Senior Programme Manager on the financial progress of the portfolio;
•     Support resource mobilization by ensuring the appropriate attention to JPLG’s costs in the negotiation of cost sharing agreements with Donors;
•     Identify solutions for operational and financial problems;
•     Participate in the identification and competitive selection of appropriate implementing partners.

Ensure creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy, focusing on achievement of the following results:

•     Development of partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFI’s, government institutions, donors, private sector, civil society in the specific thematic areas based on strategic goals of JPLG, country needs and donors’ priorities;
•     Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new initiatives, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization;
•     Contribute to the building of synergies between UN JPLG agencies and projects on one hand and PMU on the other hand;
•     Contribute to external information sharing by ensuring relevant information about the programme area on the JPLG website, information brochures, and presentation to partners, responding to ad hoc requests.

Ensure provision of top quality programmatic advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

•     Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to programme country policy goals;
•     Support to development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in the area of local governance in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners;
•     Organization of trainings for the programme staff on programme issues;
•     Provide recommendations and programme/policy advice to JPLG and Government counterparts on issues related to JPLG programmes;
•     In undertaking the above, ensure the fullest engagement and participation of women and youth, to further ensure the mainstreaming of gender perspective as appropriate for JPLG.  

Impact of Results
The key results have an impact on the success of country programme within specific areas of cooperation. In particular, the key results have an impact on the design, operation and programming of activities, creation of strategic partnerships as well as reaching resource mobilization targets.

Deadline Date: 12/05/2014

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