CHIEF TECHNICAL ADVISOR - PEACE AND TRANSITION SUPPORT PROJECT
Type of Contract : FTA International
Post Level : P-4
Languages Required : Arabic English
Duration of Initial Contract : One year (renewable)
Background
Following Yemen’s political unrest of 2011, and the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council peace initiative in November of that year, the Republic of Yemen has embarked on a two-year transition agenda. Against the backdrop of this political transition, and the request of the Yemeni authorities, the United Nations has articulated a Joint UN Framework to Support the Transition in Yemen, 2012-2014, which provides an important basis for UN assistance during this period. As the National Dialogue concluded, it is important to look beyond immediate relief and peacebuilding, towards more integrated and sustainable peacebuilding and state building initiatives that can build confidence in the state and deliver dividends to the population. This is most important in rural areas, where an estimated 75% of the population live, and where the relationships between formal and informal structures of governance are most deterministic of development and security outcomes. Many local authorities have yet to take fully charge of local affairs as foreseen by the law. In this context, establishing governance mechanisms which can mobilise relation-based systems and formalise the channels through which society participates in government planning and policy making may provide avenues for greater inclusion of marginalised groups, improved confidence in governance processes, and eventually extension of services, particularly in conflict affected governorates. This is a joint project between UNDP and UNFPA and the overall objective of the Peace and Transition Support Project is to support increasing citizen participation in peace and development planning and policy development and support the rebuilding of the social contract of marginalized groups, most importantly the youth and women. Duties and Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Project Officer and Governance Team Leader, the Chief Technical Advisor will carry out/achieve the following duties:
• Providing advisory and technical support to the Ministry of Local Administration, in strengthening the MolA capacities, improving current structures and supporting technically/legally for setting up requisite, legal frame, policies, systems, processes and procedures for the new federal system as may be required;
• Assisting MolA its work plan, including designing system for monitoring and evaluation as well as reporting;
• Developing, along with the National Program Director, strong partnerships with key national actors, such as the Legislature, civil society, the Constitutional Drafting Committee and the international community, in the area of local governance reform as proposed by the National Dialogue outcomes;
• Providing substantive input and coordination support to the MolA, including reporting to the various established structures, primarily, the PTSP Board with regard to the overall support to Local Governance; and
• Ensuring facilitation of knowledge building and transfer, including exploring opportunities for information exchange and knowledge networking. Direct Advisory and Technical Support to MolA:
• Support MolA for the PTSP implementation activities through designing operational tools including the grant module arrangements and procedures and training PTSP staff on such tasks as reporting, organizing and managing meetings, workshops, note-taking, record keeping, archiving and general office management;
• Provide advice and support to MolA in ensuring synergy with on-going reform processes such as, state building, reconciliation, constitutional drafting and political transformation throughout the process;
• Provide advisory services to MolA in advancing its coordination and liaison role with other key entities supporting the local governance process such as Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Civil Service and Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, among others. Where applicable, identify specialized technical expertise to support the PTSP in accelerating the programme process;
• Provide technical oversight to national and international technical staff working with the PTSP, including, international technical advisers and national and international consultants. This will include consultations to ensure technical staffs are addressing technical requirements for delivery of PTSP outputs;
• Support to Coordination, Resource Mobilization and forging of Strategic Partnerships;
• Provide technical advice to MIA in forging and strengthening strategic partnerships and coordination with key national stakeholders, including facilitating communication and exchange of lessons learned and good practices on building and sustaining such partnerships;
• Provide technical support to MolA in resource mobilization by developing a strategy for resource mobilization and partnerships;
• Support MolA’s partner coordination efforts, including actively participating in inter-agency LG coordination activities, and providing regular updates, reports and feedback on the program. Program design, Implementation and Monitoring:
• Provide technical services to the National Program Manager to ensure that the program’s activities are designed and implemented according to best practices in the area of LG reforms and Local Systems capacity development and are in line with the Annual Work Plan;
• In close liaison with UNDP’s team, ensure that systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating the project's delivery of agreed results and regular reporting to UNDP’s senior management;
• Support the overall management of program; including planning of activities, mobilization of inputs, and supervision of project staff, consultants and sub-contractors;
• Provide technical support to MolA and the National Program Manager in liaising with implementing partners, implementation agencies, UNDP, UNFPA and beneficiaries, and ensuring coordination between all key partners;
• Advice on management and monitoring of all risks initially identified and submit new risks and risk mitigation plans to the program board for consideration and revise the resource framework based on emerging opportunities and challenges. Build Capacity and Ensure Facilitation of Knowledge Building and Management:
• Identify knowledge gaps among key target groups and design measures to address such gaps;
• Collate sources of information related to policy driven issues, best practices and lessons learnt on local governance and share with program partners;
• Actively support the sharing of program results and products, lessons learned and good practices with other projects, government agencies, donors, etc, and participate in UNDP global knowledge networks and communities of practitioners on democratic governance/constitution review;
• Assist in developing capacity of national partners. Competencies
Corporate competencies:
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Displays political neutrality; in addition to the below core competencies. Functional Competencies:
Professionalism:
• Pride in work and achievements; professional competence and adherence to professional ethics;
• Conscientiousness and efficiency in meeting commitments, compliance with deadlines; motivation by professional rather than personal concerns;
• Persistence when faced with difficult circumstances or challenges;
• Calm in stressful situations. Teamwork:
• Good interpersonal skills, ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and to adapt successfully to changing circumstances. 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 the audience;
• Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. 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 of and anticipate problems;
• Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks;
• Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• A minimum of Master’s degree in political science, law, public administration institutional/organizational development or related field.
Experience:
• A minimum of 7 years working experience in the area of decentralization, democratic governance/rule of law;
• Prior experience working in countries in transition;
• Previous work experience in post-conflict contexts in Africa is an asset;
• Ability to work harmoniously with people from varying cultures and backgrounds;
• Excellent Computer skills, including Word, Excel, Outlook, Power point.
Language:
• Fluency in English language, both written and oral;
• Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.
Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders). Application Process: 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 To Apply please click here.
NOTE: Applications for this job are not through Yemen HR website. They should be sent to the address mentioned above in the announcement itself. Please review the ad and follow what the "Application process" or the "How to apply" section says. |