Team Leader, Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility – D1

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

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.

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

As part of the GPN, the Crisis Bureau has primary oversight over Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding, Rule of Law and Human Rights, Migration and Displacement, Integrated Recovery Solutions, Disaster Risk Reduction and Mine Action. The CB ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes and assists UNDP partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. 

Within the Crisis Bureau, the Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility (RSHM) Team has special responsibility to lead UNDP’s corporate policies and programmatic engagement on integrated recovery solutions, including stabilization, reintegration and mine action (Strategic Plan result 3.3) and human mobility, including forced displacement (Strategic Plan result 3.4). The RSHM team also serves as focal point for the global partnership with relevant UN Agencies such as UNHCR and IOM and UN Secretariat entities such as UN/DDR Section and UNMAS.

 

Position Purpose

The Team Leader for RSHM is a member of both the Crisis Bureau senior management team and the GPN management team. S/he has authoritative technical knowledge of recovery and resilience building for sustainable development with a focus on area-based approaches to recovery, livelihoods and economic recovery, human mobility (migration and forced displacement), stabilization, reintegration, and mine action. 

Within the Crisis Bureau, s/he is the overall focal point and lead on recovery issues. S/he is responsible for providing leadership and substantive direction to all the Team’s sub-thematic areas and experts located both in HQ, the Regional Hubs and relevant Global Policy Centers, as well as for the overall management of staff. S/he works closely with all other teams in Crisis Bureau and Development Policy Bureau to ensure integrated and coordinated support to countries. 

S/he will bring world-class authoritative leadership, advice and technical expertise, leading advocacy and speaking authoritatively on behalf of the Team and the organization, establishing guidelines and directing the work of staff within the Team.  S/he will facilitate the creation of integrated support and ensure an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to recovery and resilience building in crisis and post crisis settings.  S/he is accountable for the following functions: 

• Policy formulation and development.
• Policy advice and programme support delivery for Recovery and Resilience.
• Team management.
• Partnerships, representation, advocacy and resource mobilization.
• Knowledge development and management.

 

Duties and Accountabilities

Policy Formulation and Development 

• Lead and guide the Team in the development of UNDP strategic policy and thought leadership on the visioning, support and implementation of the thematic areas of economic recovery, migration and displacement, stabilization, mine action, re/integration and recovery in crisis and post crisis within the context of the UNDP Strategic Plan and SDGs.
• Direct and substantively guide the Team on integrating UNDP’s support to area-based approaches, stabilization, migration and forced displacement, DDR and mine action into a coherent resilient recovery policy framework for crisis and post crisis situations.
• Provide substantive inputs in the formulation and development of UNDP’s integrated policies and strategies ensuring that the thematic areas are incorporated where required.
• Lead and coordinate the production of relevant analysis and guidance, in close collaboration with GPN substantive and strategic policy teams on emerging issues of global significance.
• Design high quality policy initiatives and research for different contexts on key emerging policy agendas, in collaboration with UNDP offices at global, regional and country level, UN entities, in particular UNHCR, IOM, ILO, UN/DPO (DDR Section, UNMAS) and other partners.
• Oversee the quality assurance of policy services and foster policy innovation in the thematic areas of area-based approaches, economic recovery, stabilization, migration and displacement, mine action, DDR and recovery in crisis and post crisis.

Policy Advice/ Programme Support Delivery for Recovery and Resilience

• Provide substantive leadership, supervision and guidance to the policy advisors in their provision of integrated policy and programme advisory services to country offices in the thematic areas, ensuring relevance of the services provided to country and regional context in particular crisis and post crisis situations.
• Ensure the timely identification and provision of world-renowned expertise which creates global recognition of the organization as the authority, source of innovation and effective hub of the global community on issues of economic recovery, migration & displacement, mine action, re/integration and recovery.
• Provide high level and effective coordination of delivery on technical assistance, policy development and programme support on knowledge domains that cut across the organization in particular migration and displacement, and recovery.
• Ensure coherence and alignment of Crisis Bureau’s economic recovery, migration and displacement and recovery work with relevant corporate policies and strategies, and maintain close contact with the other teams in Crisis Bureau, Development Policy Bureau within the GPN, regional hubs, Regional Bureaux and other key central bureau units;
• Guide the team in using integrated multi-disciplinary approaches to meet policy and programming needs in line with corporate guidance and standards.
• Liaise with CB Country support management team and Regional Bureaux teams to ensure a rapid and well-coordinated response to crisis and conflict situations and provide related contributions to UNDP SURGE for country offices.
• Liaise with external partners and the SDG Integrator Team to provide support to SDG implementation especially G16Plus implementation; SDG Accelerator labs; and integrated support missions from the thematic perspective.

