Since 25 August 2017, extreme violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar, has driven thousands of Rohingya refugees across the border into Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The Government of Bangladesh welcomed the Rohingya refugees with generosity and open borders. The speed and scale of the influx was nonetheless a challenge. Today there are more than 950,000 Rohingya refugees (approximate 200,000 families) in Cox’s Bazar. They live in congested sites with limited options for a full life. Many refugees have expressed anxiety about their future, explaining that while they wish to return, they would not agree to do so until questions of citizenship, legal rights, access to services, justice and restitution are addressed. The prospects of safe and dignified repatriation to Myanmar are however dwindling as the conditions are not fulfilled.

Meanwhile, the pressure and impact on immediate local communities as well as the wider Cox’s Bazar district is increasing with grave environmental impacts; degradation of forest and lands; lowering of wages due to the increased competition for labor and increased prices of some commodities and higher rents.  With more services rendered to the refugees than to local communities, the social tension between the refugees and local communities are on the rise. Partners realize that the Rohingya refugee situation will be protracted and needs a different perspective to ensure both protection and longer term and comprehensive solutions that foster peaceful co-existence for the refugees and the local community. The UN led humanitarian response programme in Cox’s Bazar is committed to enhancing capacities of all partners, including optimising staffing and service quality of programmes in the Rohingya refugee and local communities.

As the response becomes protracted, engaging the capacities of the refugee and local communities, localization, sustainability, and conflict-responsive programming are essential. In the face of reducing humanitarian funding, several changes in the response are underway to ensure that an acceptable level of services can be maintained in the camps. These include streamlining the coordination structure and merging sectors to improve efficiencies, rationalizing partner presence in the camps, and transitioning to livelihoods and skills development for refugees.

Going forward, new approaches will be needed if refugees and local communities are to maintain peaceful co-existence and manage an increasingly localized response.

The duration of the refugee response places a strain on the civil society and governance structures of Cox’s Bazar district. In response to these, the UNDP programme supports the capacity of local authorities to manage the rapid changes and sustainable development in the district, as well as monitors the drivers of conflict and insecurity.

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.

Summary of key functions:

• Provide programmatic and thought leadership for Cox’s Bazar programming by overseeing and managing projects.
• Lead, coordinate and manage Cox’s Bazar programme by programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Deliver quality assurance and ensure value for money of programme interventions through effective partnerships.
• Facilitate strategic partnerships and resource mobilization by managing partners, policy, resource mobilization and advocacy efforts.
• Lead knowledge management and communication of results.
• Act as a deputy of the sub-office, when needed.

• Manage the project team and ensure timely implementation, results–orientation and accountability for project results.
• Set direction for the team including roles and responsibilities, accountability and reporting ensuring that the work of the team is conducted in accordance with UNDP’s relevant business processes and that high–quality outputs are delivered on time.
• Monitor the progress on agreed results framework and performance indicators and take action/decision and/or provide timely support to project staff.
• Provide intellectual and strategic guidance in the cross-cutting areas of nexus programming, localization, and accountability to affected people (AAP), as well as sectoral areas including Environment/Energy and Inclusive Growth/Development Planning.
• Ensure the project meets expectations with respect to quality, budget, delivery timelines, and strategy.
• Brief and consult with sub-office and country office senior management on project progress and provide information and advice as required to contribute to the Country Office initiatives.
• Identify areas of improvement by applying best practices/lessons learnt using UNDP corporate monitoring tools and corporate reports.
• Manage project budgets and ensure timely and accurate reporting.
• Prepare work plans, produce timely reports – financial and progress reports – as required by UNDP and donor reporting systems.
• Contribute to increasing self-reliance of Rohingya refugees and affected local communities through active engagement in the Livelihoods and Skills Development Sector / livelihoods initiatives and in the Shelter Sector / resilient shelters, in close coordination with the UNDP Resilient and Inclusive Growth (RIG) cluster.
• Oversee the development and use of a 3W Dashboard mapping of Host Community programmes of NGOs, UN, IFIs and Government of Bangladesh, utilizing the District Development Plan as an investment framework for development programmes;
• In collaboration with the Cox’s Bazar Analysis and Research Unit (CARU) and the UNDP Democratic Governance (DG) cluster, analyze drivers of conflict and peace, identifying and promoting programme initiatives that support social cohesion and peacebuilding.
• Support an environment of learning for staff in the Sub-Office.

