Asst Res Rep Program (Nationals Only)

UNDP is the leading United Nations development organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in more than 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.

Development challenges in the Pacific Islands Countries are multi-faceted and complex. To respond to these challenges, the UNDP Multi-Country Office (MCO) based in Apia concentrates its efforts on strengthening the capacity of the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau to promote inclusive, blue-green and pro-poor growth, effective governance for the future, and sustainable and resilient development that leverages innovation and digital transformation and catalyzes financing for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We help our partners identify relevant solutions to their most significant development challenges and offer policy advisory and implementation services to address these challenges.

Guided by the UNDP Multi-Country Programme Document (MCPD) for the Pacific Island Countries and Territories 2023-27, the MCO’s policy, advisory, programmatic, and implementation services focuses on the following areas:

• Peace: inclusive governance, justice and peace
• Prosperity: inclusive, blue-green and sustainable growth
• Planet: sustainable management of natural resources, biodiversity conservation, strengthened climate and disaster resilience and management.

UNDP’s programme is anchored in the principle of leaving no one behind, with specific focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment including the fight to end violence against women and girls, and empowerment and engagement of youth and Persons with Disabilities. The MCO serves the four countries from its office located in Apia, where it hosts approximately 40 personnel.

The Programme team, comprising of the Governance and Prosperity team and Environment and Climate Change team, works to support achievement of UNDP strategic objectives to create a world where people and planet thrive together, and to help the MCO act with both ambition and scale to address urgent problems facing the four countries as well as global climate deteriorating conditions. Programme staff assist the MCO in formulating and implementing programme strategies that go beyond solving immediate development challenges to create future smart and integrated systemic changes in resilience and capacity building within the four countries.

Under the guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative (DRR), the Assistant Resident Representative (ARR) - Governance and Prosperity serves as advisor to UNDP senior management and the manager of the programme portfolio in the MCPD areas of peace and prosperity. Programme management responsibilities include leading the Governance and Prosperity team in strategic planning, identifying new programme areas and creative responses to emerging challenges and opportunities, and oversight and monitoring of programme implementation to ensure consistency with the MCPD priorities.

The ARR leads and supervises the Governance and Prosperity team, working closely with the Environment & Climate Change team, Operations team, M&E Analyst, Communications Analyst, Economist, Accelerator Lab in the MCO, the UNDP Fiji MCO, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors, academia, civil society and the private sector to successfully implement the UNDP MCO programme.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

• Contribute to the thorough analysis of the political, social and economic situation in the four countries and collaborative inputs to the UN Common Country Analysis and UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), as well as to the preparation/revision of the MCPD, MCO Integrated Work Plan and other strategic documents.
• Ensure that programme strategy formulation considers societal digital technology risks and opportunities and other future signals.
• Operationalize UNSDCF/ MCPD in collaboration with the main partners and other UN Agencies.
• Establish relevant programme Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure the effectiveness of MCO business processes. Oversee workflows and ensure cross collaboration in the Programme team.
• Review and sign-off on proposals at programme level.
• Analyze, present, and implement UNDP policies in the MCO.

Effectively manage the MCO programme and supervision of the Governance and Prosperity team focusing on quality assurance and risk management of the full cycle of programming from formulation to implementation, achieving the following results:

• Design and formulate MCO programme and translate UNDP priorities into local interventions. Oversee programme implementation with the implementing partners. 
• Provide strategic oversight of planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of the programme as well as tracking use of financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations. Ensure digital technology solutions in programme implementation are managed towards scalability and sustainability in line with UNDP’s digital standards.
• Ensure the effective use of data in programme implementation, across the data lifecycle, and ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and learning on programme impact.
• Constantly monitor trends analysis for future informed and anticipatory programming; track achievement of strategic results, and effectively apply results-based management tools.
• Follow up on audit recommendations and ensure the implementation of management responses.
• Ensure aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs and outcomes, including preparation of donor and corporate reports.
• Organize cost-recovery system for the services provided by the CO to projects in close collaboration with Operations Manager.

Establish and maintain strategic MCO partnerships and support resource mobilization efforts to achieve programme outcomes, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Implement MCO partnerships and resource mobilization strategies. 
• Develop partnerships with the UN Agencies, international financial institutions (IFIs), government institutions, donors, private sector and civil society in the assigned programme/thematic areas.
•  Determine strategic programmatic areas of cooperation, including for joint programming, in line with agreed global, regional and national priorities. 
• Analyze and research information on donors, prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, and ensure due cost recovery.
• Lead development of MCO pipeline and portfolio that includes designing Programme/Project documents, concept notes, proposals and cross-sectoral coordination to bring resources for projects.

Ensure provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Identify policy-driven issues; and identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme countries’ policy goals.
• Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.  
• Coordinate and ensure integrated support in development of policies and institutions to address country problems and needs in collaboration with the four Governments and other strategic partners.
• Support policy advisory services that contribute to inclusive societal digital transformation and take digital technology risks and opportunities or futures signals into account.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms.
• Organize and deliver training for the operations/ projects staff on programme related matters.

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:  Supervision and performance management of MCO Governance and Prosperity team.

• Achieve Results:  LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 
• Think Innovatively:  LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 
• Learn Continuously:  LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility:  LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
• Act with Determination:  LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner:  LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion:  LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

People Management

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

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy – System 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 Direction & Strategy – Effective Decision Making

• Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.

Business Development – Knowledge Facilitation

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally.

Partnership Management – Strategic Engagement

• Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives.

Business Management – Client Satisfaction/Management

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

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.

Business Management - Results-Based Management

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.

Business Management – Portfolio Management

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.

Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment