Programme Coordinator for Soci
Apia
- Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
- Location: Apia
- Grade: Consultancy - SB-4 (SC8/SC9), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
-
Occupational Groups:
- Democratic Governance
- Governance and Peacebuilding
- Project and Programme Management
- Managerial positions
- Closing Date: Closed
Background
The UN Joint Programme on Strengthening Resilience of Pacific Islands States through Universal Social Protection (“Social Protection”) is a novel initiative in Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, & Tokelau that aims to develop evidence-based, nationally owned Social Protection (SP) systems to accelerate SDG progress through integrated programming in national and sub-national development and Leave No One Behind. In line with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the outcomes of the UNDP Pacific Strategy 2018-2022, the joint programme will implement five strategic interventions that will lead to all families benefiting from universal SP systems, data/evidence, public finance, institutional coordination and information management systems, partnerships and outreach. These interventions are critical in leading to the development and strengthening of a coherent SP policy framework in all four countries which will support either directly or indirectly all 250,000 households across the course of their lives. Inclusive SP systems will include fiscally sustainable social insurance schemes for the active population seeking or holding jobs, self-employed or voluntarily contributing, non-contributive social welfare in the form of child allowance, social safety nets and social services for all people in need as well as labor market interventions to facilitate access to jobs and incomes. SP will be evidence based (including using digital data and innovative data systems), developed and implemented through participatory consultations, have equitable financing mechanisms, forge strong partnerships with stakeholders including faith, community based organizations and the private sector, induce smarter institutional coordination, bolster capacity for implementation, and expand outreach. The 2-year SP Joint Programme is implemented by five Participating UN Organizations (PUNOs), UNDP as the lead/convening agency, ESCAP, ILO, UNESCO and UNICEF.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide programme guidance, updates, and information to PUNOs, Implementing Partners/Responsible Parties, the RC/RCO and the MCSC;
- Co-convene the SP Joint Programme Technical Committees and coordinate PUNOs’ technical inputs to the programme across the four countries;
- Facilitates consultations about the Joint Programme with stakeholders;
- Facilitates and contributes to the development and implementation of joint annual work plans, budgets, and annual reports;
- Supports M&E to monitor the programme implementation of activities and outcomes;
- Prepares analytical reviews and systematically captures lessons learnt from implementation;
- Supports the consolidation and timely submission of Annual Narrative Progress Reports, mid-term progress review and final consolidated narrative report to the Joint SDG Fund Secretariat via the RCO.
- Develops a detailed multi-year work plan that includes all project activities and roles and responsibilities of UNDP and its partners, and sets out corresponding milestones;
- Manages and coordinates the implementation of the respective activities based on the Joint Programme document, including, as needed, supervision and guidance of consultants and experts with a view to achieving project results;
- Provides technical advice and support on innovative approaches in achieving programme deliverables;
- Monitors the progress of implementation of project activities and key event schedules observing the work-plans and set deadlines including monitoring of the financial resources and accounting to ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports;
- Mobilizes goods and services to support project activities, including drafting TORs and works/product requirements and specifications;
- Identifies, manages and monitors project risks, and submits information on new risks and possible mitigating measures to the MCSC for consideration and updating the status of these risks by maintaining a Joint Programme Risk Log;
- Assumes responsibilities in line with the office Internal Control Framework and act as a `first authority` for Project transactions;
- Prepares progress reports and ensuring their timely submission to the relevant instances;
- Manages project tracking in ATLAS in accordance with UNDP procedures;
- Manages the transfer of project deliverables to national beneficiaries and other project stakeholders;
- Facilitates audits and evaluations.
- Builds and maintains strong relationships with the RCO, PUNOs, Implementing Partners/Responsible Parties, and other relevant partners and donors;
- Maintains regular coordination and quality assurance of expert inputs and products as well as among partners to ensure coherence and complementarity of activities;
- Identifies opportunities for deepening the cooperation and recommends adequate approaches to dealing with different stakeholders based on information on all relevant stakeholders gathered during joint programme implementation;
- Maintains regular communication on relevant project issues with the local and international counterparts, consultants and experts and ensuring quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs;
- Maintains effective linkages with current and potential donors;
- Submits reports to UNDP, the RCO, partners and donors in a quality and timely manner.
- Ensures that the principles of gender equality, democratic governance, social inclusion and disaster resilience are effectively reflected in all project activities;
- Ensures that gender equality is pursued in all project activities and reflected in work plans, budgets, reports, researches, analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail;
- Ensures that accessibility for persons with disabilities is reflected in all project activities;
- Consults regularly with other UNDP projects on related activities where synergies are possible;
- Strives to engage groups and communities in programme planning, implementation and M&E;
- Communicates project goals and activities clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public.
- Supports the RCO to implement the communication and visibility plans and strategies, ensuring a gender and women empowerment perspective;
- Contributes to drafting of press releases, policy briefs, pamphlets, talking points, speeches, editorials, branded materials, and other written communications materials.
Competencies
- Critically assesses established methods;
- Creates new opportunities for team, not just self to learn and take on new responsibilities;
- Demonstrates behaviours of teamwork, collaboration, knowledge sharing, maintaining relationships;
- Communicates ideas and positions with command and confidence;
- Embraces complex challenges and opportunities for getting work done.
- Knowledge of complex adaptive systems and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical solutions;
- Knowledge of methods for practical, creative resolution of problems and creation of solutions, with the intent of an improved future result;
- Ability to plan, organize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals;
- Ability to prepare quality reports;
- Ability to communicate within and at large, participate in peer communities and engage substantively;
- Knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical solutions;
- Knowledge of gender issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical solutions, including analysis of projects form a gender perspective.
Required Skills and Experience
- Master's degree in social sciences, gender/women’s studies, international development, development economics, public sector reform, or related field;
- Bachelor's degree in above areas, or;
- Programme/Project Management degree or certification would be an advantage.
- Master’s degree with minimum 2 years of progressively responsible relevant experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of complex development projects;
- Bachelor’s degree with minimum 4 years of progressively responsible relevant experience at the national or international level in above areas;
- Demonstrated substantive work expertise in poverty reduction, social protection, social policy and programming, development economics, gender equality and women’s empowerment, public service delivery, public sector reform or a closely related area is required;
- Understanding of poverty dynamics, social protection principles and their application to current national economic and development issues;
- Demonstrated knowledge of Results-Based Management;
- Technical experience in gender equality/empowerment of women is strongly desirable;
- Experience in human-centered design in rethinking and redesigning public services is an advantage;
- Excellent inter-personal communication skills;
- Strong customer-service skills with demonstrated ability to effectively interact with technical and non-technical end users in a pleasant, cooperative, and helpful manner;
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP financials, preferably PeopleSoft;
- Good knowledge in using Office 365 productivity tools is an advantage;
- Experience working in the field of knowledge management is an asset;
- Experience working in the UN System or with Government is an asset;
- Experience in leading/managing others is an asset;
- Proven experience in project progress report writing.
- Fluency in English and Samoan both written and spoken;
- Knowledge of the national languages of Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau is an advantage.
- This vacancy is open to Samoan nationals only;
- Women candidates are encouraged to apply.
Disclaimer
Important applicant information
All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.
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