Peace & Development analyst

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

Violent conflict has surged in recent years, and in 2016, more countries experienced violent conflict than at any time in nearly 30 years. While the complex relationship between conflict, security and development is increasingly understood, international assistance and investment in conflict prevention have remained relatively low. At the same time, approaches to preventing conflict have been refined considerably, as policy and practice on peacebuilding have evolved – and the UN, its Member States and other partners are increasingly looking to prevention as a critical strategy for sustaining peace and nurturing development. Conflict prevention is increasingly recognised as a rational and cost-effective strategy for countries at risk of violence and for the international community.

The Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme on building national capacities for conflict prevention has made a ground-breaking contribution in bridging the gap between political engagement and development assistance in pursuit of preventing conflict and sustaining peace. In its new phase (2019-2023), the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme will further strengthen the analytical capacities of national stakeholders and the UN system in support of Member States’ efforts to advance policy and programmatic coherence on conflict prevention and support strategies for sustaining peace.

The deployment of international Peace and Development Advisors and national Peace and Development Officers (thereafter PDO) has been the primary instrument of the Joint Programme to support Resident Coordinators (RC) and UN Country Teams (UNCTs) in their efforts to work with national partners on conflict prevention and sustaining peace. They support early warning and risk management measures, and ensure that UN assessments, frameworks (mainly UN Cooperation Frameworks), strategies and programmes are conflict-sensitive and informed by high quality analysis. There are currently 58 PDA positions across the globe, including 34 national Peace and Development Officers working alongside the PDAs. As a new approach, the Joint Programme is now also deploying national Peace and Development Officer positions in countries where there are no PDAs.

The PDO will be located in the Resident Coordinators’ office, with a direct reporting line to the RC, and a secondary reporting line to the UNDP Resident Representative and DPPA-DPO regional divisions.

The Peace and Development Officer works under the direct supervision and guidance of the Resident Coordinator, and secondary reporting line to UNDP Resident Representative and DPPA-DPO regional division at HQ, to provide substantive support in three main areas of activity, including:

1. Support analysis and research efforts with specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention;
2. Identify programmatic entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, women and youth;
3. Provide technical support for programming and partnership-building on issues related to Sustaining Peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

The main duties and responsibilities of the PDO will include:

1. Support analysis and research efforts with specific focus on supporting and promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention:

• Carry out political, political economy and/or conflict analysis, monitor the situation in the country, and provide risk-informed analysis to the RC, the broader UN Country Team, as well as UN Headquarters (and regional level as relevant) with advice on political and socioeconomic developments and conflict dynamics;
• Contribute to the regular update of the Common Country Assessment (CCA), which informs the design and implementation of the UN Cooperation Framework, including supporting the conflict analysis part of the CCA; and contribute to briefings of the UNCT on relevant matters;
• Carry out and coordinate research on particular issues or thematic areas, including through engagement with academia and think tanks, in particular [specify].

2. Identify programming entry-points and support inclusive and conflict-sensitive approaches in efforts to build national capacities for conflict prevention, particularly with regard to civil society, women and youth;

• Assist the Resident Coordinator, and the broader UNCT, in identifying areas of programmatic engagement with national stakeholders and provide technical advice on the design of peace-promoting initiatives in areas such as infrastructures for peace; reconciliation social cohesion, dialogue, conflict prevention and consensus building;
• Identifying entry points for mainstreaming conflict prevention and conflict sensitivity in the work of the UNCT (including within the CCA, Cooperation Framework, Country Programme Documents, etc.);  and support capacity-building of UN Country Team staff and key national partners on conflict analysis, conflict prevention and/or conflict-sensitive development;
• Support the UNCT in their efforts on Women, Peace and Security and gendered dimensions of peacebuilding and SCR 1325 (and related resolutions) as well as Youth, Peace and Security and SCR 2250;
• Support UN engagement with national and local stakeholders, focusing particularly on engaging with civil society actors at local level and academia, to inform and support efforts to build national and local capacity for negotiation, mediation and dialogue; strengthen networks of mediators and facilitators (including female mediators) at national and local levels.

3. Support partnership-building and knowledge sharing on issues related to Sustaining Peace and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

• Support liaison and partnerships between stakeholders, particularly civil society, academia, think tanks, women’s and youth networks and the private sector, as well as when required with government partners and the international community, on sustaining peace initiative and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and national SDG plans;
• Maintain close contact with relevant staff in UN Headquarters as well at the regional level including relevant focal points at UNDP, DPPA-DPO, DCO and work closely with the regional programme specialists based in the region;
• In close collaboration with the Joint Programme Secretariat, support knowledge management, and monitoring and evaluation function, including collecting, processing, and analyzing data in the framework of the PDO’s workplan.

Core

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work 

Level 4: Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 4: Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Level 4: Models independent thinking and action

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Level 4: Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis

Delivery

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Level 4: Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services

Technical/Functional

Social Cohesion

Knowledge of methods and experience of supporting communities to achieve greater inclusiveness, more civic participation and creating opportunities for upward mobility

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Peacebuilding and Reconciliation

Ability to support peace processes to facilitate recovery and development

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Conflict-Sensitive Programming

Ability to use methods and tools to monitor conflict triggers and determine impact of various dynamics in conflict-prone situations

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Conflict Analysis and Risk Assessment

Knowledge of conflict analysis and risk assessment concepts and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Gender

Knowledge of gender issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, including analysis of projects from a gender perspective

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Civil Society Engagement

Knowledge to create and implement civil society initiatives and apply across peace and development work

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Knowledge Management

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge

Level 4: Apply & Adapt: Contributes skills and knowledge with demonstrated ability to advance innovation and continuous improvement, in professional area of expertise

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree) in political science, conflict resolution, peace studies, sociology, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, or other related social sciences. In lieu of an Advanced degree, a Bachelor university degree with additional two years of relevant experience shall be considered..

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years (4 years in case of a BA) of progressively responsible experience in conflict analysis, development and/or conflict prevention in a governmental, multilateral or civil society organization;
• Extensive experience in analysis, research and sound drafting skills;
• Experience in project/programme development and/or management;
• Experience in national and community-level conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives and programming;
• In-depth knowledge of and extensive experience in (country/region), including in dialogue and conflict prevention initiatives; and awareness and familiarity of key actors and stakeholders across the political, economic, and development spheres alongside knowledge of government, civil society, and other non-state actors;
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.).

Language Requirements:

• Fluent written and spoken French and English is required.

Other:

• Qualified women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Important applicant information

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

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

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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