Programme Analyst

The new UNDP Country Programme for Lao PDR (2017 – 2021) approved by the UNDP Executive Board is currently being implemented.  The Country Programme is anchored in its four broad priority pillars – Inclusive Growth and reduced inequality, support to UXO institutions for clearance eventually leading to achieving the national SDG 18, building resilience and environmental sustainability and capable and more responsive Governance. UNDP’s Governance support focuses on 3 core areas of work as agreed to with the Government of Lao PDR reflecting the national priorities:  

1. Public administration reform to improve people’s equitable access to social services:
Through the new joint Governance for Inclusive Development Programme (GIDP) UNDP supports the Government of Lao PDR’s priority to strengthen its public administration’s ability to achieve better delivery of quality services that respond to citizen’s needs, promote wider Governance improvements and increase citizens’ systematic engagement, especially at the local levels where basic services are coordinated, planned, tracked and reported. This flagship Governance programme, implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (with the engagement of multiple stakeholders in the Government both at the Capital and provinces right down to district level, in joint partnership with the United nations Capital development Fund (UNCDF) addresses the challenges of local development and poverty reduction by strengthening capacities of district administrations in planning, management based results, monitoring, and effective delivery of services that include citizens’ engagement and voice. UNDP is engaging across targeted sectors and districts resulting in: Inclusive local service delivery and development; accountability frameworks at the district level that capture and use citizens’ feedback on provision of basic services; and the expansion of partnerships and policy dialogue, with civil society engagement, for development effectiveness. GIDP’s intervention seeks to leverage resources from various sources for addressing priority SDG-related service delivery, increased citizen and civil society engagement with district administrations on prioritizing local services by the introduction of a new district service monitoring framework and citizens’ survey on access and quality of services, and facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnerships.  

2.  Strengthening the legal/justice sector and rule of law:
UNDP is partnering with the Ministry of Justice to continue the efforts to develop a more coherent, effective, transparent and responsive legal system that protects and advances access to justice and the full exercise of rights by all people of Lao PDR. It offers policy advice and technical assistance to a number of core reform initiatives in the legal and judicial sector. All of this contributes to the achievement of the Government’s objective to become a “Rule of Law State” by 2020, known as the Legal Sector Master Plan. To this end, UNDP engages with a number of justice institutions including the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), People’s Supreme Court (PSC), Office of the Supreme People’s Prosecutor (OSPP), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and Lao Bar Association (LBA). Support for the rule of law is enhanced through developing the capacities of justice institutions and legal and judicial practitioners, expanding and systematizing the use of evidence-based policy and consultative/inclusive legislative-development, and supporting the translation of international obligations and standards into domestic laws and policies, with particular emphasis on compliance with international human rights treaties and follow up on UPR recommendations.  The programme also strives to increase public awareness of legal rights and responsibilities, and confidence in, justice institutions and to improve grassroots’ law implementation, access to justice and justice service delivery, focusing on women, ethnic groups and the elderly, increasing public understanding about how to exercise their rights and to benefit from public services.

3. Enhancing people’s participation in the decision-making process:
In the people’s participation context, UNDP focuses on two streams of work: Engagement with the National Assembly (NA) and recently with the recently established People’s Provinvial Assemblis (PPAs) to contribute to more effective institutions ; and giving all people, particularly the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups (i.e.: women, youth, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and ethnic groups), more public voice and information through the medium of community radios.

Through the existing and new projects, efforts are underway to strengthen capacities of the NAand PPAs to deliver even more effectively their key law-making, oversight and representation roles. UNDP proposes, under the new project, to enhance the role of the NA and PPAs in advancing sustainable development and better representing citizens’ interests and becoming more effective, inclusive and responsive. Engagement is targeted to further strengthen and systematize interactions between the NA and citizens on national development and mechanisms for review and public input, and for law-making and scrutiny to be carried out in a gender-sensitive manner. Moreover, the new project will engage with PPAs in select provinces with strategic support to enable effective oversight of the administration at provincial level and responsiveness to people’s needs.  

Through locally managed community radios, the CPCSP project provides rural populations in remote locations, in particular local ethnic communities with greater access to information about services, job opportunities and development issues and increased opportunities to have their voices heard, make informed decisions and spearhead local development advocacies / participate in local development.

In all three pillars of work, UNDP’s engagement will promote opportunities for creating space for informed and inclusive dialogue on critical development issues as part of the process for Lao PDR’s “graduation” from the LDC status. UNDP also co-chairs the Governance Sector Working Group of the Round Table Process.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Governance Unit, and overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative, the Programme Analyst provides overall quality assurance of the CO’s Governance programme management and delivery. He/she is responsible for the support of UNDP’s Governance programme including but not limited to in the areas of public administration reform, the legal/justice sector and rule of law, and people’s participation through support to the NA , PPAs and Community Radios. The Programme Analyst analyzes political, social and economic trends, leads the formulation, management and evaluation of programme activities within his/her portfolio, and provides policy advice support to the Head of the Unit and the CO senior management.

