UNDP provides integrated programmatic, policy and financing solutions to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  In this context, UNDP has created a 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. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Crisis Bureau (CB) are the two anchor Bureaux of the GPN.

The Crisis Bureau (CB) spearheads UNDP’s efforts to support countries on a key challenge: how to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from fragility and crisis. CB addresses the risks that precipitate crises, prevent early exit from them, and perpetuate long-term dependency on humanitarian assistance.  Guided by UNDP’s Crisis Offer (2022), CB works within the GPN and with Regional Bureaux (RBx) and Country Offices (COs) to implement solutions across prevention, response and recovery that help break the cycle of protracted fragility and crisis. CB is organized into five core teams. Each team integrates gender considerations across all areas of work to ensure inclusive and sustainable outcomes, leaving no one behind.

The Strategic Partnerships and Communications (SPC) Team builds, maintains, and strengthens a network of strategic partnerships across key constituencies – UN, IFI, bilaterals, private sector, foundations, civil society, NGOs – to raise visibility, deepen engagement and generate increased political support and funding for UNDP’s work on fragility and crisis.  The SPC’s objectives include resource mobilisation through custodianship of a multi-year strategy to secure higher quality funding from traditional and non-traditional sources.  The team identifies, builds, and helps sustain broad-based partnerships across key constituencies with particular emphasis on operations from Brussels, Geneva, New York and Washington, DC.  SPC provides advice on relevant UN system policies and programmes and supports UNDP’s engagement strategy for and contributions to relevant UN inter-agency coordination mechanisms, such as the IASC and JSC, among others.  In addition, the SPC team serves as the custodian of a CB-wide communications strategy and coordinates, monitors, and reports regularly on its implementation.  To this end, it also leads within CB and the GPN on crisis communications, working closely with BERA, RBx and COs.

Position Purpose

The Coordinator Global Cluster on Early Recovery reports directly to the Senior Adviser, Policy Coherence and Integration, UN System Partnerships, and is an integral part of the UN System Partnerships Unit in the Strategic Partnerships and Communications Team. S/he is entrusted with leading the Global Cluster on Early Recovery.

The reactivation of the Global Early Recovery (ER) Cluster requires the formulation or revision of policies and guidance, the re-establishment of the Strategic Advisory Group, and the development of training modules for field-based ER Cluster Coordinators and Information Managers. The Global Cluster Coordinator plays a key role in providing strategic leadership and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to ensure the effective integration of early recovery efforts throughout the humanitarian response cycle. Responsibilities include developing policy frameworks, coordinating at the country level, and advocating for early recovery as a critical component of crisis response and the transition to sustainable development.

The Coordinator ensures that UNDP, as the Cluster Lead Agency, fulfills its interagency commitments by delivering well-coordinated, timely, and effective early recovery support to the ER cluster partners and members during humanitarian responses. This includes promoting preparedness and advocating for early recovery as part of the Global Early Recovery Cluster. A key focus is integrating cross-cutting issues, such as age, gender, and diversity, into the cluster’s work and mainstreaming early recovery activities across relevant clusters.

S/he ensures that UNDP, as the Cluster Lead Agency, fulfills its interagency commitments and accountability by supporting preparedness and providing the technical capabilities required for timely, effective, and well-coordinated early recovery during humanitarian responses, in line with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) framework. S/he advocates for early recovery within the humanitarian response, the Global Early Recovery Cluster, and champions the integration of cross-cutting issues—particularly age, gender, and diversity—into the cluster’s work. S/he also supports the mainstreaming of early recovery activities across other relevant clusters and is expected to impartially represent the interests of all members of the Global Early Recovery Cluster.

The incumbent is tasked with ensuring coherence of early recovery across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus efforts, including engagement with UN and multilateral mechanisms to promote integrated solutions. S/he collaborates across Crisis Bureau (CB) teams and within the framework of UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) to strengthen engagement, enhance collective coherence, and amplify UNDP’s consistent positioning in various inter-agency partnerships and forums. The Global Cluster Coordinator on Early Recovery catalyses the HDP Nexus, with a particular emphasis on engagement with humanitarian coordination structures and early recovery. This includes supporting UNDP’s participation in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)—with a specific focus on the Global Cluster Coordination Group (GCCG) and Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC)—and coordinating with humanitarian actors to reinforce strategic positioning.

The Global Cluster Coordinator on Early Recovery will support the ER cluster partners and members and the cluster lead agency UNDP’s, positioning in various humanitarian coordination fora, including formal and informal initiatives and dialogues with humanitarian actors. S/he will contribute to the development of multidisciplinary policies, solutions, and tools that anchor development in fragile and crisis contexts. Through innovative approaches, the Coordinator will promote integrated, systems-based solutions to address crises and fragility across ER cluster partners. S/he will also ensure coherence and integration of policies on crisis, fragility, and resilience, delivering a unified response aligned with UNDP’s Strategic Plan and Crisis Offer.

