Background
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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.
In Senegal, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, agriculture is the main source of income for many poor women in rural areas. In these countries, rice is a staple food and an essential food crop. But despite its strategic importance for food security, and its enormous potential to contribute to economic growth, job creation, and food security, local rice remains uncompetitive, and the majority of rice consumed in these countries is imported from Asia. Indeed, the sector is affected by many challenges. Local production is relatively low and often of inferior quality, as it suffers from producers’ limited access to technology, improved seeds, modern production techniques, fertilizers, and mechanization, among others. In addition, poor access to markets, financial and non-financial services (including education and networks), and assets (land and capital) contribute to the sector’s poor performance. These barriers are particularly high for women, whose micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) face additional gender barriers related to traditional practices or unfavorable divisions of labor that further limit the productivity of the sector.
Formulated by the Islamic Development Bank and funded by the World Bank’s Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), the Empowering West African Women Small and Medium Enterprises in Rice Value Chain (EWASME) Project will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 2022 to 2027 to partially address these issues in four West African countries. The EWASME project aims to empower women-led small and medium enterprises in rice value chains in four West African countries: Senegal, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. It focuses on the post-production phases of the value chain to strengthen the post-production capacity of at least 1,000 women-owned and women-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and very small enterprises (VSEs) in selected locations in Guinea, Niger, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. These enterprises, spread across the 4 countries, will benefit from four categories of activities.
1. Technical and business capacity building
2. Improved access to financing
3. Improved access to market
4. Creation of an enabling environment for the development of SMEs and VSEs managed by women.
Under the double supervision of the EWASME Regional Project Coordinator and the UNDP Country Office in Sierra Leone, the Project Analyst will collaborate with relevant staff of the UNDP and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the project is implemented in a timely and appropriate manner in Sierra Leone. S/he will also support the develoment of a monitoring and evaluation framework, conduct data collection, as well as reporting, knowledge management and communication activities of the project at the national level and in Sierra Leone.
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of key functions:
The Project Analyst will be coordinating the EWASME project implementation in Sierra Leone.
In this role, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:
- Coordinating and overseeing the EWASME project activities in Sierra Leone;
- Managing relationships, partnerships, policy, and advocacy efforts;
- Coordinating monitoring and evaluation activities of the projects/initiatives under his/her portfolio; and Facilitating knowledge management and sharing.
1. Coordinating and overseeing the EWASME Project activities in Sierra Leone :
- Draft annual work plan and budget and ensure that the proposed activities are aligned with the regional project objectives, country programme and strategic plan;
- Coordinate the execution of the workplan to achieve the targets, including guiding the teams to achieve the targets;
- Monitor the implementation of the activities by partners and provide guidance to them as required;
- Coordinate the preparation of reports;
- Develop term of reference for all required consultants and contractors and participate in the recruitment process;
- Support the Regional Coordinator in overseeing relevant contractors and consultants and quality control their outputs and performance, where necessary;
- Contribute to the preparation of National Steering Committee meetings and ensure that recommendations made by the Project Steering Committee are addressed;
- Coordinate the evaluation, audit, and spot-check as needed.
2. Managing relationships, partnerships, policy, and advocacy efforts:
- Contribute to seeking and identifying additional partnership and funding opportunities, and prepare concept notes, funding proposals, donor briefings and presentations in support of resource mobilization to advance UNDP’s and the project goals;
- Mobilize, foster, and strengthen strategic partnerships with private sectors, private foundations, and other relevant multilateral and bilateral organizations to advance and support the projects’ objectives;
- Establishes strong ties to and with national programmes, and relevant sectoral strategies, priorities and plans;
- Lead the analytical and policy development work of the project team.
3. Coordinating monitoring and evaluation activities of the project EWASME in Sierra Leone:
- Ensure close financial and procurement oversight and monitoring of all activities of the project in Sierra Leone;
- Guide development of the monitoring and evaluation systems for EWASME Sierra Leone and put mechanisms in place for proper and timely reporting;
- Contribute to quarterly review meetings and annual projects reviews by monitoring the progress of project implementation, assessing results and identifying areas of weaknesses to ensure the projects achieve the planned results in accordance with relevant plans;
- Monitor and manage any strategic risks/issues facing the project in Sierra Leone;
- Submit new risks/issues to the Regional Project Coordinator for consideration and decision on possible actions if required; update the status of these risks/issues by maintaining the Project Risks/Issues Log;
- Evaluate all key project deliverables, as well as final product to ensure traceability of requirements, high quality and client acceptance.
4. Facilitating knowledge management and sharing regarding EWASME in Sierra Leone:
- Use sound judgment in all project communication and ensure that project communication meets needs of different audiences (government, private sector and so forth);
- Manage stakeholder expectations and participate in communication activities to inform stakeholders of progress and issues;
- Establish and maintain a friendly internal communication system to ensure smooth communication among and between the project partners;
- Help build the knowledge base, data, and support analytics to deliver a socioeconomic and operational case to the Government;
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of the programme knowledge networks and practices and development of knowledge products; and
- Represent the project with donors, governments and national and international forums.
Institutional Arrangement
The Project Analyst will work under the overall supervision of the Regional Project Coordinator and the Sustainability and Local Economic Development Cluster’s Programme Specialist of the UNDP Country Office in Sierra Leone. The incumbent is expected to be part of the Sustainable Growth Cluster and work closely with the Project focal point and other team members in UNDP Regional office, and Country offices of Sierra Leone, Niger, Senegal, and Guinea who are also implementing the project.
Competencies
CORE
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross Functional & Technical competencies
Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking
- Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions
- Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP
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: Results-based Management
- Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at 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: 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 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
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
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master or equivalent) in Political or Social Science, Economics, International Development Studies, Gender/Women’s Studies, Business Administration, Project Management or related disciplines is required. OR
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- Minimum 2 years of professional work experience in agriculture development projects, SMEs growth, agribusiness development, monitoring, and evaluation in different contexts;
- Experience working in the areas of Gender Equality, Women and girls’ empowerment, business support and development, or agribusiness;
- Good experiences in project management (design, implementation, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of development projects);
- Solid experience in supporting the development of farmer organizations, agribusinesses development, SMEs development;
- Prior experience of the rice value chain in Sierra Leone;
- Familiarity with procedures of the UN and various donor agencies would be an asset;
- Experience working in the Africa region is an asset;
- Experience in the United Nations systems in an asset;
- Strong understanding of agricultural value chains.
Language Requirement:
- Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
- Fluency in local language of the duty station is required.
Disclaimer
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
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.
Non-discrimination
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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