Re-Advertisement Chief Technical Specialist UNDP/SALAM Project

The Support Afghanistan Livelihoods and Mobility (SALAM) is a joint programme of UNDP, ILO and UNHCR in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) to support the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA) in developing comprehensive, coherent and integrated national and sub-national policy and institutional approaches for enhancing livelihoods in a time of crisis and protracted conflict. SALAM brings together the Government and three UN Agencies along with the private sector and other partners to seek durable solutions for Afghans in line with the Government’s vision and strategies for employment generation and labour migration. This new technical cooperation initiative includes a special focus on the needs of IDPs and migrant returnees, and is defined by the close participation of national and international private sector actors across project design and implementation.

In this context, the programme’s main interventions promote the creation of an enabling environment for generating livelihood alternatives in the provinces of Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Kunduz and Kabul. Customized support activities will also be provided to address the specialized needs of various groups, including IDPs, migrant returnees, young people, and women. SALAM also targets safer and more productive international labour migration for those who choose to leave Afghanistan through initiatives that help identify regular opportunities for international migration, provisions to help Afghans make informed decisions, and protections for those who do migrate.

Within the UNDP Afghanistan County Office, SALAM project is housed in the Livelihoods and Resilience Programme Unit which is responsible for project design, contracting, and project initiation. For the implementation, the Programme Unit provides administrative support in addition to the role of monitoring and oversight. The Unit works in partnership and coordination with the UNDP Programme Strategy and Results Unit, the Rule of Law Unit and the Governance Unit; while the projects under these units are not directly linked to SALAM project, they are complementary and synergetic.

Under the direct supervision of the Livelihood and Resilience Chief of Unit and the overall guidance of the UNDP Senior Deputy Country Director (Programme), the Chief Technical Specialist acts as the main substantive advisor of the Project. S/he is responsible for provision and coordination of all policy support activities in the Project and provides technical advice on quality management in the areas of regular labour migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and long term employment opportunities for women and men, especially IDPs and returnees, S/he provides strategic advice to the UNDP in the Project´s scope of work and building and links Project and UNDP to knowledge networks.

The Chief Technical Specialist works closely with a wide range of actors within the Project Teams, IPs and other Afghan institutions, UNDP Country Office, UNHCR and ILO representatives and international community in the country and experts’ networks outside the country. S/he leads, as applicable, a team of technical international and national staff and consultants.

Summary of key functions:

• Ensure provision of relevant and timely policy support and policy advisory services by the Project;
• Provide strategy advice to the Project, project partners and UNDP;
• Provide technical advice on project quality management to the Project;
• Facilitate building and management of knowledge in Project´s area of work.

Ensure provision of relevant and timely policy support and policy advisory services by the Project, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Systematically monitor the national policy-agenda and reform processes within the field of migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and local employment ensuring that Project´s policy support remains relevant and timely;
• Identify key issues for policy support and advisory within the scope of the Project with a view to identifying recommending appropriate strategic responses for UNDP and partners;
• Conceptualize and formulate policy-related discussion and position papers, policy proposals and concepts for internal and external discussions within UNDP and with partners and other Project stakeholders;
• Plan and coordinate provision of Project advisory services. Define scope of work and develop ToRs, identify and select technical experts. Lead implementation of advisory activities ensuring the highest technical standards, including the team of experts as applicable, in close collaboration with Project Manager, UNDP CO and IP(s). Ensure that activities in support of policy support such workshops; training events; study tours or reports and assessments are delivered timely and up to the required technical standards. Review and quality control technical outputs such as reports and assessments;
• Identify key policy-related issues and stimulate thinking processes within the Project and the IP;
• Initiate policy-oriented discussions and contribute to country debates on issues related to focus of the Project.

Provide strategy advice to the Project, project partners and UNDP, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Act as a senior advisor to UNDP, Project and IP on migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and local employment;
•  (with focus on women and youth);
• Actively analyse developments on migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and local employment and establish links between country priorities, positions of the international community and Project and UN joint project partners’ strategies. Identify key policy/programmatic gaps and opportunities;
• Contribute to development and drafting of substantive and thematic papers, reports and publications for the Project. Serve as peer reviewer;
• Conceptualise and draft articles, papers and other contributions related to the Project and upon request, to other activities within area of expertise. Provide support to PI activities such as interviews or public speaking as requested;
• Identify and develop proposals for new strategic initiatives in the Project’s scope of work, develop inputs to proposals for resource mobilization as requested;
• Actively communicate Project´s results and impact to partners, donors and stakeholders. Support UNDP´s resource mobilization in the area of work, as requested;
• Identify opportunities for collaboration within the UN system within the area of work.