Programme Planning, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Undertake analysis of the socio-economic and political situation and trends in the area and identify opportunities and entry points for UNDP.
• In consultation with the relevant Cluster Specialists and Project Managers, and in coordination with the Sectors and relevant Government stakeholders, develop the necessary documents concerning programme design, planning and implementation, such as policy papers, concept notes, among others.
• Provide strategic advice and direct technical input to the Project Teams and Country Office.
• Inform the Country Office on emerging issues.
• Ensure programme assessments are undertaken and relevant baseline data collected so programme monitoring, and evaluation can take place.
• In close collaboration with the Information Management Specialist, ensure a management information system is established, which allows the efficient and effective collection, storage and analysis of data throughout the programme, including sex and age-disaggregated data where relevant.
• Support the Head of Sub-Office and Country Office relevant staff in the development of the programme’s communication strategy in close collaboration with relevant partners.
• Ensure result-based management (RBM), with a particular focus on gender equality, disability and social inclusion, accountability to affected populations and the advancement of localization.
• Support the Head of Sub-Office in preparing Terms of Reference for programme consultants/experts hired on a short-term basis and ensure proper delivery of technical services and submission of technical and other reports.
• Ensure the participation and involvement of relevant stakeholders in programme -implementation so that the process is inclusive, participatory and transparent.
• Ensure proper coordination of the programme implementation among implementing partners and with government ministries and administrations.
• Ensure sustainability of the programme intervention by promoting leadership and ownership of the programme implementation by government and through proper capacity building.
• Ensure the timeliness and quality of the outputs as well as timely preparation of reports on achievements and challenges faced within the project.
• Ensure delivery of resources and results according to planned targets.
• Ensure the development of linkages between the Dhaka and Cox´s Bazar based projects for mutually reinforcing impact; and
• Promote identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned for organizational sharing and learning.

Deliver quality assurance and ensure value for money of programme interventions through effective partnerships:

• Establish and maintain partnerships with Cox´s Bazar stakeholders, including Government, UN agencies, NGOs, CBOs and donors.
• Ensure proper coordination and inputs to Inter-agency initiatives, actively participating in Rohingya response planning and policy development initiatives.
• In close collaboration with relevant Country Office staff and Head of Sub-office, establish and maintain partnerships with relevant Dhaka-based stakeholders.
• Identify new partnerships and strengthen existing ones at the Sub-Office level through innovative approaches to partnership development that strengthen localization and accountability to affected populations. This includes leading UNDP Cox’s Bazar’s engagement and support to humanitarian innovators and start-ups, supporting the identification, scaling, and market access of community-driven and bottom-up solutions that benefit Rohingya refugees and local communities.
• Support capacity building of national counterparts and local NGOs/development partners.
• Liaise closely with humanitarian actors to expand collaboration within the UNDP/UNHCR Global Collaboration Framework and UNDP’s Crisis Offer.
• Support the Country Office in mobilization of resources from different partners, including the preparation of strategies, programme briefs and project documents, organization of regular donor meetings and field visits.
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing among staff in Cox´s Bazar.
• Serve as the central focal point to coordinate efforts in multi-agency, multi-sectoral efforts in Cox’s Bazar to strengthen localization and humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

Facilitate strategic partnerships and resource mobilization by managing partners, policy, resource mobilization and advocacy efforts.

• Under the guidance of the Head of Sub-office set and manage donor expectations and manage day-to-day donor interaction.
• Coordinate UNDP inputs into the Joint Response Plan (JRP), and any other funding proposals (i.e. CERF, Consortia), including ensuring that reporting obligations are met.
• Analyze programme funding needs and identify alignment with Donor priorities.
• Advise and support strategic communication on behalf of the Cox’s Bazar office, including inputs for public communications, advocacy materials, donor communications, and inter-agency events.
• Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN agencies, and other relevant multilateral and bilateral organizations to advance and support the project.
• Foster and enhance collaboration with relevant Government bodies by working closely with Government counterparts and national and local partners.
• Promote the Grand Bargain, Humanitarian-Development nexus considerations and area-based approaches.
• Seek and identify additional partnership and funding opportunities for scaling up project activities, and oversee the preparation of funding proposals, donor mission, briefing and presentations in support of resource mobilization to advance UNDP’s and the project goals.

Knowledge Management and Communication

• Ensure full documentation of programme results for easy reference in external communication products.
• Coordination with the communications team both in Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar to develop comprehensive communication plans, products, and campaigns.
• Provide active stakeholder engagement with the relevant documentation and communication products required to effectively deliver on messaging to key stakeholders.

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

The key results impact on the overall success of the Cox’s Bazar programme and its contribution to reaching UNDAF/CPD goals for the country. In particular, the key results have an impact on the vulnerable populations of the district.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities

•  The Programme Specialist supervises and leads programme support staff, coordinates activities of the Cox’s Bazar Sub Office’s staff as they relate to her/his portfolio.

• 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 

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

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.
• 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 Management

• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
• 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.
• Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize 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 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.

Required Skills and Experience