National Expert - Early Warning and Early Response at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of women.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: National Expert - Early Warning and Early Response

Job ID: 11852
Location: Abuja
Vacancy Type: Service Contract (SC)
Posting Type: External
Contract Duration: Contract duration of 6 months
   
Background
The historical, cultural and religious dimensions of Northern Nigeria systematically restrict the ability of women and girls to engage in formal peacebuilding processes. Nevertheless, women and girls have a critical role to play in peacebuilding, as outlined by numerous UN Security Council Resolutions and reports. Nigeria’s National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 for 2017 – 2020 outlines five strategic outcomes towards strengthening the role of women and girls’ in peacebuilding as follows:

• Women’s vulnerability to conflict and human security threats are averted and women’s contributions integrated into preventive and mitigation measures;
• Meaningful participation of women in peace and security processes, governance and decision-making structures at all levels is attained;
• Women’s rights to peace and security, including access to justice and redress are effectively protected and provided;
• Women’s human security needs are met especially through crisis management, recovery and reconstruction efforts;
• Women, peace and security interventions are well coordinated with impact achieved and tracked through collaboration and synergy.

There exists, therefore, a strategic imperative to strengthen the role of women and girls in the peacebuilding process, and in particular with respect to their inclusion, participation and influence in early warning and early response systems. Such steps help in advancing progress towards several of the NAP Strategic Outcomes. However, above and beyond of being in line with global and national priorities, women’s empowerment and engagement in early warning and early response systems are a prerequisite for a more holistic and inclusive peace. Building the capacity of women and girls to effectively contribute to such systems therefore becomes a priority for peace and overall development.

In the light of the foregoing, and given the need to further strengthen preventive capacities of states and communities to detect, mitigate and respond to outbreaks of violence, UNDP will build and strengthen the early warning early responses systems in the states of Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau. This will be done with a focus on women and girls, ensuring that EWERS include women and girls, engage them as part of the community and state infrastructure for peace, and respond to their needs for increased human security. To fulfil these two objectives, efforts will target state capacities as well as communities in a parallel approach that will gradually increase state and community capacities for conflict prevention.

State capacities will be strengthened through the development, roll out and implementation of a ICT-based notification system that can serve as the conduit for early warning. UNDP has already pioneered an earlier version of such a system in Plateau State, and would aim to strengthen the system in this state, along with implementing similar systems in Adamawa and Gombe states. The project is expected to contribute to a reduction in conflict and violence through increased capacity of state institutions to quickly detect, identify and appropriately respond to areas of concern for outbreaks of violence. It will do this both by increasing the capacity of state institutions to manage the early phases of conflict onset, as well as leveraging on the peacebuilding potential harnessed by women and girls in their communities.
 
Under the direct supervision of the Team Leader, Governance and Peacebuilding, the National Expert is responsible for management and implementation of the project. The National Expert works in close collaboration with the UNDP Project Analyst, Conflict & Peacebuilding, UN Peace and Development Advisor, UN Women Colleagues, National and Local Institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations, and beneficiaries.

Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions:

• Effective management of the CO project on Early Warning and Early Response.
• Programme monitoring and evaluation, reporting and resource mobilization.
• Ensures the creation of strategic partnerships.
• Provision of top quality policy advice services to project beneficiaries and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

Effective management of the CO project on Early Warning and Early Response:

• Develops work plan for the Early Warning and Early Response project in line with the objectives of the project as outlined in the project document;
• Facilitates and implements activities under the project;
• Prepares and provides substantive inputs to UNDP strategies and plans including Project Management structures, Country Office working documents, reports, policy briefs and the other related documents, as it relates to the project;
• Ensures the integration of cross-cutting issues in project implementation; 
• Contributes to  the monitoring and evaluation of the EWER project;
• Analyses and monitors progress and advises on timely corrective actions for proper delivery;
• Contributes to the result-based monitoring of the project, including effective application of RBM tools, establishment of management targets, and monitoring achievements of results;
• Support planning, budgeting, implementing and monitoring of programmes and programmatic interventions in the subject area, tracking use of financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations;
• Introduction of performance indicators/ success criteria, cost recovery, targets and milestones;
• Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the projects, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions;
• Participation in relevant audit exercises. Follow up on audit recommendations;
• Aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs and outcomes;
• Contribute to the timely and highly-quality preparation and submission of reports, including donor reports.

Programme monitoring and evaluation, reporting and resource mobilization:

• Ensures timely Monitoring and Evaluation of project and ensure that portfolio is delivered in a timely manner and in an appropriate format;
• Ensure prompt monthly narrative reports to UNDP and Donors as appropriate;
• Contributes to financial reporting, with the guidance of the UNDP Finance Unit;
• Contributes to the identification of risks and issues;
• Leads in developing donor reports on implementation, the achievement of outputs as well as contributes to reporting on progress towards outcomes and impact; and Promotes information sharing and coordination with UN agencies.

Ensures the creation of strategic partnerships, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Identification of partnerships with UN Agencies, IFIs, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society and other community-based organizations in the specific thematic areas based on strategic goals of the UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities;
• Liaise with stakeholders and partners;
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office efforts in resource mobilization.

Provision of top quality policy advisory services to project beneficiaries and facilitation of knowledge building and management:

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues.
• Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to programme country policy goals;
• Support to development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the government and other strategic partners;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Organization of training for the operations/ project staff on project issues.

Impact of Results

• The key results have an impact on effective positioning of UNDP as a key actor in gender-sensitive early warning and early response in Adamawa, Gombe and Plateau States of Nigeria, thus contributing to the stature and reputation of UNDP as UN’s global development network.
• In particular, the key results have an impact on implementation of UNDP conflict, peacebuilding, access to justice, and integrated community stabilization programmes in northern Nigeria, as well as reaching resource mobilization targets.

Competencies
Functional Competencies:
 
Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda:

• Creates effective advocacy strategies
• Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses

Results-Based Programme Development and Managemen:

• Provides information for linkages across programme activities to help identify critical points of integration
• Provides information and documentation on specific stages of projects/programme implementation
• Provides background information to identify opportunities for project development and helps drafting proposals
• Participates in the formulation of project proposals

Building Strategic Partnerships :

• Effectively networks with partners seizing opportunities to build strategic alliances relevant to UNDP’s mandate and strategic agenda
• Identifies needs and interventions for capacity building of counterparts, clients and potential partners
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in inter-agency meetings

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches:

• Seeks a broad range of perspectives in developing project proposals
• Identifies new approaches and promotes their use in other situations
• Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking
• Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own superviso

Resource Mobilization:

• Analyzes information on potential bilateral donors and national counterparts to recommend a strategic approach
• Identifies and compiles lessons learned
• Develops a resource mobilization strategy at the country level

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Demonstrates comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms

Analysis and creation of messages and strategies:

• Performed analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses
• Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for global advocacy work and adapts it for use at country level

Client Orientation:

• Establishing effective client relationships
• Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
• Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.

Contributing to positive outcomes for the client:

• Anticipates client needs
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider
• Demonstrates understanding of client’s perspective
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality

Core Competencies

• Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
• Building support and political acumen
• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation
• Building and promoting effective teams
• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication
• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization
• Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards
• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
• Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in the Law, Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies, Social Sciences or related field.

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant experience on governance and peacebuilding at the national or international level in development programming, programme coordination or project implementation.
• Previous experience with a multilateral or international organization, notably with UNDP, is highly desirable.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, good knowledge and experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English or another language used in Nigeria.

Application Closing Date
11th September, 2017

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online