Portfolio Team Lead ( Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio)

Over the past two decades, the UNDP office in Skopje has been an active provider of technical advice and program implementation in the areas of democratic governance and human rights, with an emphasis on decentralization, local development and social inclusion, reflecting priorities expressed by our national partners. In recent years, these efforts have been oriented around assisting the country meet the standards required for European Union (EU) membership. Our aim is to support the creation and smooth functioning of efficient, responsive, transparent and accountable governance institutions at all levels. 

UNDP Macedonia is piloting the Portfolio Approach with the aim to integrate various initiatives under one “green” portfolio and facilitate holistic planning, integrated implementation with the goal of achieving a larger impact. Portfolio narrative reporting and communication rather than project-based would eventually reduce workload and ensure integration of different perspectives and partners around broader impact ideals. This is also expected to meet the expectations of development partners to contribute to larger objectives that are not project bound but issue/impact based.

To support a significant expansion in UNDP Macedonia programme, the Portfolio Team Lead, (Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio) will serve as the new head of our Democratic Governance Unit and Green Portfolio.  Working under the direct supervision of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, the incumbent will lead a team of 12-15 staff in overseeing and expanding a portfolio of projects.

Under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative and direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative, the Portfolio Team Lead, (Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio) is responsible for management of the UNDP democratic governance and the Green Portfolio. 

The main responsibilities of the Portfolio Team Lead, (Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio) include performing analysis of development situation in the country and providing advice to senior management and the whole Team of UNDP CO, mobilizing resources and formulating, implementing and monitoring projects. The Portfolio Team Lead, (Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio) is expected to command substantive expertise in democratic governance and green portfolio; to represent UNDP in internal and external settings; and to cultivate strong relationships with donors, other UN agencies and national partners. The Portfolio Team Lead, (Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio) is also expected to translate UN values into programmatic form. 

The incumbent is expected to be able to work independently, withstand the stress of tight deadlines; and manage multiple initiatives calmly and confidently. Sharing knowledge freely and collaborating effectively with the operations team and other portfolios – which focus on democratic governance and Green Portfolio – are also requirements.

The incumbent should supervise and lead the Portfolio (Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio) including Project Managers and project Teams within the portfolio. The Incumbent works in close collaboration with the operations team, programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UNDP programme implementation.

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 the interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Summary of Key Functions:

• Formulates and implements the UNDP programme on Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio
• Supervises and monitors UNDP Democratic Governance Programmes/ Green Portfolio projects. 
• Creates, sustains and expands partnerships and mobilizes resources for UNDP Programmes/projects.
• Provides top-quality technical/policy advice and services on democratic governance and other portfolio projects to UNDP Team and partners. 
• Contributes to sharing knowledge inside UNDP and represents UNDP’s achievements externally.
• Overseeing personnel of the portfolio team at UNDP North Macedonia to deliver on strategic objectives.

Formulates and implements the UNDP programme on Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio:

• Studies and analyses country-specific information to assess the country environment. 
• Contributes to the preparation of UN/UNDP strategies and planning documents.
• Identifies key challenges and potential areas for UNDP work in democratic governance. 
• Ensures that democratic governance is appropriately reflected in other project portfolios.
• Meets regularly with government officials and representatives of donors, international agencies and local stakeholders to discuss project implementation; and
• Establish relevant programme Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure the effectiveness of CO business processes. Oversee workflows and ensure cross collaboration within the portfolio.

Supervises and monitors UNDP Democratic Governance projects and Green Portfolio Staff

• Manages project/programme staff to achieve planned results in line with budgets and agreed timelines.
• Formulates projects in Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio that are in line with national priorities and UN/UNDP national and global strategies, including the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Provides oversight of project activities and budgets in line with UNDP procedures. 
• Conducts regular monitoring of project results and supports project audits, where necessary; and 
• Ensures appropriate incorporation of gender equality and human rights in all projects.

Creates, sustains, and expands partnerships and mobilizes resources for UNDP programmes / projects:

• Develops partnerships with relevant partners from all sectors.
• Maintains a service orientation towards national and international partners.
• Conducts regular analysis of the donor landscape.
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, and ensure due cost recovery. 
• Communicates project progress and results regularly and effectively to donors; and
• Ensures prompt follow-up on any donor queries or requests.

Provides top-quality technical/policy advice on Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio to UNDP Team and partners:

• Advises UN/UNDP management and staff on trends in Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio.
• Maintains regular contact with relevant thematic teams in the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub.
• Keeps abreast of relevant knowledge and UNDP achievements in Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio
• Cultivates relationships with national partners involved in Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio.
• Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.   Drafts proposals and other documents that reflect UNDP expertise in Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio.
• Contributes to the effective communication and popularization of project achievements.

Shares knowledge inside UNDP and represents UNDP’s achievements externally:

• Organize and deliver training for the programmes / projects staff on programme related matters. Contributes to the effective communication and popularization of project achievements.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms. Serve as a resource on social inclusion for the broader UNDP organization.

Overseeing personnel of the Democratic Governance and Green portfolio team at UNDP North Macedonia to deliver on strategic objectives:

• Provide technical guidance to the portfolio approach team and the respective thematic leads 
• Ensure that portfolio approach personnel work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration

The incumbent performs other duties which makes part of this role explicitly open-ended as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: Supervise and lead the Democratic Governance and Green Portfolio
 

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Business Management – Result-based Management

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

Business Management – Project Management

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Business Management – Portfolio Approach

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization as 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.

Business Management – Monitoring

• Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.

Business Management – Working with Evidence and Data

• Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.

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.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Effectiveness

• 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.