Policy Advisor/ Project Coordinator (SC 9)

In the Kyrgyz Republic, constitutional reform in 2010 and parliamentary elections in 2011 and 2015 have created a more responsive parliamentary system building the foundation for an improved governance system and application of rule of law and human rights. However, public sector effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, and transparency of institutions and processes remain key areas for improvement. To date, citizens’ expectations for more transparent, effective basic services have yet to be met, and polls continue to show that corruption, accountability, and economic development are perceived by the citizens as priorities.

Under the framework of its Country Project Document (CPD) 2018-2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Kyrgyz Republic is implementing an integrated assistance project to the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic and its stakeholders, the Strong and Inclusive Parliamentary Democracy (SIPD) project,  seeking to embed institutional accountability, inclusive democracy and realization of the rule of law in Kyrgyz Republic. The SIPD is a ten-year initiative funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and it is designed around the achievement of the following two outcomes:

• Outcome 1:  Parliament sets national strategic priorities in accordance with citizens’ needs, and oversees their implementation by the government;
• Outcome 2: Civil society actors promote active citizenship and effectively influence political processes to better serve the needs and priorities of the country’s citizens.

The project will also contribute to a wider objective, namely to implement the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda and in particular SDG 16. The expected long-term impact is to contribute to the strengthening of the principle of accountability as a key factor for sustaining peace.

Under the direct supervision of the Rule of Law Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and and guidance by the SDG16 Cluster Team Leader, the incumbent provides effective and efficient management of the project through a range of actions. These include 1) contributing to the design, planning, management, monitoring and reporting of project activities, towards the achievement of its main objectives in line with UNDP rules of project management, procurement, recruitment, and financial management; 2) management of all project level personnel for effective and efficient implementation of project interventions. The Policy Advisor/ Project Coordinator applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations. The incumbent is also responsible and accountable to the Project Board for the projects results.

The Policy Advisor/ Project Coordinator is expected to work in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations, Communications and other project teams in the UNDP Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and contributing to resolving complex project-related issues and information programme delivery in general. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

The Policy Advisor/ Project Coordinator will coordinate the work of the project support team and of the international and national consultants contracted under the projects.

The Policy Advisor/ Project Coordinator in close cooperation with Rule of Law CTA and t and SDG16 Cluster Team Leader will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the Projects) to national counterparts and clients is of the highest quality and standards through applying HRBA and GE approaches.  More specifically:

• Lead in justifying, developing and implementing the methodological basis for the realization of the respective project components;
• Work closely with the CTA on defining and applying methodological focus and in substantive elements of the project, towards successful design and implementation of the components;
• Ensure the timely and efficient delivery of Projects outputs and relevant products leading to the achievement of expected results;
• Within the context of the project, in consultation with the national counterparts, prepare work-plans, reflecting the scope of activities, timing, sequencing, cost and other inputs for the implementation of the projects’ activities;
• Be responsible for the implementation of the Projects work plans and realization of outlined indicators for achieving planned results, as well as for the overall management of the Projects in accordance with prevailing UNDP rules, regulations and procedures;
• Liaise with the national counterparts, contractors, the donor and the UNDP office to ensure that Project results are achieved, and Projects’ resources are managed efficiently and effectively;
• Manage efficiently the financial resources of the Project, including budgeting and budget revisions, as well as expenditure tracking and reporting;
• Manage donor contributions in accordance with relevant agreements while maintaining prompt communication on all related issues;
• Ensure compliance with monitoring and reporting guidelines by producing relevant operational and financial reports in line with the rules and procedures of UNDP and their prompt submission to the donor and other partners;
• Present work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the Project Steering Committee and UNDP Country Office. Coordinate and organize, together with the national counterparts, UNDP and donor, and civil society actors, periodic meetings of the Projects Steering Committee and follow up on the recommendations made to evaluate achievements and to monitor the progress of the Projects towards its outputs and outcomes;
• Prepare materials for the project documents and reports required for the purposes of a) resource mobilization, b) building collaboration with partners and c) reporting to donors, implementation partners and the public;
• Maintain close coordination with partners, ensure synergies, avoid overlaps in projects implementation, collaborate with other projects working in the same area, and provide information relevant to the projects. Gather and apply necessary information from other relevant projects and best practices in the Kyrgyz republic and abroad;
• Ensure the effective management of all human resources pertaining to the Project, including project staff, consultants and short-term local or international experts. Maintain overall responsibility for coordination of performance and substantive outputs of national and international experts; build, lead and motivate a solid team of professionals; validate terms of reference for international and national consultants;
• Continuously record and maintain relevant Projects activities, issues, risks, etc. in the UNDP Atlas Project Management Module (software platform);
• Ensure high quality information and visibility of the Projects’ activities to the mass media and stakeholders in compliance with the Donor and UNDP visibility rules and guidance;
• Promote knowledge sharing and building among partners and stakeholders. Research, collect and analyze relevant information related to project implementation and the context for project implementation;
• Ensure both women and men are engaged and consulted on the issues relevant to the projects and equally benefit from the projects results;
• Present information on project activities to relevant institutions and governmental bodies, as well as ensure dissemination to broader public, as appropriate;
• Arrange project events including meetings, trainings and other activities related to implementation;
• Support the Rule of Law CTA and CO Programme section in general in identification of commonality of CPD implementation with strategic input and substantive contributions towards programme development and implementation;
• Perform any other duties connected directly and indirectly with the implementation of the Project as may from time to time be required:

