Regional Specialist – Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery
Nairobi
- Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
- Location: Nairobi
- Grade: Level not specified - Level not specified
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Occupational Groups:
- Environment
- Security policy
- Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
- Conflict prevention
- Disaster Management (Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Recovery)
- Closing Date: Closed
UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN development system and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work is carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, and forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. The GPN also aims to provide rapid and integrated support to UNDP country offices, combining policy advice, technical expertise, financial resources, agile tools and procedures, and partnerships. The Global Policy Network (GPN) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2018-2021).
Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response and recovery. The UNDP’s Crisis Bureau supports emergency and crisis response and ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. The Crisis Bureau assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. The CB supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts. The CB’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.
The Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience Team (DRT) provides integrated policy and programme support on disaster risk reduction and recovery in the context of UNDP’s broader approach to resilience building. The Team specifically fosters the integration of risk reduction as a key element in sustainable development and recovery at national, sub-national and sectoral level to strengthen resilience. It is also the responsibility of the team to support the regional hubs in their efforts to strengthen national capacities on disaster resilience and disaster risk reduction. The team provides high quality advice and programmatic support in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. The team leads the development and coordination of policy in disaster risk reduction (DRR), and disaster recovery with a focus on resilience building and integrated approaches with climate adaptation. The DRT regional team in Africa is part of the Resilience Hub, a thematic hub located in Nairobi, Kenya, with a mandate on integrated resilience, and covering 46 RBA countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Resilience Hub works in an integrated fashion, leading and supporting regional economic communities (RECs), as well as country offices in policy and programming across the areas of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction, Governance and Peacebuilding as well as Migration and Displacement.
UNDP is seeking to recruit a Regional Specialist for the UNDP-UNDRR “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance and Recovery Capacities” Project, which is a component of the Intra-ACP Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme funded under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme.
The project has the overarching goal to prevent new/reduce existing risk and help ACP countries and communities recover from and enhance their resilience to disasters, according to the priorities set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. It builds on the UNDP legacy of long-term sustainable approaches to development, anchored in natural resource management, resilience building and governance with a transformative disaster/climate risk lens to reduce risks across entire systems. It is equally based on the extensive and successful UNDRR leadership and coordination in capacity building and development of all stakeholders, ranging from regional and national authorities, academia, private sector and civil society organizations through an inclusive approach that puts the communities at the centre of its action and their governments on the steering seat as the lead for ownership and sustainability of the actions. Through four outputs that are aligned to three of the four priorities of the Sendai Framework, this joint UNDP/UNDRR Project will strengthen disaster risk reduction capacities of ACP regional institutions, build risk governance capacity in ACP countries, and enhance recovery processes and community level action in order to save lives. The approach will contribute to the achievement of many goals highlighted in international agendas such as the Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement, Agenda for Humanity, New Urban Agenda, and not last the Sustainable Development Goals. Furthermore, it will pursue a holistic, conflict sensitive, whole-of-government/society, gender transformative, and leave no one behind approach.
Position PurposeThe Regional Specialist is based in Nairobi to provide day-to-day support to targeted countries in Africa, and to assist in the implementation agreed interventions of the project. S/he will ensure the Project is successfully implemented in targeted countries in Africa, in accordance with its project document and the contribution agreement with the European Commission.
The Regional Specialist works under the direct supervision of the Brussels-based Project Manager for the UNDP-UNDRR “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance and Recovery Capacities” Project, with secondary reporting to the DRT Regional DRR Team Leader based in Nairobi.
The Regional Specialist will be responsible for supporting the design and delivery of technical assistance and capacity development activities at both regional and country-level under the following Outputs:
- Provided integrated solutions for risk-informed development planning and budgeting in Western Africa, Central Africa, and Eastern Africa
- Increased risk awareness of communities and local stakeholders to take action that reduces risk in Western Africa, Central Africa and Eastern Africa.
- Strengthened post-disaster recovery capacities in all ACP regions
More specifically, s/he is responsible for supporting the following:
- Implementation of activities on DRR and recovery identified under the above outputs.
- Quality Assurance of results achieved, within the specified constraints and costs.
