Regional Coordinator and Team Leader, UNISS/UNSP Implementation Support Team

In 2012 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2056 that requested the Secretary-General to develop and implement, in consultation with regional organizations, a United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) region encompassing security, governance, development, human rights and humanitarian issues.  Pursuant to the resolution, UNISS was developed and launched in 2013 with the aim of reducing  the socio-economic vulnerability of the populations in the Sahel region.  In 2017, following an internal review of UNISS, a recalibration of the strategy by the R-UNSDG with UNOWAS resulted in the elaboration of a United Nations Sahel Support Plan (UNSP) to better align UN's collective support to address the needs and priorities of the people and Governments in the region.

The UN Support Plan (UNSP) which covers the period 2018-2030, serves as a vehicle for articulating and operationalizing the commitments of the UN system and partners in the region. It builds on the progress achieved by UNISS to date, wihile re-aligning its focus with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the core priorities of national and regional partners, especially in the areas of peace, security and development in the region.  Through the UNSP, the UN commits to strengthen national and regional initiatives and to provide a platform through which the UN's extensive regional expertise and capacities can be leveraged to deliver on the Secretary General's vision for the Sahel.  The Support Plan also represents a commitment to a new way of working in the region through better integration of its poltical, security, humanitarian and development efforts; stronger focus on inter-agency programming; pooling of techncal resources in the region for scaling up of UN's support for the Sahel; and prioritizing cross border cooperationt to address issues that transcend national boundaries.

In April 2018, the Office of the Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Sahel (OSAS) was established as a temporal office to provide leadership for the implementation of the UNSP in conformity of the UNISS.  Consequently, OSAS has since been discontinued following an internal review process.  In September 2019 therefore, the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, through the Deputy-Secretary General, endorsed a proposal by the R-UNSDG to establish an Implementation Support Team (IST) to focus actions and UN's systems resources towards upscaling programme implementation efforts. The IST will be integrated and jointly overseen by the R-UNSDG, through its Chief ad interim, and UNOWAS, through the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG). This position is in Dakar and is an integral part of the coordinating secretariat of the Regional United Nations Sustainable Development Group (R-UNSDG), which comprises of the Regional Directors of all 19 Agencies, Funds and Programmes including non-resident agencies working in concerted fashion in the Sahel region.  The incumbent leads the Implementation Support Team (IST) of UNISS/UNSP.

Within delegated authority, the Director and Team Leader, UNISS/UNSP Implementation Support Team will be responsible for the following duties:

1) Within the context of accelerating and upscaling implementation of programmes under the auspices of the R-UNSDG and UNOWAS, he/she will provide strategic leadership and guidance to the team for the overall delivering of results around the following core functions: Strategic analysis, programme coherence and coordination; strategic planning and coordination of UN joint programming and flagship initiatives in the Sahel; Building strategic partnerships with stakeholders including governments, the relevant entities of the Africa Union, regional economic commissions, donor community, the Alliance of the Sahel and the UN system including Resident Coordinators of the region;  advisory services, strategy and policy formulation through high quality briefs and discussion papers; Provide substantive inputs to key reports such as the Secretary-General's report on the Sahel to ECOSOC and the Security Council; Prepare and ensure follow up t UNISS Steering Committee meetings; strategic communication, innovation and knowledge management,and maintain fiduciary control, providing quality assurance and oversight on operational budgets for the overall achievements of the strategic objectives of the IST.

2) Responsible for the strategic oversight as well as providing managerial leadership and orientation for the day to day function of the IST.  He/she determines the office's strategic objectives including development and approval of  workplans; monitors budget and progress towards achieving the objectives and workplans; recruiment of additional staff; supervises, mentors and evaluates staff performance, accounting for the office's activities to relevant parties including the EOSG and R-UNSDG.

3) Under the guidance of the R-UNSDG Chair, He/she convenes the three pillar working group leaders periodically to monitor cross pillar implementation progress of the UNSP and UNISS priorities.

4) Responsible for developing and maintaining relations with key partners and stakeholders of significant interest in the Sahel region, including governments, entities of the AU, donor community, academia and international financial institutions, notably the World Bank, Africa Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.  As part of UNISS/UNSP programme implementation coordination, he/she represents the UNSDG in the Alliance for the Sahel and plays an observer role in meetings convened by the donor community's special envoys for the Sahel. 

5) In collaboration with the UNOWAS, supervises IST's substantive contribution to the Secretary-General's reports to the Security Council on the activities of the Sahel, including contribution to various written materials, such as statements, notes on meetings, speeches and briefing notes.

CORE:

Innovation - Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Level 7: Promotes stakeholder-centered design and appropriate risk-taking approaches for office/programme/division. 

Leaderhip - Ability to persuade others to follow.

Level 7: Positions the organization as a center of expertise and influence, inspires others to reach new heights.

People Management - Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Level 7: Empowers team managers to act independently and takes people management decisions.

Communication - Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Level 7: Reconciles contrasting positions and ambiguous circumstances by communicating a clear path for resolution and progress.

Delivery - Ability to get things done.

Level 7: Sets strategic goals and builds the means to achieve optimal service delivery and organizational excellence.

Technical/Functional:

Primary:

UN System - Knowledge of the UN System and ability to strategic and/or practical situations.

Level 7: Navigate & Guide:  Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.

Representations - Ability to productively share UN knowledge and activities (at UN and other venues).

Level 7: Navigate & Guide: Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.
A

Relationship Management/Partnerships - Ability to engage with other parties and forge productive working relationships.

Level 7: Navigate & Guide: Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.

Brief and Speech Writing - Ability to prepare quality briefs and/or speeches.

Level 7: Navigate & Guide:  Charts a course for a systems approch to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.

Secondary:

Knowledge Management - Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Level 7: Navigate & Guide:  Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.

Development Planning - Knowledge of development planning processes and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.

Level 7: Navigate & Guide: Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.

Knowledge and Voice - Ability to support an effective knowledge brokering function.

Level 7: Navigate & Guide: Charts a course for a systems approach to continuous learning, adaptation, and excellence, creating institutional imperatives to realize progress within across the relevant profession.

Education :

• Advanced University Degree(Master's degree or equivalent) in Development Studies, Natural Resources Management, Political Science, International Relations, Social Science, Law or a related field.

Experience:

• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in developing and implementing programmes and projects dealing with one or another aspect of sustainable development;
• Proven record of inter-agency coordination work on related sustainable development issues;
• Prior experience in a sub-regional context in the Sahel or West or Central Africa is an advantage;
• Proven experience in designing and/or implementing multi stakeholder, inter-agency cross border joint programming with humanitarian development nexus focus is an asset;
• At least five (5) years of senior management experience is required.
• United Nations experience including field experience is highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in both English and French languages, is required.