Team Leader Governance at 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 following position:

Job Title: Team Leader Governance

Location: Abuja, NIGERIA

Background
Under the guidance of Deputy Country Director (P), the Team Leader (TL) acts as the manager of and advisor to senior management on all aspects of Country Office (CO) Governance programme. The main role is to facilitate implementation of the Governance Programme, ensure implementation of resource mobilization strategies, strengthen strategic partnership and donor intelligence, undertake knowledge building and sharing as well as monitoring and evaluation of Governance programme interventions.

The TL also ensures that Governance interventions respond creatively to emerging challenges and opportunities. In addition to undertaking strategic planning and repositioning of Governance interventions, the TL also ensures that CO’s Governance interventions are consistent with United Nations Development Assistance Framework /CPD priorities.

To successfully implement CO Governance programme of support to the Government of Nigeria, the TL provides sound leadership to the Governance Unit and works in close collaboration with other programme unit teams, the Business Development Team, the team in operations and UNDP HQs staff. In addition, the

TL also collaborates with the UN system through the UN Theme groups and with government officials, and donors, and civil society organizations.

Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions:

• Ensuring the strategic direction of UNDP Governance Programme;
• Management of the CO Governance Programme and supervision of the Programme team;
• Lead and guide formulation of Governance projects and programmes;
• Strategic partnerships and support to resource mobilization;
• Provision of top quality policy advice services to the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management in the area of governance.

The TL ensures the strategic direction of UNDP programme focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Thorough analysis of the governance and political situation of the country and collaborative preparation/revision of Common Country Assessment (CCA), United Nations Development Asssitance Framework (UNDAF), Country Programme Document (CPD), Country Programme Annual Plan (CPAP) or UNDAF Action Plan (UNDAP) and other documents;
• Identification of strategic and innovative areas of cooperation;
• Operationalization of the Governance aspect of UNDAF/CPD in collaboration with the main partners and other UN agencies;
• Analysis and presentation of UNDP policies and programmes and their implementation in the CO;
• CO business processes mapping and establishment of internal standard Operating Procedures in Results Management, control of the workflows in the Governance Unit.

Ensures effective management of the Governance programme and supervision of the programme team focusing on quality control of the full cycle of programming from formulation to implementation achieving the following results:

• Effective application of RBM tools, establishment of management targets and monitoring and achievement of results;
• Strategic oversight of planning, budgeting, implementing and monitoring of the programme, tracking use of fanatical resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations. Under delegated authority may perform the function of Manager Level 2 in Atlas for development projects transactions approval;
• Effective monitoring, measuring the impacts of Governance Programme and evaluation. Constant monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely adjustment of programme;
• Ensures effective follow up to Audit recommendations and findings;
• Ensures effective organization of cost recovery system for the services provided by the CO to Governance-area projects in close collaboration with Operations Manager.

Institutionalizes and maintains enduring donor intelligence, strategic partnership and resource mobilization whose objectives will be focused on the following:

• Establish the framework for scanning donors’ environment to determine areas of priorities on governance with particular reference to institutional development (e.g., human rights and access to justice; parliamentary development; electoral systems and processes; decentralization and local governance, and peacebuilding, conflict/crisis prevention and recovery. This is to determine country’s need, areas of cooperation and priority areas;
• Develop and implement partnerships for achieving effective resource mobilization to achieve programme outcomes;
• Establishment and coordination of partnerships with UN Agencies, international financial institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, government institutions, organized private sector, civil society organizations and other stakeholders;
• Determination of programmatic areas of cooperation based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donor priorities;
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation and identification of opportunities for cost sharing.

Ensures provision of top quality advisory services to the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Identification of sources of information related to governance policy-driven issues;
• Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to governance programme and the country development goals;
• 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;
• Provision of high quality periodic analytical reports on ongoing governance-related developments for CO and Headquarters consumption;
• Organization of unit staff training, where necessary.

Undertakes advocacy and information, education and communication (IEC) in the area of governance:

• Facilitate the process of creating and raising level of awareness of CO Governance activities;
• Create high level advocacy on pertinent development policies and programmes across the representatives of top echelon of the country’s stakeholders;
• Determine appropriate media of reaching out to the public on CO Governance programmes and design strategies for reaching the targets in collaboration with the Communication Unit.