Additionally, the Global Cluster Coordinator will foster collaboration across units within the Strategic Partnerships and Communications Team, the Crisis Bureau (CB), and the Global Policy Network (GPN). Working closely with the Bilateral and Multilateral Partnerships Unit, the incumbent will provide strategic policy inputs to enhance collective coherence and integration. This includes promoting the exchange of experiences and South-South cooperation to support developing countries effectively.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Provision of Leadership and Advocacy

• Ensure that UNDP fulfills its commitments and accountability as the lead agency of the Global Early Recovery Cluster.
• Establish strong working relationships with all cluster members and take final decisions over high level running of the Global ER Cluster, the running of the strategic advisory group, sub and task groups, technical working Groups and ad hoc/task-related bodies for specific issues.
• Ensure that the Global ER cluster Coordinator leads ER partners and members engagement in the Global Cluster Coordination Group (GCCG). S/he works closely with humanitarian actors to strengthen the ER cluster strategic positioning and advocate for integrated solutions to crises and fragility.
• Participate in the JIAF steering Group, contribute to the roll out of the JIAF 2.0 assessment platform at global and country level.
• Establish and maintain strong collaboration and partnerships with other global clusters (e.g., Education, Health, Logistics, WASH, Food security, CCCM, Protection, S/NFI).
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with all cluster partners and members, making final decisions on high-level operations, including the establishment of strategic advisory groups, sub/task groups, technical working groups, and ad hoc bodies.
• Ensure that coordination services, including meetings, are inclusive, consultative, and results-driven, in alignment with the Principles of Partnership.
• Support advocacy efforts through UNDP colleagues as cluster lead agency in maintaining regular engagement with donors, UN agency cluster leads, OCHA, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations to strengthen dialogue and collaboration.

Facilitate Policy Coordination and Partnerships

• Work within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) framework, the Coordinator promotes preparedness and delivers technical capabilities for effective early recovery efforts.
• Lead country level clusters on delivering and reporting the implementation of the 6 core functions of the cluster approach.
• Support early recovery as a catalyst for the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus. S/He ensures coherence between UNDP and relevant humanitarian coordination mechanisms, collaborating with Crisis Bureau (CB) teams, and leveraging UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) to enhance engagement and impact.
• Ensure that all components of the Global Cluster on Early Recovery are developed, in place and operational such as the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG), the policies and guidance architecture, the repository of information, the website, etc…
• Coordinate the integration of IASC Markers on cross-cutting issues, including accountability to affected people, age, gender, environment, diversity, localization, cash assistance, and mental health and psychosocial support, into ER Cluster activities.
• Lead UNDP’s engagement with policy processes, and engagement with the humanitarian system (through the IASC, Cluster system, HPC, Grand Bargain, etc.) to position the narrative of risk-informed development from the onset.

Develop Solutions and Tools:

• Contribute to the creation of multidisciplinary policies and tools that anchor early in fragile and crisis contexts. Through innovative, systems-based approaches, s/he supports coherence and integration of policies related to crisis, fragility, and resilience, ensuring alignment with UNDP’s Strategic Plan and Crisis Offer.
• Establish a functional information management strategy and mechanism for the Global ER Cluster to report and share information within the ER Cluster, with the other clusters and the overall humanitarian community including donors, with the UNDP internal mechanisms.
• Support the roll out of Early Recovery packages in existing Clusters
• Establish mechanisms for accountable and transparent financial resource allocation within the Cluster.
• Lead risk assessments and discussions with teams to manage risks proactively, integrate risk management principles into decision-making, and ensure risk management strategies align with strategic plans.
• Certify that annual risk reviews are completed and maintain an updated risk register throughout the year.
• Ensure adherence to UNDP/IASC standards to uphold accountability and compliance within the Cluster.

Lead and Facilitate Training and Country Support

• Provide comprehensive support to country-level Early Recovery (ER) Clusters led by UNDP, and develop, manage, and lead collaborations with UNDP’s partners to enhance the quality and effectiveness of coordinated early recovery programs.
• Facilitate the establishment of country level Early Recovery Clusters or Sectors where needed.
• Develop and organize training modules for country-based Early Recovery Cluster Coordinators, Information Management Officers, and UNDP staff to strengthen their capacity in early recovery efforts.
• Establish and maintain an informal network of ER Advisors, ER Coordinators, and Information Management Officers at the country level to facilitate the exchange of best practices and lessons learned.
• Support and coordinate the design and delivery of demand-driven early recovery training sessions in close collaboration with Regional Bureaus and GPN substantive, thematic, and policy teams, including the Crisis Academy.

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

Competencies

Core: 

Achieve Results:

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting 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:

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical:

Business Direction and Strategy: Systems 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: Portfolio Management

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.
• Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment.
• Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.

Business Development: Integration within the UN

• Ability to identify and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system and engage in joint work.
• Knowledge of the UN System.
• Ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations.

Business Development: Collective Intelligence Design

• Ability to bring together diverse groups of people, data, information, ideas, and technology to solve problems and design solutions or services.
• Knowledge and understanding of Collective Intelligence Design principles, methodology and practices.

2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness: Crisis and Fragility Policy and Engagement

• Humanitarian-Development Peace (HDP) Nexus.

2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness: Crisis management / Country Management Support 

• Crisis coordination.

Digital: Innovation ecosystem curation

• Ability to identify key players in an ecosystem, engage with them and mobilize them to build a community and over time a movement around a common mission that can bring about changes at the system level.
• Ability to give sense of purpose and build trust, develop programmes of activities and platforms to build and strengthen relationships.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Development, International Relations, Political Science or related field is required, OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of seven (7) years (with master´s degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor´s degree) of relevant experience in evidence-based policy development in the area of development, recovery and/or humanitarian affairs required.
• At least 5 years of previous cluster coordination experience in 2 or more crisis and fragile contexts required.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of crisis and fragility policy debates with a focus on early recovery and humanitarian, development and peace collaboration required.
• Demonstrated leadership, coordination and technical experience in humanitarian operations, including refugee and internal displacement situations highly desirable.
• Proven track record of knowledge of UNDP and interagency policies, standards, programmes and humanitarian operations in a variety of geographical locations and operational contexts is highly desirable.
• Experience of managing complex inter-agency processes is desirable.
• Experiece in developing and organizing training modules for country-based Early Recovery Cluster Coordinators is an advantage.
• Experience in contributing to the creation of multidisciplinary policies and tools is an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in another UN language is highly desirable.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements