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RE-ADVERTISEMENT: Programme Specialist (Local Government Finance and Economic Development), NOC, Kampala, UNCDF

Kampala

  • Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Location: Kampala
  • Grade: Mid level - NO-C, National Professional Officer - Locally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Political Affairs
    • Economics
    • Banking and Finance
    • Democratic Governance
    • Civil Society and Local governance
    • Cash-Based Interventions
    • Project and Programme Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background and Organizational Context

UNDP/UNCDF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP/UNCDF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 46 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.

The Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility, designed and hosted by UNCDF, aims to promote green and climate–resilient communities and local economies by establishing a standard, internationally recognized country-based mechanism to channel climate finance to local authorities in developing countries, particularly in the Least Developed Countries (LDC), Small Island Developing States and African nations, for its effective use. LoCAL combines performance-based climate resilience grants (PBCRGs) – in the form of financial top ups to cover the additional costs of climate change adaptation – which ensure programming and verification of climate change expenditures at the local level while offering strong incentives for performance improvements in enhanced resilience – with technical and capacity-building support. LoCAL responds to the Paris Agreement, advances NAP implementation and contributes to achieving climate-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)– with concrete action at the subnational level, where it is most needed.

Since its inception in 2010/2011, LoCAL was launched and deployed in 17 countries: Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, The Gambia, Ghana, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Tanzania, Tuvalu and Uganda. All the countries which started are still operating the PBCRGS as their country system, federating efforts of government and partners in making use of it, therefore working on sustained long term finance. Another 13 countries have expressed interest in deploying the mechanism and are currently being supported to scope and design the LoCAL mechanism and in identifying sources of finance to activate it: Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Fiji, Jamaica, Liberia, Sao Tomé e Principe, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Vanuatu and Zambia, bringing the total number of LoCAL countries to 30.

Over the same period, LoCAL has mobilized $125 million from partners, own resources, and parallel funding from governments for locally led adaptation; the majority of these funds are disbursed as performance-based grants for locally led adaptation. As of end 2021, PBCRGs had been delivered with capacity building and technical support to 304 local governments in 12 countries, representing a population of over $11.5 million.

LoCAL-Uganda

UNCDF has supported the Government of Uganda (GoU) to design the LoCAL-Uganda Mechanism, aligned with the Discretionary Development Equalisation Grant (DDEG), with aims of increasing the resilience of communities and local economies across the country, through regular, predictable, systemic and verifiable climate finance in support of local climate responses, through increased District access to climate finance to implement climate change adaptation investments in Uganda (outcome 1) and institutionalising a standard and internationally recognized country-based

Duties and Responsibilities

1.           Programme implementation including team management (20%)

  • Contribute to the day-to-day management and monitoring of the programme, including effective and regular use of the ATLAS/Quantum platform and effective programme implementation;
  • Contribute to the management of the risk log of the project;
  • Document progress towards the achievement of outputs and contribute to the preparation and timely submission of comprehensive technical and financial reports in line with contractual agreements including semi-annual reporting;
  • Provide effective technical direction to and empowerment of supervisees, including through coaching and mentoring;
  • Role-modelling of UN values and encouraging supervisees to act ethically both in their relationships with each other and in the business decisions and actions they take;
  • Ensure effective performance management of supervisees (incl. annual individual performance plans of supervisees completed on time; regular meetings with supervisees organized during the year to monitor progress towards agreed goals, provide feedback and support; annual reviews (mid-term and annual) held on time; facilitating learning and development);
  • Support to supervisees in implementing various arrangements in place to ensure their safety and security and in maintaining their health and well-being.