Impact of Results
The key results have impacts on the overall success of the CO’s program and reaching UNDAF/CPD goals. In particular, the key results have impact on the design, operation and programming of activities, creation of strategic partnerships as well as reaching resource mobilization targets. In specific terms, it has impacts on the following results areas:

• Governance policy articulation and advisory services promoted;
• Governance strategy implementation enhanced;
• Team building and management enhanced;
• Donor intelligence and strategic partnership improved;
• Resource mobilization and management enhanced;
• Policy advocacy on governance and related issues promoted.

Competencies
Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• An excellent sense of judgment;
• Creativity and innovation for coordination and management activities;
• Strategic vision: strong technical and analytical capacities, sound judgment;
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle multiple tasks effectively;
• Dependability, reliability and initiative.

Functional Competencies:

Technical knowledge:

• Demonstrates an excellent understanding of and familiarity with governance issues in Nigeria;
• Exhibits a good knowledge of institutional development issues such as the human rights, access to justice, legislative process and decentralization;
• Displays a good understanding of economic management issues such as finance and budget process, transparency and accountability, and procurement process in the country;
• Demonstrates a good knowledge of conflict and crisis management, prevention and recovery.

Leadership and Management:

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and results for clients and respond positively to feedback;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complex deliverables and demanding timelines.
• Possesses positive and constructive attitudes to work;
• Leads teams effectively and shows strong conflict resolution skills;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view;
• Solicits feedback from staff about the impact of his/her own behavior.
• Sense of confidentiality.

Communication Skills:

• Communicates sensitively and effectively across different constituencies;
• Demonstrates excellent written, oral communication and presentation skills;
• Conceptualizes, elaborates and implements communications strategies, publications policies;
• Advocates, effectively communicates sensitively and effectively across different constituencies.

Partnering and networking:

• Initiates and sustains relationships with key stakeholders;
• Builds and sustains effective partnerships with UN agencies and implementing partners.

Knowledge Management, sharing and learning:

• Seeks and applies knowledge information and best practices from within and outside the UN Country Team;
• Shares knowledge and experience and contributes to UNDP Practice Areas;
• Encourages office staff to share knowledge and contribute to UNDP Practice Areas;
• Develops deep knowledge in Practice Areas;
• Works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas;
• Acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Knowledge sharing and managing for results:

• Plans and prioritizes work activities to meet organizational goals, consistent with Results Based Management approach of the organization and in line with its Strategic Plan and other strategic planning tools;
• Translates strategic aims into achievements plans, with established priorities; manages to them, making periodic adjustments as required.

People Skills and Team Working:

• Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests and concerns of others;
• Works as a team member, be a good listener, well organized, pay attention to details, and meets deadlines;
• Builds trust and engender morale by displaying open, transparent and credible behavior;
• Respects individual/cultural differences; utilizes diversity to foster teamwork;
• Ensures others’ understanding of, involvement in, adaptation and sustenance of a change process;
• Sets clear performance goals and standards;
• Executes responsibilities accordingly; provides and responds constructively to feedback (correction or recognition).

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Focuses on impact and result for the client;
• Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Formulates and leads strategic planning, resource-based management and reporting;
• Formulates and manages budgets, contributions, transactions, and conduct financial analysis;
• Mobilizes resources and contributes to implementing corporate cost recovery policies;
• Implements new systems and effect behavioural or attitudinal change;
• Monitors and evaluates development projects and programmes.

Innovation and Judgment:

• Devises new systems and processes, and modifies existing ones, to support innovative behaviors;
• Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations;
• Conceptualizes and analysis problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalence in Political Science, Economics, Public Administration, Social Sciences or related fields;
• Additional qualifications will be an added advantage.

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant experience at national or international level in providing development management services with particular reference to design and management of governance policies and programmes, e.g. human rights and access to justice; parliamentary development; electoral systems and processes; decentralization and local governance, crisis management, prevention and recovery; national economic management issues and other institutional development matters;
• Experience in the usage of computers is essential.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent writing and oral skills in English is a fundamental requirement;
• Fluency in another UN and one or more national languages is strongly desired.

Additional Information:

• This is a national position and therefore carries no expatriate benefits. Non Nigerian nationals are not encouraged to apply.

Application Closing Date
17th April, 2014

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