Team Management

• Set the direction for the team, including roles and responsibilities, accountability, and reporting.
• Promote a collaborative work culture in the team, in the spirit of the GPN, working in full collaboration with the Inclusive Growth Team and the other CB thematic teams.
• Lead and manage staff in the team in the formulation and implementation of the substantive work plan of the team and oversee staff accountability.
• Ensure that the technical capacity of the policy advisors and specialists managed is optimally aligned with business needs and that team members are encouraged to seek new client opportunities and amplify the value and reputation of BPPS in the thematic area.
• Encourage the team to critically assess itself against emerging trends and thinking in the profession.
• Ensure that Performance Assessments are carried out according to UNDP procedures.
• Establish and maintain an enabling environment for staff well-being, harmonious working relationships and team building, by promoting consistent and constructive communication, open information sharing, and coordination among all staff.
• Ensure that the work of the team is conducted in accordance with relevant business processes and that high-quality outputs are delivered on time.

Partnerships, Representation, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization

• Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic key partnerships with key UN agencies and other relevant bodies, including UNHCR, IOM, ILO, UN/DPO (DDR Section, UNMAS) and the World Bank, governments, think-tanks, research institutions, academia, and other development partners to bring resources, expertise and attention to the thematic areas of economic recovery, migration and displacement, mine action and recovery.
• Coordinate UNDP’s engagement in migration and displacement with other UN agencies in particular the UN Migration Network, the Steering Group on Internal Displacement, the Inter-Agency Working Group on DDR, the European Union, and the World Bank.
• In collaboration with BERA and under the coordination of the Deputy Director, lead resource mobilization to support the delivery of UNDP results.
• Represent the Crisis Bureau and /or GPN in UNDP’s corporate discussions, in interagency coordination, policy processes and in other fora to engage partners in advancing the Team’s and hence UNDP’s strategic agenda.
• Advocate the importance of the Team’s thematic areas, and the SDGs in various international fora.

Knowledge Development and Management

• Instill a strong culture of knowledge management and knowledge sharing in the team.
• Provide substantive leadership, guidance and oversight to UNDP Communities of Practice, in particular the CoP on Crisis prevention and increased resilience, and the relevant components of the Crisis Academy.
• Oversee, influence, and promote the advance of policy and programme dialogue in the Team’s thematic areas through cross-regional exchange of knowledge and collaboration, and synthesis of knowledge emerging from the development and implementation of programmes across all thematic areas.
• Deliver high quality intellectual leadership on UNDP’s sustainable human development, including in crisis contexts, knowledge products and services through quality assurance, strategic guidance and oversight.
• Stimulate the use of innovative approaches and social media to ensure wide dissemination of positions, events, debates on recovery, and migration/ displacement and development.
• Lead the capacity development of UNDP staff in application of tools and practices on the thematic areas in particular, recovery, and migration/ displacement and development.

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: Supervises the Team with six direct reporting and approximately 15 indirect reporting.

 

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results:

• Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously:

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility:

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination:             

• Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence.

Engage and Partner:

• Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion.

People Management

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

 

Cross-Functional & Technical

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 to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Development: Knowledge Generation            

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need.

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.

Agenda 2030: Prosperity – Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility            

• Area-based development

Agenda 2030: Prosperity – Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility 

• Forced displacement including durable solutions.

Agenda 2030: Prosperity – Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility 

• Mine action

Agenda 2030: Prosperity – Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility            

• Reintegration

 

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in social sciences, international relations, development economics, or related disciplines OR a first-level university degree (bachelor’s or equivalent) in a relevant discipline with two additional years of relevant work experience.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of professional work experience leading teams, providing policy and programme advice and pioneering approaches on recovery and resilience at the global, regional and/or national levels in UN agencies, Civil Society Organizations, public sector organizations or entities.
• Strong and relevant field experience managing programs, people, and institutional relations in different development contexts.
• Demonstrated track record of excellence in delivering the work programme of complex, global organizational entities in the area of crisis recovery and thematic areas, including but not limited to migration and displacement, economic recovery in post-crisis contexts, and mine action.
• Proven working experience in providing programme and policy advisory services, building institutional capacity, mobilizing financial resources, and forging partnerships to support countries in complex crisis and development challenges.

Language:

• Fluency in English required.

Note:

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

 

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

 

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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