Capacity Building Specialist (Topic Expert) Retainer , Multiple positions, Home based

Background Information – Philippines

Established in 2016, UNOPS Philippines provides expert support to ensure sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure activities in projects. With funds from the European Union (EU), UNOPS supports the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government under the Governance in Justice (GOJUST) Programme (GOJUST2) through procurement, logistics, and grants management to push forward the justice reform agenda of the Philippine government through innovations and interventions; as well as providing grants to civil society organizations to improve access to justice of marginalized groups. In the Support to the Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) Programme, UNOPS is working with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Government strengthening capacities of the executive, legislative and judicial branches to ensure a smooth transition, also with funds from the EU. In the health sector, UNOPS works with the DOH / ADB in the HEAL project (Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit COVID-19).

UNOPS Philippines is in the process of expanding its area of engagement in cooperation with its development partners, focusing mainly on a portfolio of projects and programs in the infrastructure, logistics management, procurement in health, rule of law, and governance sectors.

Project Background Information – GoJUST II

The Governance in Justice Programme Phase II or GOJUST II is a program of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines with support from the European Union. It builds on from its predecessor program and generally aims to contribute to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development through improved access to justice for all. Specifically, it aims to develop more responsive and accountable justice services. The justice system is composed of different actors. Reforms must be undertaken in a coordinated and cohesive manner to ensure efficiency and sustainability. The center of any justice sector reform program is the improvement of the lives of the people. In order to achieve this, GOJUST II employs a four-pronged approach: justice sector strengthening, effective justice institutions, access to justice and evidence-based research.

Justice sector coordination is undertaken by the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC) co-chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice and the Secretary for the Department of Interior and Local Government. GOJUST II will support the strengthening and institutionalization of the JSCC as well as the strengthening of the individual justice sector institutions, to ensure complementarity and compatibility of reform measures. Local sectoral coordination mechanisms through the Justice Zones will allow GOJUST II to pilot reform measures at the local level. GOJUST II will also support CSOs and law schools to increase access to justice for vulnerable groups. Finally, GOJUST II will promote evidence-based research that could inform policy-making and future programming.

Particularly on increased access to the justice system for vulnerable groups, including women which is GOJUST II’s Key Result Area (KRA) 3, GOJUSTII established a grant facility which UNOPS manages in collaboration with the British Council which provides technical assistance to the GOJUST II.

GOJUST II’s KRA 3 will seek to empower women, poor and people living in vulnerable situations to recognize their grievances and problems as legal issues and to seek effective remedies for disputes. For people to be able to seek redress, they must know their rights and understand the different pathways for seeking justice. To this end the project will work with media, legal service NGOs, paralegals and other facilitators to create legal and rights awareness and provide direct legal services on issues involving land rights, rights of women, including victims of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), rights of indigenous peoples, children, youth, prisoners, those with disabilities and LGBTI people. The project will identify strategic collaborations with media, arts and culture platforms for popular engagement on these issues. Based on the British Council’s comparative experience in the use of arts and culture for peacebuilding, interventions will be conflict sensitive and locally led, focusing on tangible outcomes such as confidence building and self-expression as part of legal empowerment.

Aside from grant management and administration, UNOPS is responsible for the provision of logistical and administrative support, which may include the organization and facilitation of training, workshops, seminars and study tours; procurement of goods and services; small works; and, communication and visibility.

Background Information – Role Specific

As of March 2024, which is already midway in the implementation of the programme, GOJUST has already committed the grant funds to 29 organizations who are implementing 32 grants, and it is expected that there will be no more new grants that will be issued till the end of the project. The main focus of the work from now till the end of the program period will be monitoring, evaluation, coaching, and capacity building for the grantees currently on board.

