Programme Manager

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 Merged Areas Governance Programme (MAGP) is a cross-sectoral technical assistance programme to transform the lives of the people of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) through peaceful integration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the extension of civilian governance institutions, and socio-economic development. 

It aims to create opportunities for transformative development through innovative approaches that effectively respond to the complexity of the context.

The Programme engages with and works in close collaboration with key stakeholders including the KP Government and civil society to:

• Increase KP Government capacity for peaceful implementation of governance and rule of law reforms as part of the complex integration process.
• Strengthen inclusive governance and political integration at the district and local levels to promote stability.
• Achieve accelerated and transformative socio-economic development in the Merged Areas through improved planning, implementation, and innovation.
• Strengthen State-Citizen relationships through enhanced engagement of the population by leveraging communications of development work with the reforms and merger process.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the guidance of the UNDP Pakistan Deputy Resident Representative, with matrix reporting to the Assistant Resident Representative (ARR) for the Democratic Governance Unit (DGU) and working closely with DGU’s relevant programmes as well as other units, projects and programmes, the Programme Manager will have the overall responsibility for programme management of MAGP. S/he will provide overall strategic and operational leadership for the programme, including donor relations and resource mobilization, team management, and represent UNDP in technical forums relevant to the mainstreaming of the Merged Areas.

S/he will also be leading the formulation, strategic direction, and evaluation of activities within the project and act as a key point of contact for Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counterparts, and national and international stakeholders.

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.

Key duties and accountabilities include: 

Provide Strategic Advice and Leadership:

• Provide strategic guidance and leadership related to the planning, management, and contract implementation, including oversight of all aspects of the programme’s performance.
• Coordinate with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counterparts on the overall programme.
• Ensure strategic communication and sharing of knowledge.
• Deliver professional and strategic level technical advice to Country Office management in the key areas of the UNDP Merged Areas Governance Programme for Pakistan.
• Scan programme environment and the priorities and strategies and engage with the relevant departments to identify areas for policy dialogue and collaboration.
• Coordinate with UNDP’s different practice areas to ensure substantive coherence and operational synergies.

Lead Programme management and oversight:

• Provide overall strategic management of the programme, ensuring all aspects are well coordinated and executed on time, for efficient utilization of resources and talents leveraged, to achieve desired outcomes and results.
• Manage all aspects of implementation in meeting the programme objectives, including technical, administrative, operational – including finance and procurement of goods and services, and logistical management of project components and activities.
• Coordinate and supervise the activities of the programme staff, experts, consultants, and contractors working as part of the technical assistance team.
• Conduct regular meetings with Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa counterparts on the overall program.
• Serve as the agreement’s principal contact person for donors including USAID, adjusting operations in response to the USAID Agreement Officer Representative’s technical direction.
• Lead the development of annual work plans, budgets, timelines, and other required deliverables, essential for successful performance and achievement of organizational goals. Report on the programme results and outcomes to the Programme Review Board.
• Be responsible for the timely preparation and quality control of all substantive technical outputs, briefs, and required documents, ensuring timely production and submission of outputs and reports by all members of the programme team, contractors, and programme partners.
• Organize Programme Board meetings, donor coordination, and programme review meetings. Prepare background documents, briefs, issues papers, and progress reports for the PRB meetings and donor reporting. Follow-up on the implementation of PRB decisions and recommendations.
• Manage the process for the selection of suppliers, contractors, and partners. Supervise procurement of goods and services including preparation of equipment specifications, Terms of Reference (TORs), and Request for Proposals (RFPs) according to approved UNDP procedures.
• Conduct field visits to supervise, coordinate and monitor field-level activities of the programme.
• Supervise outsourced research and dissemination of research findings.
• Conduct day-to-day management of the Programme.
• Manage operational and reputational risks and take appropriate actions to address them.

Build Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization:

• Liaise with the UNDP country office, donors, government, and all other partners for the successful implementation of the project.
• Lead on relationship building with key government counterparts for the achievement of results consistent with government priorities.
• Lead the relationship with donors to ensure ongoing and future resources for the programme.
• Represent the Programme externally at conferences, meetings, consultations and outreach events.
• Ensure the delivery of the communications and visibility strategy, making use of a variety of technologies and information platforms; and
• Mobilize additional resources to complement the Programme budget.

Lead knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relative to the MAGP:

• Provide substantive advice and technical support to the development and implementation of a capacity development/ learning plan on thematic area of the programme for Country Office and participate in global/regional learning initiatives.
• Lead the process of knowledge capture of national and international know-how in relevant thematic areas and document programme lessons, experiences, and best practices that may be useful in design and implementation of similar projects for organizational and external sharing and learning. Produce materials with lessons learned and best practices and other knowledge-based tools.
• Keep abreast of the developments in the thematic area of the project and provide guidance on how to incorporate them into UNDP’s current and future programming in the relevant sector. Provide technical guidance and quality assurance to content development for knowledge products.
• Lead advocacy for and strengthening of national capacity for planning and coordination of development programmes in the sector.

Expected Results: 

• The Programme Manager must garner the confidence and trust of government officials and representatives to deliver professional and strategic level technical advice in the key areas of the UNDP Merged Areas Governance Programme for Pakistan.
• The Programme Manager will provide advice on international best practices on governance, institutional development, and reform implementation to ensure strengthened governance mechanisms/institutions for improved service delivery.
• The Programme Manager will provide management and leadership to the technical and strategic aspects of the programme to effectively meet the project objectives as well as run the programme according to UNDP’s corporate guidelines.

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 Programme Manager will head the Programme and will provide leadership and guidance to the team, which will include national technical advisors and team leaders, programme support staff, and professional experts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Public Policy and Governance, Conflict Resolution, Political Science, International Relations, Economy, development studies or a related area is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

• A minimum of 10 years (with a Master’s degree) or 12 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) experience in governance, reforms implementation, or a related technical field, with demonstrated project management in difficult environments is required.
• Extensive field and programming experience; specific experience involving the facilitation of multi-stakeholder consensus, preferably in post-crisis situations is required.
• Demonstrable experience in managing large teams, and the ability to work in a team environment, to strengthen team cohesion through collective action and individual initiative is required.
• Demonstrable ability to engage with sensitivity, strategic foresight, and political acumen in situations involving multiple – especially political – actors and stakeholders is desired.
• Track record in strategic visioning and leadership, and possession of effective skills for interacting with the public sector, especially senior-level policymakers is an asset.
• Familiarity with the political, social, economic, and cultural context of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is an asset.
• Knowledge of donor policies, processes, and reporting requirements, as well as previous experience as a Team Leader is an asset.
• Experience using MS Office applications and related O/S is required.
• Extensive experience in providing policy advice (including report writing) at the international level is desired.
• Experience with UN inter-agency policy processes is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Working knowledge of other UN language desirable.

COMPETENCIES

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 4: Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 4: Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 4: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 4: Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 4: Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 4: Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 4: Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion

People Management Competencies: 

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

Cross-functional & Technical Competencies:

Business Management: Results-based Management

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

Business Management: Partnerships Management 

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

Business Direction & Strategy: System Thinking 

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

Business Management: Portfolio Management 

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organizations 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.

Partnership Management: Resource Mobilization 

• Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities and establish a plan to meet funding requirements.

2030 Agenda – Peace: Governance

• Area-based approaches to local governance.

2030 Agenda – People: Gender

• Gender and Institutional 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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