Project Management, Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery - IPSA 11 - Office-based

Contract

This is a IPSA-11 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Personnel Services Agreement. It is normally internationally recruited only. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education. More about IPSA-11 contracts.

Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office Description / Background 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 is carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, and 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. The GPN also aims to provide rapid and integrated support to UNDP country offices, combining policy advice, technical expertise, financial resources, agile tools and procedures, and partnerships. The Global Policy Network (GPN) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2018-2021).

Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response and recovery. The UNDP’s Crisis Bureau supports emergency and crisis response and ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. The Crisis Bureau assists UNDP and 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. The CB supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts. The CB’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. The Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience Team provides integrated policy and programme support on disaster risk reduction and recovery in the context of UNDP’s broader approach to resilience building. The Team specifically fosters the integration of risk reduction as a key element in sustainable development and recovery at national, sub-national and sectoral level to strengthen resilience. It is also the responsibility of the team to support the regional hubs in their efforts to strengthen national capacities on disaster resilience and disaster risk reduction. The team provides high quality advice and programmatic support in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. The team leads the development and coordination of policy in disaster risk reduction (DRR), and disaster recovery with a focus on resilience building and integrated approaches with climate adaptation.

UNDP is seeking to recruit a Project Management IPSA to manage the inception phase for the UNDP-UNDRR “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance and Recovery Capacities” Project, which is a component of the Intra-ACP Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme funded under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme. The project has the overarching goal to prevent new/reduce existing risk and help ACP countries and communities recover from and enhance their resilience to disasters, according to the priorities set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. It builds on the UNDP legacy of long-term sustainable approaches to development, anchored in natural resource management, resilience building and governance with a transformative disaster/climate risk lens to reduce risks across entire systems. Through four outputs that are aligned to three of the four priorities of the Sendai Framework, this Project will strengthen disaster risk reduction capacities of ACP regional institutions, build risk governance capacity in ACP countries, and enhance recovery processes and community level action in order to save lives. The approach will contribute to the achievement of many goals highlighted in international agendas such as the Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement, Agenda for Humanity, New Urban Agenda, and not last the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, it will pursue a holistic, conflict sensitive, whole-of-government/society, gender transformative, and leave no one behind approach.

Institutional Arrangement The Project Management IPSA will perform duties under the direct supervision of UNDP’s DRT Partnership Advisor based in Geneva, with a matrixed reporting to the Crisis Bureau Programme Specialist outposted at the UNDP Representation Office in Brussels.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work The Project Management IPSA will work under the direct supervision of UNDP’s DRT Partnership Advisor based in Geneva, with a matrixed reporting to the Crisis Bureau Programme Specialist outposted at the UNDP Representation Office in Brussels. A 3-months inception phase will be used to set-up the project team, the management structure, and the business processes for project implementation. To ensure a consultative, inclusive and innovative implementation of the Action, as well as a careful analysis of needs at country level, the Project Team will conduct in depth consultations and analysis during the inception phase in countries which UNDP and UNDRR pre-identified based on known capacity gaps and needs. Previous engagement under the 10th EDF-funded Project, discussion with EU Delegations and country requests for support will also inform the process. This process will help narrow down the list of beneficiary countries of this Action to four to six countries per output. Ideally, the majority of outputs will be implemented in each selected country in order to maximize impact and economies of scale. The inception phase will be crucial to building ownership for the Action’s results and to develop the first-year Annual Work Plan. During this period, the Action’s partners will have an opportunity to better understand the Action’s concept, to discuss roles, functions and responsibilities within the decision-making structures, identify potential gaps/areas that need to be re-examined, and further refine the activities as well as related indicators and targets for the entire duration of the implementation. The Project Management IPSA will be responsible for: • Project Management: Conduct in-depth consultations and analysis during the Inception Phase in countries which UNDP and UNDRR pre identified, • Policy Advice and Technical Assistance: Provide or facilitate relevant advice and technical guidance on DRR, Disaster Recovery and risk informed development • Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications: regular coordination among UNDP and UNDRR teams at the regional and country level and project partners to ensure coherence and complementarity. • Knowledge Management.

Key duties and Accountabilities: 1. Project Management: • Conduct day-to-day management of the Project pending the recruitment of the Project Manager; • Conduct in-depth consultations and analysis during the Inception Phase in countries which UNDP and UNDRR pre-identified, to narrow down the list of beneficiary countries to four to six countries per output. • Ensure appropriate day-to-day coordination and engagement with the OACPS and the EU in Brussels and other implementing partners of the projects, such as the World Bank/GFDRR in close consultation and coordination with UNDRR and UNDP in Brussels • Guide the work of the Programme team & Regional and Country Office Colleagues and ensure fluid communication within the team, despite their multiple locations. • Ensure timely and quality delivery of Programme outputs and reports in accordance with the Special and General Conditions of the Contribution Agreement signed with the EU and the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement between the EU and UNDP. • Revise the first annual budget and ensure that financial management and oversight are in place in accordance with UNDP’s rules and regulations. • Prepare the first annual work plans and establish mechanisms ensure their tracking and monitoring on a regular basis. • Organize Technical Committee meetings and ensure follow-up and communication of the decisions to partners; and • Work closely with the Crisis Bureau Team and the UNDP Representation Office in Brussels to provide regular programme updates and coordinate with the other Office units and projects

2. Policy Advice and technical assistance: • Coordinate with UNDP’s different practice areas to ensure substantive coherence and operational synergies across the organization. • Provide or facilitate relevant advice and technical guidance on DRR, Disaster Recovery and risk informed development. • Share UNDP, EU, ACP strategies, policies and priorities in this sector with UNDP country offices, partners and UN agencies; and • Ensure coordination and organization of conferences, workshops, trainings.

3. Partnerships, outreach and communication: • Represent the Project externally at conferences, meetings, consultations and outreach events. • Manage relations with the EC and the ACP Secretariat’s main counterparts, and by extension, with representatives (embassies) from ACP countries based in Brussels. • Work closely with UNDP Country Offices in targeted countries. • Provide oversight of the project’s subcontractors; and • Prepare briefing notes and speeches;

4. Knowledge Management: • Oversee the knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned from the ACP project, ensuring that knowledge sharing, and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools; and • Support the development and sharing of knowledge-based tools and guidance under the ACP project to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material at various fora

5. Expected results: • Implemented project in accordance with its Project document and the contribution agreement with the EU; • Enhanced the capacities of key stakeholders in the DRR and Recovery sector, including that of public stakeholders such as regulatory agencies and local governments; and social stakeholders such as civil society organizations and community groups.

Competencies

Required skills and competencies

• Experience working in developing country settings is required and experience in crisis contexts is an asset.
• Excellent networking and partnership building skills in a complex institutional setting.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to express ideas clearly, concisely, and effectively— both orally and in writing, and
• Experience with the workings of the UN, European Union institutions and the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States is an asset.

Desired additional skills and competencies

• Working knowledge of other UN languages is desirableRequired Language(s) (at working level)
• Fluency in English and French (both written and oral).

Professional Certificates n/a

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in economics, public administration, climate change, disaster risk reduction, social sciences or related disciplines.

Min. years of relevant Work experience

• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience, including programme management;
• Experience in the fields of Disaster Risk Reduction, Risk Governance, Disaster Recovery and Disaster Risk Management,