The Programme Analyst possibly supervises and leads other programme staff working in the same areas, and coordinates their activities if assigned so. The Programme Analyst works in close collaboration with other members of the Governance Unit,  other Programme Units, the operations team, programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP Headquarters staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral Development Partners and civil society ensuring successful UNDP programme development and implementation. Government partners include the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), the Governance Sector Working Group Secretariat hosted by MoHA, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Information and Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Assembly (NA) and Provincial People’s Assemblies (PPAs).  




 

Summary of Key Functions:

• Formulation and implementation of Governance programme strategies.
• Management of projects within UNDP’s Governance programme
• Creation of strategic partnerships and support to the implementation of the resource mobilization strategy of the office on issues related to programme support. 
• Provision of top quality advisory services to the Unit Head, Government and UNDP Senior Management and facilitation of knowledge building and management.

1. Ensures formulation and implementation of Governance programme strategies in support of strengthening the rule of law, public administration reform, and people’s participation through support to the National Assembly / People’s Provincial Assemblies and community radio in Lao PDR, focusing on the achievement of the following results:

• Compliance with corporate management standards, CO guidelines and procedures, finance guidelines and corporate planning tools and frameworks.
• Thorough analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country and preparation of substantive inputs to various programming documents (UN Partnership Framework (UNPF), Country Programme Document, Country Programme Action Plan and other strategic documents)
• Identification of areas for support and interventions within the Governance sector. Ensure that Human Right Based Approach (HRBA) and gender issues are well integrated into programme and project activities.
• Participate in new project formulation and appraisal, launching/initiation of new projects and make adjustments according to Lao Government priorities and available resources.  
• Country Office business processes mapping and preparation of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management.

2. Ensures effective management of the Country Office programme within the Governance area (public administration, people’s participation through support to the NA/PPAs and community radio, and rule of law), focusing on quality control and assurance from formulation to implementation of the country programme achieving the  following results:

• Effective application of Results-Based Management tools, establishment of management targets (BSC) and monitoring achievement of results. Ensures RBM dashboard update for individual projects for the quality of inputs and information; contributes to IWP/ROAR by providing input as to the achievement of outcomes, supports the Head of the Governance Unit for the formulation of analytical inputs to ROAR.   
• Design and formulation of Country Office programme within the assigned areas of responsibility, translating UNDP’s priorities into local interventions. Coordination of programme implementation with the implementing partners. Introduction  and monitoring of performance indicators/ success criteria, cost recovery, targets and milestones.
• Initiation of projects, presentation of the projects to the Programme Advisory Committee, finalization of contribution agreements; determination of required revisions; coordination of the mandatory and budget re-phasing exercises, closure of projects through proper review exercises. The Programme Analyst performs the functions of Manager Level 1 in Atlas for Purchase Orders and vouchers approval, and participates in recruitment processes for projects.
• Financial and substantive monitoring and evaluation of the projects, identification of operational and financial problems, development of solutions. Participation in audit of NIM projects.
• Follow up on audit recommendations. All exceptions are timely reported.
• Evaluation of the programme impact. Monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely readjustments in portfolio.
• Aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs and outcomes. Preparation of reports for Development Partners.

3. Ensures creation of strategic partnerships and implementation of the resource mobilization strategy focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Analysis and research of information on Development Partners, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new Governance projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.
• Develop strategic partnerships with Development Partners, private sector, (I)NGOs and UN agencies and mobilize third-party cost-sharing.  Promote dialogue with Government counterparts and actively pursue higher ratio of Government cost-sharing.
• Conduct Resource Mobilization for the Governance programmes
• Acquire a clear understanding of the interests of major Development Partners in the country and to articulate the concepts UNDP wishes to promote to leverage its programme investments.
• Maintain the excellent partnership that UNDP has with the Government of Lao PDR.
• Maintain strong partnership with all bilateral / development  partners of the projects and facilitate information sharing and reporting requirements.
• Maintain partnership/relationship with other Development Partners working in the Governance sector under the guidance eof the head of the unit.
• Disseminate project results and plan/organize appropriate high profile advocacy events.

4. Ensures provision of top quality advisory services to the Unit Head, UNDP Senior Management, and the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to Governance programme country policy goals.
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on Governance programme issues.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Solid understanding of development issues and UN/UNDP mandate and activities.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Core Competencies:

• Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work
• Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow
• People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
• Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Delivery: Ability to get things done

Technical / Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management, Learning and Partnerships

• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office
• Knowledge of development planning processes at the national and local level and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
• Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge
• In-depth knowledge on development issues
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
• Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting
• Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to ensure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled
• Strong Analytical skills and results orientation
• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources
• Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources
• Sound judgment, innovative and flexible.
• Good knowledge of the Results Management Guide and Toolkit
• Strong IT skills, full computer literacy
• Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change
• Ability to work in an organized and systematic manner.

Management and Leadership

• Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Ability to manage and work well in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in: Public Administration, International Relations, Political Sciences, Development Studies, Law or related field.

 Experience:

• At least 2 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.
• Specialized experience in Governance or related disciplines
• Experience in Programme or Project Monitoring and/or Implementation. 
• Personnel management and supervision experience is an asset.

      Language Requirements:

• English and Lao (fluent written and orally)

Important applicant information

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.

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