- Knowledge management
- Advocacy and partner engagement
Project Implementation
- Conduct day-to-day management and coordination of the Project’s activities in select countries in Western Africa, Central Africa, and Eastern Africa, and provide support to UNDP Country Offices (COs);
- Provide technical inputs for the design, development, and implementation of agreed project’s activities;
- Participate in field missions to countries in support of project implementation and monitoring;
- Assist the Project Manager in mobilizing goods and services to support project activities, including drafting TORs and works/product requirements and specifications;
- Assist the Project Manager in monitoring project risks initially identified, submitting information on the new risks and possible mitigating measures to the Project Team for consideration;
- Collaborate with the UNDP project team, the regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery Advisor, UNDP country offices in project selected countries, as well as UNDRR teams on coordination of activities.
Quality Assurance:
- Ensure quality control and timely delivery of project activities;
- Brief and consult with the Project Manager and DRT Regional Advisor on progress made, and provide information and advice to contribute to country initiatives;
- Support timely submission of substantive and financial reporting of project activities in targeted countries according to UNDP and EU requirements;
- Coordinate periodic technical meetings with project partners and beneficiaries to ensure time delivery and coherence of project activities;
- Support the Project Manager in M&E activities for the project implementation in targeted countries;
Knowledge management and community of practice for recovery:
- Compile, analyze, report and codify project’s results and lessons learned from country offices, foster cross-country learning and collaboration;
- Advocate and enable South-South facilitation of exchanges and experiences sharing where valuable;
- Provide inputs to country offices (COs) with requests for information on best practices and experiences on disaster risk reduction and recovery together with partners and expert institutions;
- Encourage and support targeted COs to capture good practices through blogs, videos, photo essays etc. and promote on social media and other regional channels;
- Ensure project communication is in accordance with the visibility rules and communication standards of EU and UNDP
Advocacy and partner engagement for effective policy positioning in the region:
- Work closely with UNDP country offices in targeted countries;
- Contribute to the development and nurturing of partnerships with the EC, regional economic communities in Africa and the Africa Union, donors and stakeholders involved in the project;
- Identify opportunities for deepening the cooperation and recommending adequate approaches to dealing with different stakeholders based on information gathered during projects’ implementation;
- Support the DRT’s engagement in partnership through reporting and developing briefing notes and background information when required;
- Support resource mobilization efforts through development of concept notes and proposals and contribute to resource mobilization;
- Carry out any other relevant tasks assigned by the supervisor.
Expected Demonstration of Competencies
Core
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
2030 Agenda Planet: Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery- Disaster Risk Reduction - Knowledge of disaster risk reduction methodologies and concepts and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
- Disaster and Climate Risk Governance - Knowledge of disaster and climate risk methodologies and concepts and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
- Climate Risk Management - Knowledge of climate risk management concepts and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
Partnership Management
- Multi-stakeholder Engagement and Funding - Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships, and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms
Business Development
- Knowledge Generation - Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge and guidance, relevant for context or responsive to a shared need.
- Knowledge Facilitation - Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, internally and externally.
Requirements:
Education
- A Master's degree, preferably in disaster management, development, social sciences, international affairs, development economics, or other relevant field, or extensive compensating experience in Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery is required.
Experience, Knowledge, and Skills
- A minimum of 5 years of professional work experience supporting policy and programme advice, including approaches and mobilizing resources in the general area of disaster risk reduction and recovery, or related areas of environmental economics or natural resource management in different development contexts.
- Experience in either, public sectors (national or multilateral, including UN), or private sectors (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate). Experience with the workings of the UN, European Union institutions and the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States is an asset.
- Proven track record, knowledge and experience in the field of disaster risk reduction and recovery.
- Understanding of the international and regional disaster risk reduction systems, networks and key stakeholders.
- Excellent writing, negotiating and communication skills and ability to mobilize support from a wide range of partners (public, private, academic, civil society, business community leaders)
- Experience in resource mobilization.
- Working experience in developing countries is required. Working experience in Africa and in crisis context would be an asset.
Language Requirement:
- Fluency in English and French is required.
- Fluency in any other UN language is desirable.
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