Area-Based Programme Specialist – P4

BACKGROUND

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The Assad regime has ended with extraordinary speed and having endured seemingly perpetual suffering loss and oppression, the Syrian people now face the prospect of a new future. Over the last 14 years Syrians have suffered catastrophic losses; the displacement of 14 million citizens from their homes; a collective grief for the half a million lives lost in conflict; despair for those who were detained or imprisoned for their political opposition. Syrians have lived through the severity of protracted crisis with no real signs of a political process or solution, existing within a complete lack of accountability for the suffering endured.

For the first time in more than a decade the prospect of peace exists, albeit a precarious possibility that is complicated by the tolls and divisions endemic to protracted crisis conditions. The end of the Assad regime now presents the opportunity for a new Syria that Syrians themselves must be supported to determine.

It is paramount that UNDP together with the wider UN family, supports the Syrian people on a path towards peace and stability. The gains made to counter risks of further dissolution and to safeguard basic services and civil space in the transitional period, will determine much for the prospects of a peaceful transition to a new government of the Syrian people’s own choosing. The actions of UNDP to identify and respond to these immediate and critical needs of the Syrian people, appropriate to the conditions on the ground, will offer a vital channel of support to the collective efforts of the UN to protect and uphold a route towards peace.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience to crises and disasters. Working with our vast network of experts and partners in over 170 countries, we help nations to create integrated and lasting solutions for people and the planet.

UNDP Syria operates in a highly complex and challenging environment, shaped by over a decade of conflict, widespread displacement, economic instability, and recurrent natural disasters. The Syria Country Programme focuses on three critical areas: 1) Promoting socio-economic recovery and social cohesion; 2) Strengthening local governance and basic social services; and 3) Supporting climate change adaptation and natural resource management. The programme emphasizes an area-based approach to tailor interventions to the specific needs of local communities and supports the vision of sustainable peace and recovery for all Syrians.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and the UNDP Country Programme Document (CPD) 2022–2025 are fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. They prioritize resilience-building efforts while addressing the pressing humanitarian-development nexus. UNDP Syria aims to bridge immediate recovery needs with long-term development goals, focusing on inclusive governance, equitable access to basic services, sustainable livelihoods, and climate action. Similarly, the next CPD (2026-2030) will take the above priorities and the changing context into account.

The Programme Team is responsible for the design, oversight, and quality assurance of all projects and programmes, ensuring full alignment with the priorities set out in the Country Programme Document (CPD) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). The team plays a central role in advancing UNDP Syria’s three programmatic pillars: socio-economic recovery and social cohesion; local governance and social basic services; and energy, environment, and disaster risk reduction. By providing technical expertise and high-level advice, the team ensures that all programme outcomes contribute to the strategic objectives of UNDP and the broader UN system.

Programme staff actively engage with diverse stakeholders, including government entities, development partners, civil society, private sector actors, and UNDP’s regional and headquarters offices, to foster partnerships, share knowledge, and catalyze innovative solutions. The team leads resource mobilization efforts, develops strategic partnerships, and identifies opportunities for new initiatives, including joint programming. Throughout the programme cycle, the team adheres to UNDP’s quality standards and policies, ensuring the effective implementation of activities that align with the strategic direction of the Country Office and the broader UN cooperation framework. By maintaining strong partnerships with governments, development institutions, UN agencies, and donors, the Programme Team plays a pivotal role in addressing Syria’s recovery and resilience needs.

Within the Syria Country Office (CO), the Operations Team provides essential backbone support services, including finance, programme finance management, procurement, human resources, digital services, logistics. The team also ensures compliance with corporate policies and provides demand-driven common services to other UN agencies in Syria. Administrative support, including protocol, visa facilitation, and travel, is provided to UNDP staff and project personnel.

The Management Support Unit supports corporate alignment, and quality assurance. It collaborates with programme teams on results monitoring and reporting while providing strategic guidance to ensure high standards of delivery.

The Security Unit advise on the protection of, and minimizing the risk to, UNDP staff, eligible dependents, property and operations in all locations and at the same time enabling UNDP programme delivery throughout the country.

The Strategic Communications Team supports all programme interventions by managing public outreach, knowledge sharing, and advocacy efforts to highlight UNDP Syria’s impact and mobilize support for its mission.

The Partnerships & Reporting unit spearheads resource mobilization, manages donor relations, and develops strategic partnerships while ensuring transparent reporting and communication on programme outcomes to donors and stakeholders.