2.           Policy, regulatory and technical advice to government counterparts and key stakeholders (60%)

  • Oversee the day-to-day implementation of the programme’s activities with a focus on local government finance and local economic development (rural and urban), and on the effective use of PBCRGs;
  • Organize capacity building (“learning by doing”) and preparation of local government development and investment plans and budgets, ensuring climate change is mainstreamed within such processes;
  • Ensure target districts are fully acquainted with the LoCAL design elements and comply with minimum conditions and improve performance in target areas, including by undertaking gaps assessments and organizing capacity building workshops;
  • Ensure timely organization of the annual performance assessment (APA), in close collaboration with government counterparts, for instance by developing ToRs to engage third-party firms/consultants, workplan, etc.
  • Ensure successful implementation of the performance-based country mechanism (LoCAL) that can be up-scaled nationwide and harness international climate finance;
  • Ensure the timely and effective implementation of the activities as scheduled;
  • Provide policy, regulatory and technical advice to government counterparts at central and subnational levels;
  • Lead, together with the Programme Management Specialist, the technical dialogue and provision of policy and technical advisory services to national and local government counterparts in relation to local government finance, performance-based grants and local economic development.

3.           Knowledge management and communication (10%)

  • Identify key knowledge constraints and organize learning, knowledge exchange, training, workshops, etc. to build awareness and capacities in relevant themes (i.e. local government finance, performance-based grants and local economic development, both in rural and urban contexts);
  • Contribute to the implementation of the Communication and Visibility Plan of the Programme, in collaboration with the Project team, partners and technical consultants;
  • Identify, collect and disseminate best practices and lesson learned from the Programme in areas of specialty;
  • Manage the process of convening national and regional stakeholders to share lessons learned on selected themes.

4.           Networking and partnership building (10%)

  • Builds effective and efficient partnerships at the operational level with national counterparts, including development partners, to coordinate selected in country activities;
  • Maintain close working relationships with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Water and Environment, OPM, and other key stakeholders at various levels in order to generate interest in and execution of the PBCRGS and its key results areas to expand the mechanism in Uganda;
  • Organize consultative meetings, seminars and workshops to drive analytical and policy work of the Programme;
  • Serve as the UNCDF focal point in working groups and steering committees on the issue of local government finance, performance-based grants and local economic development (urban and rural) and provide inputs for conducive policy and regulatory environment;
  • Develop strategies to mobilize additional resources based on programme requirements and new opportunities.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

The position will provide a supervisory role to the UNV field officers on the day to day implementation of the project.

Expected Demonstration of Competencies

Core Competencies:

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

Business Management - Results Based Management:

  • Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.          

Business Management - Project Management

  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.        

Business Management - Portfolio Management

  • Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change, initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment.            

 External Relations & Advocacy - Relationship management       

  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding  

  2030 Agenda: Peace - Governance         

  • Public Administration and Local Governance.     

2030 Agenda: Planet - Nature, Climate and Energy

  • Climate Change Adaptation: Public and private finance for adaptation solutions.    

2030 Agenda: Planet - Nature, Climate and Energy

  • Climate Change Policies: Climate Finance.           

  Keywords

  • Public financial management
  • Local government finance
  • Climate finance

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • A Master’s degree in international development, political/social science, economics, public/business administration, or a related field.
  • A first-level university degree in the above areas with 7 years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

  • A minimum of five (5) years’ experience with Master’s Degree, (6) years’ with specialized license in the relevant area and (7) years’ with Bachelor’s degree in progressively more responsible positions in local government finance and/or local economic development and project management;
  • At least three (3) years’ of work experience related to local government finance and decentralization ideally with performance-based grants and/or similar instruments (both for urban and rural settings) like budget support and/or local economic development is desirable;
  • At least three (3) years’ experience working on policy, regulatory and technical advisory services with national and local counterparts, preferably in Uganda, is highly desirable;

Other Skills and Experience:

  • Strong networking capabilities and ability to associate him/herself with a range of actors (inter alia central and local governments; policy makers; regulators, and donors, local communities) with a view to building relations and facilitating links;
  • Experience with a UN organization/agency is desirable;
  • Experience with ATLAS and UNDP Procurement Processes is desired, but not a requirement.
  • Proven ability to manage projects and managing for results;
  • Excellent analytical skills;
  • Strong general IT skills, including ability to work regularly with MS Office Suite;
  • Proven cross-cultural communication, able to function effectively in an international, multicultural environment and manage a team consisting of multiple nationalities.

Language requirement:

  • Fluency in written and spoken English and in other major languages spoken in Uganda. Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.
This vacancy is now closed.
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