Background
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Past and recent conflicts have resulted in extensive and complex landmines/ERW contamination in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Landmines/ERW pose serious threats to the lives of civilian populations, hindering recovery and development initiatives, return of internally displaced populations and daily livelihood activities. Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) is considered an urgent and critical activity to ensure the safe reconstruction of infrastructure and the safe return and settlement of internally displaced people in the affected regions. As a commitment to addressing the landmines/ERW contamination in the affected regions, in 1998, with support from UNDP, the Azerbaijan government established the Mine Action Agency for the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) as a non-military agency mandated to conduct humanitarian demining. UNDP has been a strategic partner with ANAMA since then.
ANAMA and its partners have made significant progress in addressing the landmine/ERW contamination problem in Azerbaijan. However, the landmine/ERW contamination in the regained territories in the Karabakh region has significantly compounded the historical contamination problem in the region. Considering the substantial and complex nature of the landmines/ERW contamination challenge, along with limited resources for mine action and a lack of advanced mine clearance machines and technologies, Azerbaijan has decided to intensify and expand its mine action efforts. The goal is to reduce the threat of landmines and ERW to the lives of local communities and returning internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as to create a safe environment for recovery and development initiatives in the affected region.
Position Purpose
Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the UNDP Azerbaijan Deputy Resident Representative, the Mine Action Strategic Advisor will work in close coordination and collaboration with the UNDP Country Office (CO) management team, the UNDP CO Mine Action Team and the UNDP Global/Regional Mine Action Team Provides will provide intellectual and strategic leadership, policy direction and substantive and thematic guidance on mine action in relation to recovery, development initiatives in the landmine/ERW contamination affected regions and contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration
Duties and Responsibilities
Develop frameworks, strategies, and plans to enhance the mine action sector in Azerbaijan, aligning it with national priorities and adhering to international best practices through:
- Leads the UNDP-supported Mine Action initiatives, ensuring their suitability, relevance, sustainability and adaptability in a timely manner.
- Provide research, knowledge and advisory support and feedback on policy and programmatic gaps and opportunities to the CO focusing on integrated, inclusive, gender-sensitive and rights-based mine action interventions.
- Provides advice and assistance in aligning mine action initiatives in Azerbaijan to global UN Mine Action strategies, UNDP Global Strategies and policies, UNDP Azerbaijan Country Office (CO) strategies and policies, and national recovery and development initiatives.
- Develop and implement comprehensive mine action work plans, including envisaged programme activities, roles, responsibilities, and corresponding milestones.
- Identify areas for support mine action and development interventions through research and analysis of the country’s context.
- Contribute to preparing and implementing UNDP communication strategies and plans, ensuring the visibility of the UNDP Mine Action initiatives and that of the donors and stakeholders.
- Ensure constant monitoring and analysis of the UNDP-supported mine action initiatives and manage risks to ensure timely adjustment of interventions where required.
- Contribute to ensuring mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in mine action initiatives, promoting a safe and enabling environment free of discrimination and abusive behaviour, and using gender-responsive communication principles in line with the UNDP corporate policies and standards.
- Prepares briefings and written reports for UNDP senior management, donors and other stakeholders as required.
- Contributes to narrative progress and financial reports and ensures that quality reports are submitted in a timely manner.
- Supports in coordinating financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the UNDP-supported mine action initiative, identifies operational and financial problems and follows up on audit recommendations while promoting broad participatory approaches in implementation, monitoring and evaluation activities, where applicable and possible.
Resource Mobilization and Resource Management:
- Develop and execute fundraising strategies for UNDP-supported Mine Action initiatives in close collaboration with UNDP CO and ANAMA.
- Ensure a cohesive approach to fundraising and promote collaboration across different units and departments within UNDP and ANAMA.
- Develop a fundraising action plan that identifies funding shortfalls and sets goals and deadlines for the mobilization of additional funds.
- Enhance partnerships and collaboration with relevant stakeholders to avoid redundancy and gaps, ensure cost efficiency, attract more resources, enhance impact, and bolster the sustainability of mine action efforts and initiatives.
- Regularly assess all partnerships for their ongoing relevance and effectiveness and make adjustments as deemed necessary.
- Ensure proper utilisation and management of funds and resources allocated to the UNDP-supported Mine Action projects.