The Strategic Policy unit provides high-level guidance and ensures alignment of UNDP Syria’s programmes with corporate priorities, international frameworks, and the evolving needs of the Syrian context, focusing on resilience, recovery, and sustainable development.

The Area-Based Programme unit tailors interventions to local needs through decentralized planning and implementation, prioritizing community-driven recovery, resilience-building, and sustainable development across Syria’s diverse and complex regions.

The Risk Management Unit identifies, assesses, and mitigates risks associated with programme implementation, particularly in Syria’s complex operating environment, to safeguard resources, maintain compliance, and uphold UNDP’s integrity and accountability.

The Joint Programme Unit coordinates collaborative initiatives with UN agencies and partners, ensuring alignment with the broader UN strategic framework and maximizing the impact of multi-agency programmes in Syria.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative, the Area-Based Programme Specialist is responsible for the coordination and management of UNDP’s area-based strategies and interventions in Syria. The Area-Based Programme Specialist analyzes social and economic trends and advises UNDP Syria management accordingly on policy and programme interventions; builds strategic partnerships with national, regional, and local authorities and development and humanitarian partners; and coordinates the formulation, management and monitoring of area-based strategies, plans and interventions. S/he ensures achievements of results within the timeline, allocated budget and according to UNDP quality and accountability standards and rules and regulations. The Area-Based Programme Specialist is responsible for day-to-day management of the Area-Based Programme portfolio and the Area Managers team for programmatic planning and implementation and in collaboration with relevant CO programme teams and operations units for operational issues.

S/he liaises with other sister UN agencies, other relevant partners and stakeholders and supervises and guides the unit staff maintaining an enabling and conducive working environment ensuring quality design, plan, monitoring and reporting on implementation and achieving results.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across

interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises

that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response

Key duties and accountabilities include:

The Area-Based Programme Specialist is responsible for the following:

• Strategic, area-based policy advice and specialized technical support
• Programme management, monitoring and oversight, and strategic direction to the area teams for efficient implementation of activities.
• Building and maintaining effective partnerships with government and all relevant stakeholders and coordinating UNDP area-based activities internally with various thematic portfolios and externally with other UN agencies, civil society, local authorities and any other local stakeholder
• Effective communication and knowledge management in the office.

Provides policy advisory and specialized technical support:

• Advises, supports, guides and provides inputs to assure quality control in the formulation of relevant, high quality, results-based and rights-based programme interventions on recovery and resilience.
• Promotes recovery and resilience, ensuring appropriate levels of visibility and public awareness on results and ongoing activities.
• Provides policy advice to UNDP Senior Management, counterparts, donors and other partners on issues related to recovery and resilience and area-based strategies and programming.
• Develops, reviews and evaluates proposals and oversees the preparation of donor proposals and reports to ensure quality and compliance with requirements as per established rules and regulations. Takes timely action to take any corrective action to meet standards for submissions.
• Prepares policy documents, briefs and other strategic papers/materials for use in the development and presentation of a coherent perspective to help define strategies and plans of action for implementation.
• Represents the programme in appropriate fora as authorized by CO Senior Management.

Effective programme management, monitoring and oversight and provides strategic direction to the area teams for efficient implementation of activities:

• Provides managerial leadership of the Area-Based Programme, managing the project team (project advisors, technical staff, project specialists, and support staff.
• Plans, implements and supervises the support provided to ensure timely and appropriate services are provided as required. Identify areas of competencies and weakness to ensure focused and targeted interventions are provided.
• Provides strategic direction to the program and specialized technical advice to the senior management on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support effective programme planning, implementation, monitoring and timely reporting.
• Leads the annual work plan and associated resource allocation plan. Monitors and ensures the appropriate and timely utilization of resources.
• Leads on the integration of cross-cutting issues, such as gender, peace building, human rights and resilience into the Area-Based Programme focus areas and associated activities.
• Advises on systematic and effective analysis, project monitoring, including but not limited to regular field visits, as appropriate, and participation in Project Board and/or Steering Committee meetings.
• Manages day to day administrative matters for the project with support from administrative staff and the performance of consultants, specialists, and advisers.
• Ensures the integrity of financial and administrative operations as well as the consistent application of UNDP rules and procedures for programme and operations issues related to the programme adhering to the mechanisms outlined as per UNDP internal control framework in contracts, assets, procurement, recruitment, etc., as required.
• Develops a plan for the overall monitoring and evaluation of all projects in support of Area-Based Programme under programme portfolios and reporting on progress with regional staff to the Country Office;
• Recommends and/or sets monitoring standards, criteria and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results.
• Provides supervision and strategic directions to the regional project teams on Area-Based Programme implementation and monitoring of the progress towards achievement of outputs.
• Supervises the project staff, provides coaching to staff and effective leadership.
• Leads the annual process of gathering information and preparing reports on the progress of programme implementation, assessing results and identifying areas for action and/or decision to ensure the achievement of results as planned and in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Area-Based Programme.
• Leads on timely and adequate reporting against plans, including timely and articulate progress reports.
• Identifies risks and challenges to the ongoing operations of the projects and applies timely mitigation measures aligned to the CO risk management strategy documenting lessons learnt while providing advice to the Senior Management on mitigation strategies.