Provide technical advice on project quality management, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Contribute to enhancing Project´s performance by proposing alternative and/or new approaches towards achievement of Project´s results with focus on financial literacy training courses for migrants and migrants' family members (with focus on female literacy) and value chain interventions as well as measures for stimulating enterprise innovation and to support SMEs creation/start-ups;
• Provide advice on the implementation of the results-monitoring system of the Project such as formulation of annual targets, analysis and interpretation of data (qualitative and quantitative). Formulate inputs to results-reports and other periodic reports;
• Participate in, and provide conceptual and written inputs, to project planning processes such as AWP, implementation, HR, procurement and communications planning. Provide inputs to budget formulation as requested;
• Contribute to project level technical working groups and coordination meetings. Draft substantive and technical inputs, prepare presentations and contribute to discussions.
• Communicate with Project partners and donors to explain and clarify technical/substantive issues;
• Participate in planning of Project´s periodic reviews, assessments and evaluations. Provide substantive inputs and drafting support;
• Provide inputs and drafting support to Project-related strategy papers, new project concepts and funding proposals;
• Represent the Project at meetings, workshops and conferences;
• Quality-assure Project´s knowledge outputs.

Facilitate building knowledge and capacities within the Project´s area of work, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Ensure that the Project systematically builds capacities of Implementing Partners and other national partners through introduction of innovation and best practices, access to knowledge and expertise and promotion of their application to project advisory activities;
• Identify and interpret best policy support practices and experiences on migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and local employment for application in the country context. Promote and communicate best practices and lessons learnt from other country contexts;
• Facilitate the Project’s representation and/or participation in international knowledge networks to draw on and share best practice and lessons learned for application in Afghanistan. Actively identify and connect institutions and individuals, build networks and linkages between stakeholders;
• Effectively liaise and share information with other actors in Afghanistan on migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and local employment. Proactively identify opportunities for networking and information sharing;
• Actively share experiences and information with other UNDP projects in the country and participate in identification of synergies within UN joint project’s partners’ programme;
• Connect to knowledge networks within the UNDP such as BPPS and Regional Hubs and UN joint project’s partners.

Core competencies:

• Promotes ethics and integrity and creates organisational precedents;
• Builds support and political acumen;
• Builds staff competence and creates an environment of creativity and innovation;
• Builds and promotes effective teams;
• Creates and promotes environment for open communications;
• Leverages conflict in the interest of UNDP and sets standards;
• Shares knowledge across the organisation and builds a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Functional competencies (level 3):

Job knowledge/technical expertise:

Level 3: Expert knowledge of own discipline

• Possesses expert knowledge of advance concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines and in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures;
• Applies knowledge to support the Project´s objectives and to further the mandate of UNDP;
• Keeps abreast of new developments in the area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself;
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
• Demonstrates expert knowledge of the current programme guidelines and project management tools and manages the use of these regularly in work assignments.

Conceptual innovation in the provision of technical expertise

Level 3: Conceptual innovation

• Conducts programme assessment to improve development of models and methodologies;
• Designs policy models to support comprehensive interventions linking UNDP´s policy objectives to programme delivery and capacity development objectives;
• Ensures that the design of policies are appropriate to country social and development context;
• Demonstrates the ability to engage development partners at all levels in conceptual and methodological innovation that is pertinent to the context.

Advancing a policy-oriented agenda

Level 3: Influencing the public agenda

• Advocates for inclusion of UNDP´s focus areas in the public policy agenda;
• Brings visibility and sensitizes decision makers to relevant emerging issues;
• Builds consensus concerning UNDP´s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives;
• Leverage UNDP´s multidisciplinary expertise to influence policies and programmes;
• Demonstrates political/cultural acumen in proposing technical sound, fact-based solutions/approaches;
• Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives;
• Demonstrates cultural sensitivity, political savvy and intellectual capacity in handling disagreements in order to promote and position UNDP in complex environments.

Education:

• Master´s degree or higher in political science, sociology, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively advancing work experience in migration, people’s movements, displacement and mobility and local employment.
• Demonstrated successful experience as advisor providing advice senior levels in Governments or international organisations in the field of Project;
• Experience in advisory provision in post-conflict environments;
• Proven policy, advisory and advocacy experience and track record of engagement with senior levels of government, United Nations, and donors;
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building and implementation of reforms and organisational change;
• Strong political acumen and good verbal and written communication skills;
• Demonstrated experience in working in multi-cultural teams;
• Good computer skills - MS office applications.

Language Requirements:

• Fluent verbal and written English;
• Knowledge of Dari/Pasto is a strong asset.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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