Key Results:

• Improved pace and rate of implementation of the Strong and inclusive parliamentary democracy project;
• Project milestones are achieved in a timely manner in close consultations with national counterparts;
• Strategic analysis, forecasting, and risk planning informs strategic project direction and basis for Project Board decision making processes;
• Best practice, lessons learnt and project challenges are identified in advance and further applied in decision making;
• Relationships with SDC, donors and other projects are maintained and synergies for project implementation identified and pursued;

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
• Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures.  Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Ensures that programmes and projects are consistent with UN/UNDP values.
• Treats peers fairly by maintaining consistent values inspiring trust and confidence through personal credibility.
• Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions.

Functional Competencies:

1) Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience.
• Focuses on tasks/activities which have a strategic impact on programme and capacity development activities.
• Promotes a supportive environment to enhance partnerships, leverages resources and build support for UNDP’s strategic initiatives.
• Collaborates with regional, national and local partners to create and apply knowledge and concepts that will help partners achieve UNDP’s development objectives within the country and regional context.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills

2) Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise / In-depth knowledge of the Subject-matter

• Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines.
• Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff.
• Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit.
• 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.

3) Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results-Based Management, including support to design, planning and implementation of Programme, managing data, reporting.
• Ability to provide input to business processes, re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems.
• Ability to engage with various partners and stakeholders at different levels, to establish and maintain contacts with senior-level officials of the host government and represent UNDP in national and regional fora.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is required to obtain, evaluate and interpret factual data and to prepare accurate and complete reports and other documents.
• Capacity to implement the strategic vision and programmatic goals as laid down in the Project Document.
• Proven performance in organizing and coordinating major initiatives, events or challenging inter-organizational activities.
• Adapts flexibly to changing situations, overcomes obstacles and recovers quickly from set-backs

4) Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high quality standard throughout.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team and to foster team spirit and synergy.

Education:

• Master degree or equivalent in Political or social sciences, Law or other related field.
• Training and certification in project management would be an added advantage.

Experience:

• At least five years of progressive working experience in the design, management and implementation of complex development projects and/or working in a relevant position to this post.
• Proven experience in the coordination and/or in the implementation of the projects in Governance, Rule of Law, or related fields.
• Experience of work with the international organizations, high-level government officials representing central governmental bodies and/ or local administrations.
• Knowledge of and interaction with parliamentary systems of government will be an added advantage.
• Sound knowledge of development methodologies, including participatory approaches to strategic planning, strategic management and the management of institutional change in developing countries.
• Proven experience in working with CSOs in the context of accountability in governance.
• At least 2 years of experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to draft, edit and produce written and results-focused reports.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).  

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English and Russian.
• Knowledge of Kyrgyz is an asset

Important applicant information

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

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Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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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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