Building and maintaining strategic and effective partnerships with all stakeholders and coordinates UNDP area-based activities internally with various thematic portfolios and externally with other UN agencies, civil society, local authorities and any other local stakeholder:

• Ensures sufficient resource mobilization for the project in close consultation with Senior Management and is responsible for reaching the annual resource mobilization targets – specific emphasis will be required to nurture the relationship with key donors.
• Leads, coordinates, and builds/sustains partnerships with other UNCT members for the enhancement of technical strength and programmatic synergies of the Area-Based Programme.
• Provides technical expertise and coordinates with other UN agency programme managers to ensure complementarity/harmonization amongst the activities and plans under the Area-Based Programme.
• Ensures the participation and involvement of relevant stakeholders in the programme -implementation so that the process is inclusive, participatory and transparent.
• Ensures proper coordination of the programme implementation among implementing partners.
• Advocates for UNDP’s work and represents UNDP with the partners, the donor community, and international financial institutions, where requested.
• Liaises regularly and forges close linkages with other UN programmes, agencies and entities, as well as other international and national stakeholders concerned with or providing assistance on resilience, recovery and area-based programming in Syria.
• Ensures high-quality and timely reporting to the partners and donors involved in the project whilst ensuring compliance to donor agreements.
• Contributes to the harnessing of effective partnerships and competitive selection of partners for implementation of UNDP projects.
• Leads in preparing project proposals including strategies to build partnerships and mobilize resources.
• Develops sustainable and solid relations with counterparts, resulting in enhanced reputation and credibility of UNDP.

Promotes effective knowledge management and communication in the office and communication of UNDP’s results focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensures regular assessments of the implementation plans and identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned from the project area to guide programme improvements and future strategic development plan for organizational sharing and learning as well as external Information.
• Manages the process of collecting and sharing lessons learned to build knowledge and capacity of partners and stakeholders.
• Actively participates in UNDP knowledge networks and takes advantage of best practices and lessons learned that are available in the region and globally and encourages project staff to do so by creating a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.
• Promotes the participation of UNDP Syria in regional programmes related to the project area as appropriate.
• Supports capacity and knowledge building of the counterparts.
• Any other tasks related to recovery and resilience as assigned by the Senior Management.

Other Duties:

• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

• The Area-Based Programme Specialist will be heading the Area-Based Programme Unit and will supervise and manage the Area Managers and teams in the eight offices. The Area-Based Programme will be supported by technical inputs from the various portfolios of the Country Office.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in Business Administration, Management, Social Sciences, Development Studies or a related area is required. OR
• A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) will also be considered with an additional two years of relevant work experience.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

• A minimum of 7 (with Master degree) or 9 years (with Bachelors degree) of progressively professional experience in the field of international development, sustainable development,early recovery and resilience programmes, livelihood, and/or crisis response is required.
• Knowledge and experience of Results Based Management methodologies is required.
• Proven experience in Resource Mobilization and Partnerships is required.
• Proven track record in program monitoring and/or management support is required.
• Proven people management experience of at least 2 years, preferably in UNDP or another UN agency is required.
• Experience of working in crisis or conflict country is required.
• Experience of working with large multi-disciplinary and regional teams is highly desired.
• Functionally-related professional management skills is highly desirable.
• Experience in designing and implementing Area Based Programmes highly desirable
• Experience from previous UN agencies and/or multilateral and bi-lateral aid organizations would be an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and working knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, as well as experience in the handling of web based management systems is required.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

COMPETENCIES

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

People Management Competencies:

• UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Direction & Strategy: Effective Decision Making

• Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority area of expertise and resources.

Business Management: Risk Management

• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.

Business Management: Results-based Management

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results.

Business Direction & Strategy: System Thinking

• Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management: Portfolio Management

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness: Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility

• Area-Based Development.

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

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