The project, therefore, needs the services of competent and professional Capacity Building Specialists that would bring their expertise from designing training interventions, facilitating complex high-level workshops and over-all managing the training/workshop/conference programs so that expected results are achieved. The Capacity Building Specialists will be working closely with the Key Experts (KE) from the British Council Technical Assistance Team (BC-TAT) and UNOPS in the development of the activity program design, methods, and requirements. He/she will also provide the overall guidance to ensure that the planning/training/workshop/consultation process and outputs are properly documented as a reference for all stakeholders. Finally, Capacity Building Specialists may also be expected to provide post-activity insights, reflections and/or reports that could feed into the lessons learning processes of the program and may be used to further improve the interventions.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the general supervision of the Senior Project Manager and the guidance of the BC-TAT Key Expert, the Capacity Building Specialist (Topic Expert) will serve as the resource person for select session topics during the Project Management Training for the grantees of the KRA3 Grants Facility. He/she will be responsible for further developing the content of the assigned session topic/s from detailed content outline, presentation, delivery approach and integration of Structured Learning Exercises, as may be appropriate and actual conduct/delivery of the assigned session during the training schedule. In the process of developing the sessions, he/she will be coordinating and consulting closely with the GoJUST project team.

Scope of Professional Services and Deliverables:

1. Develop Session Learning design and methodology for the assigned training topics/lessons,
2. Prepare educational material and pedagogical methods for online and in-person activities relating to the workshop/training requested,
3. Serve as expert topic lead or session resource, as may be fit and may be relevant to the training/workshop,
4. Develop a detailed workshop activity design and methodology based on the activity objectives and program that will detail the methods, timeframe, and resource requirements for the program,
5. Coordinate and develop with the Key Experts and/or Overall Facilitator the detailed topic contents, requirements and delivery and contribute to the finalization of the training/workshop program
6. Work with the GoJUST Team to ensure that preparations before and during training proper are in place,
7. Anchor the main facilitation during online and in-person workshops/training, using interactive and engaging facilitation methods to maximize participation. This will include: Planning, Organizing, Coordination, and Delivery for the whole duration of the activity including preparation and/or compilation of all the resource materials, schedule of activities, PowerPoint presentations, templates, and practical exercises; Face-to-face workshops; Question and answers; Individual and group training exercises;
8. Develop with the support team of GoJUST the Measurement and Evaluation tools to gauge the progress of participants’ competencies and record participants’ responses and workshop/training lessons, outcomes, and findings;
9. Coordinate with the GoJUST project team to ensure all logistics/preparations requirements are in place
10. Coordinate daily debriefing with the GoJUST team and Resource Persons/ Trainers in situ;
11. Provide guidance to activity documenter to document/capture activity process, outputs and assessments and review documentation prepared by documenter prior to submission
12. Submit a Workshop/Training Summary Report which shall include highlights of the activity, process notes, and recommendations

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above)

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master´s equivalent) in law, public administration, social justice, development studies and/or other disciplines relevant to development work to assist the vulnerable sectors in their justice needs, with a preference for law, justice and grant management related discipline, is required.
• A bachelor’s degree in the above fields with two (2) additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the master’s degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in training, development, communication, capacity building, knowledge management, facilitation, project/program management, M&E or other related fields is required.
• Experience in organizing, managing and facilitating training among justice stakeholders, academic institutions, law schools and/or NGOs, is required;
• Expertise in the topic or topics applied for is a distinctive asset:
  • Project Management Framework for Access to Justice Projects
  • Designing Access to Justice Projects: Philosophy, Goals and Objectives and Methodologies
  • Setting up the Goals and Targets of the Project and the Monitoring System
  • Reporting on Results and Risk Analysis and Monitoring
  • Organizational Structure for Project Implementation
  • Setting up the Financial Systems in a Grants Framework
  • Innovations and Sustainability Strategies in Access to Justice Projects
  • Guidelines and Best Practices on the writing of project proposals
  • Mainstreaming Gender and Social Inclusion in Access to Justice Projects
• Computer literate; knowledge of and experience in the use of Google Suite is desirable.
• Experience in working with a range of stakeholders is an asset;
• Prior experience and sound knowledge of the Philippine Justice Sector context is an asset.
• Experience in managing Access to Justice programs/projects, is desirable

Language:

• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required.
• Fluency in Filipino or any major local dialect is desired

Contract type, level and duration

• Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
• Contract level: ICS-9/LICA-9
• Contract duration: 12 month Retainer contract with the maximum of 100 working days and renewable subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and/or to satisfactory performance.

NOTE:

• The selection of the candidate will be done through a desk review process.
• The selected candidate shall perform in this role as a Retainer
• A retainer contract is issued for a period of time during which the services of the individual contractor are required intermittently.

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.