Programme Coordinator (PBF Secretariat) – P4

BACKGROUND 

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.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform that repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an empowered and independent UN Resident Coordinator – the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System and Representative of the UN Secretary-General at the country level – support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDGs. 

The PBF support has helped catalyze critical peacebuilding processes over the past twenty years, helping to restore democracy, rebuilding state institutions, sustaining post-war reconstruction, and rebuilding social cohesion, after the country civil war. Thanks in part to PBF assistance, and with the technical support of UN agencies alongside the government’s commitment and participation, progress has been made in sustaining peace and moving froward some of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation report. Since the end of the civil war, PBF has invested about USD 84 millions. 

Since 2016, the UN Peace and Development Advisor has helped to further develop the PBF portfolio – which, currently, is about USD 16 millions -, providing assistance to the UN Agencies, NGOs, and Government to plan and design the project, undertaking the monitoring and supporting to unblock bottlenecks and properly advice on conflict sensitivity aspects and provide dedicated training on conflict analysis to local stakeholders. Considering the number of tasks ahead, it has been decided to establish a small dedicated PBF Secretariat within the RC Office, consisting of the PBF Coordinator and the PBF M&E expert to help in the coordination and quality assurance of the PBF portfolio of projects in Sierra Leone. In addition, a dedicated PBF Joint Steering Committee will be established to strengthen high level oversight of the PBF-supported projects and to strengthen overall coordination of the portfolio. The JSC will be co-chaired by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the Minister of Planning and Economic Development of the Sierra Leone’s Government. The PBF Secretariat, will help the JSC in its coordination and monitoring tasks. 

The PBF Secretariat personnel will be recruited by UNDP, as the administrative Agency for this purpose.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

Under the overall guidance of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) or his/her representative in the RC Office, to whom the PBF coordinator will directly report, the coordinator will actively facilitate the implementation of the PBF Joint Steering Committee’s role in overseeing the PBF project portfolio. The PBF Coordinator will also have a matrix reporting to the UN Peacebuilding Support Office on the PBF portfolio strategy in the country and PBF project performance.

The principal responsibility of the PBF Coordinator is to support the strategic direction, continuous oversight, technical support, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation of the PBF portfolio of projects in Sierra Leone. The PBF Coordinator will manage the PBF Secretariat team.

UNDP will oversee the administrative and contractual management of the PBF Coordinator and Secretariat staff.

 

Key duties and accountabilities include:

 

Provide strategic and technical advisory support to the UN RC(O) and the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) to oversee and guide the PBF portfolio in Sierra Leone: 

• Provide advice and coordination to support the UN RC(O) and the strategic engagement of the JSC regarding the PBF portfolio prioritisation and oversight.
• Provide technical support to UNCT and other implementing partners in the formulation of PBF programmatic interventions.
• Support RCO and UNCT in undertaking conflict analysis to underpin PBF programming and in analysing evidence on PBF programme implementation.
• Coordinate potential future PBF eligibility request process, if so decided by the Government and the UN.
• Organize or contribute to PBF progress assessments and analyses, advocating for joint approaches, identifying collective outcomes, and evidence-based programming solutions to ensure coherence and avoid duplication of efforts.
• Supervise PBF Secretariat staff and strengthen peacebuilding, conflict prevention and social cohesion expertise.
• Plan PBF Secretariat work and activities.
• Organize Steering Committee meetings and serve as the Secretariat of the Committee.
• Present portfolio implementation summaries to the Committee.
• Liaise with Government, recipient organizations and civil society to promote efficient project implementation.
• Ensure close coordination with Agencies and NGOs implementing peacebuilding projects.
• Coordinate application process for recipient organizations UN (RUNOs) and non-UN (NUNOs) to appeals of Gender and Youth Promotion Initiatives (GYPI).