Partnerships, Representation, and Collaboration:
- Participate in, contribute to and report on the relevant inter-agency, UN, donor, and inter-governmental coordination meetings in consultation with UNPD CO management and programme/technical staff.
- Supports in coordination of the implementation of the UNDP-supported mine action initiatives, ensuring timely delivery of expected results and outcomes.
- Support preparations and participation in official meetings, events, briefings, and field visits, and prepare talking points, briefing notes, presentations, and speeches for senior UNDP CO management.
- Makes effective use of UNDP’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships.
- Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organisations.
- Contribute to the mine action sector coordination meetings representing UNDP.
Personnel Management:
- Leads and manages the UNDP Mine Action incoming consultants, ensuring optimization of resources and nurturing a culture of results and solutions orientation with the highest performance standards
- Ensure all UNDP mine action consultants comply with all relevant UNDP policies and practices when performing their roles and functions.
- Ensure the strategic direction of the UNDP mine action programme in Azerbaijan is in alignment with the overall vision, policy and strategy of the UNDP CO.
- Contributes to and ensures timely initiation of procurement and recruitment plans and their implementation.
- Drafts TORs and work specifications for various mine action projects/initiatives, identifies appropriate national and international consultants/staff, and coordinates and supervises their hiring process and performance.
- Promulgate continuous learning, ensuring the development of staff knowledge and skills as part of professional development.
Provide high-level policy, strategy, advocacy and technical mine action advice to the Mine Action Agency for the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) through:
- Ensure mine action policies and strategies align with national recovery and development strategies.
- Ensure mine action operations comply with national and international standards and best practices.
- Align mine action initiatives with sustainable development goals (SDGs) to contribute to broader development objectives.
- Identify and implement optimal methodologies, technologies, and approaches for efficient and safe mine action operations.
- Maintain comprehensive information management systems for prioritizing and planning mine action operations.
- Optimize field teams’ structure, procedures, and practices to enhance operational safety, efficiency, and effectiveness.
- Develop and maintain high standards of monitoring and quality assurance of mine action operations.
- Foster partnerships and networking with national and international mine action stakeholders.
- Establish and maintain effective coordination platforms among mine action stakeholders in Azerbaijan.
- Adopt risk management strategies and mitigation measures to minimize the impact of mine action initiatives on communities and the environment.
- Improve planning, coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of field operations in compliance with international standards.
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:
- Oversee and manage mine action programme personnel’s performance:
– International Gender Consultant
– International EORE Consultant
– International Land Release Consultant
– International Consultant for Mine Action Excellence Center
– International Victim Assistance Consultant
– Other incoming International Consultants
- Provide guidance and support and identify mine action needs in relation to recovery and development initiatives.
- Manage the reciprocal relationship between staff and the UNDP so that each is successful.
- Clearly communicate organizational needs.
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
- Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
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 Direction & Strategy-Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and create ‘win-win’ situations.
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–Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization´s 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 optimising return on investment
Business Management–Collective Intelligence Design: Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to design services or solutions
Business Management–Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding: Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms
Business Management–Strategic engagement: Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in conflict resolution, peace studies, political science, human rights, sociology, international relations, economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences fields is required, or
- First–level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in conflict resolution, peace studies, political science, human rights, sociology, international relations, economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences fields with two additional years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree
Experience:
- A minimum of 7 years (with a Master’s degree) or 9 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in managerial positions with a minimum of five years within the Mine Action sector is required.
- At least five years of senior-level management responsibilities of large-scale programmes in complex crisis or post-crisis settings is an asset.
- Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience and track record of engagement with senior officials, such as in the United Nations, government and external partners is an asset;
- Experience and knowledge in crisis response, recovery and peace-building at national and community levels is an asset.
- Proven experience in resource mobilization and partnership building is an asset.
- Experience working in a multicultural and/or international work environment is an asset.
- Demonstrated technical expertise in mine action, inclusind knowledge of international mine action standarts and best practices in the areas such as mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and risk education is an asset.
- Experience in providing capacity-building support to national authorities and local partners in mine-affected countries, with the focus on strenhnening national mine action capabilities and promoting sustainability is an asset.
- Excellent advocacy and communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex technical information to a wide range of audiences, including policymakers, donors, and the public is an asset.
- Experience in the use of computers, office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), database packages, and web-based management systems such as ERP.
Languages:
- Proficiency in oral and written English language is required.
- Knowledge of any other UN language is an asset.
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
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Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
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UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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