Facilitate quality oversight and monitoring of the PBF portfolio projects in Sierra Leone:

• Provide technical expertise to ensure coherence and quality control of projects and programmes under implementation.
• Promote coherence and synergies between projects.
• Ensure diligent monitoring of project execution, in collaboration with recipient agencies and M&E Analyst.
• Identify challenges and potential bottlenecks in the project implementation and formulate solutions as appropriate.
• Create a monitoring system to measure progress achieved by PBF projects, including data collection and analysis, in collaboration with M&E Analyst. Enhance national/local ownership on data collection, measuring progress towards solutions and application to national/local solutions programming. Particular attention to be made in collecting disaggregated data and analysing differentiated consequences by age, gender, and diversity.
• Ensure quality oversight and coordinate preparation and timely submission of progress reports (quarterly and annual) by recipient agencies.
• Coordinate and finalize preparation of a strategic annual report on peacebuilding situation in the country.
• Contribute to Secretary General’s report on peacebuilding, in collaboration with the PDA.
• Ensure compliance with PBF Guidelines of implementation and reporting processes.
• Organize field visits to monitor and formulate, if applicable, recommendations for efficient project implementation. Support national partners and UN Agencies to consistently monitor and assess solutions programmes for rapid adjustment and course correction as needed.
• Provide PBF portfolio updates to PBSO as required.
• Supervise the M&E expert of the PBF Secretariat.

Ensure inter-agency coordination for peacebuilding, reconciliation, social cohesion and conflict prevention:

• Facilitate overall coordination of Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs) involved in peacebuilding initiatives and ensure visibility of PBF support.
• Facilitate coordination of peacebuilding interventions ensuring synergy with the PDA.
• Promote information exchange on peacebuilding projects.
• Ensure new projects are developed based on specific conflict analysis in close coordination with the PDA.
• Support the establishment of internal coordination mechanisms for each project involving national counterparts, RUNOs, NUNOs and NGOs.
• Coordinate with the PDA to promote information exchanges and tools sharing in the areas of conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
• Create knowledge and lessons learned management system based on projects results.
• Maintain updated mapping of peacebuilding, social cohesion and conflict prevention interventions.
• Ensure close working arrangements between the Secretariat and the rest of RCO.

Provide technical support to PBF program design and facilitate strategic alignment with UN and Government strategies:

• Ensure PBF projects are aligned with the country National Development Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
• Formulate suggestions on entry points for new PBF projects, in close coordination with the PDA.
• Coordinate the development of new PBF projects, providing technical support to UN agencies and partners on project design.
• Support periodical assessments of intervention strategy and its relevance to the context.
• Support knowledge of PBF Guidelines and quality approval criteria by PBF recipients as part of design processes.
• Provide training to UN Agencies and other PBF implementing partners on peacebuilding programming and M&E and other specific PBF relevant themes, as required.

Facilitate PBF knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the country office and promoteresource mobilization efforts related to peacebuilding and reconciliation:

• Support advocacy and knowledge sharing activities with national/subnational/local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure communication on progress of projects for resource mobilization and sustainable results purposes.
• Promote advocacy with national authorities and PBF donors to mobilize resources to support the PBF portfolio in country.
• Ensure visibility of programme portfolio.

Other duties: 

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: 

• The PBF Programme Coordinator will provide strategic advice and support to the RC(O) and UNCT. The position will supervise an international UNV (full time paid by the Secretariat project) and an office admin (part-time provided by UNDP).

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Political/Social Sciences, Management and Administration, Economics, or other relevant field is required OR,
• A First-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields with an additional two years of relevant work experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills: 

• Minimum of 7 years (with Master degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor degree) of relevant experience in either public sector (national or multilateral, including UN), private (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate), with increasing level of responsibility in the field of peacebuilding, social cohesion or prevention is required.
• At least 4 years relevant experience in project cycle management, results-based management and reporting in the area of development and peacebuilding programming required.
• At least 4 years of proven experience in conflict analysis and conflict-sensitive programming as well as working in conflict prevention or peace building setting required.
• At least 4 years of experience in leadership, management and supervision of team members as well as evidence of coordination among different teams required.
• Excellent coordination, negotiation and communication skills/experience, as well as proven ability to mobilize support from a wide range of partners (public, private, civil society and academia) required.
• At least 4 years of experience in establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships, providing strategic advice and/or mobilizing resources on questions related to human rights, gender, women and youth empowerment in peacebuilding is highly desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Knowledge of French is desirable.

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 and 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.

Partnership 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.

Business Management: Client Satisfaction/Management 

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Management: Risk Management

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

Business Management: Resource Management

• Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity.

Business Management: Portfolio Management

• 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.

2030 Agenda – Peace: Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and  Responsive Institutions

• Sustaining Peace (including financing) peace building and transition.

 

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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