United Nations Development Programme

Job title: Programme Specialist

Company: United Nations Development Programme

Job description: Ensure substantive delivery of programme support and advice.

Provide advice to Country Offices (COs) on disaster risk reduction, recovery and resilience related to programmatic services, and provision of support for their contribution to the implementation of UNDP’s strategic plan.
Provide technical inputs for the design, development, and implementation of UNDP disaster risk reduction, recovery and resilience building programmes at national and sub-regional levels.
Participate in field missions to countries in support of programme formulation, implementation and monitoring.
Support monitoring and advice on UNDP’s programme resources, including TRAC 1.1.3 and relevant trust fund and programme resources.
Appraise country office requests for TRAC 3 Category II support in case of disasters and contribute to the preparation of appeals in post-disaster situations, in coordination with OCHA’s regional advisors, ensuring that UNDP programme needs are adequately reflected.
Collaborate with UNDP global and regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery Advisors, as well as other thematic teams on programmes related to crisis and recovery preparedness, recovery planning including linkages to climate change, livelihoods, displacement, urban risk, fragility, and gender issues.
Contribute to the development of strategy and approaches to increase national capacities for disaster risk reduction and recovery, including integrating disaster risk in national and regional disaster risk reduction strategies, policies, and legislative system,
Guide and support the implementation of global and regional disaster risk reduction and recovery programmes and projects.
Support the establishment of partnerships and activities with UN agencies, regional NGOs, regional institutions, and academic bodies as necessary.
Contribute to corporate processes such as ROAR, IWPs, Regional Program (evaluation, strategy, audit) and gender integration.

Ensure substantive development of tools and resources, from across UNDP’s network of expertise

Contribute to the identification, development and delivery of tools, methodologies and training support for programme countries and UNDP Country Offices to strengthen the disaster risk reduction and recovery practice at country and regional level.
Support reporting, lessons learning and knowledge management products on disaster risk reduction and recovery, with linkages to resilience, climate change and other relevant themes.
Provide technical expertise on the content development for regional/CO knowledge products through the analysis of data, case evidence, and research findings on disaster risk reduction and recovery.
Review and assess policies in relevant thematic area with the objective to identify gaps and opportunities for development of new policies and to guide the overall team priorities and workplans.
Facilitate the capacity development of UNDP staff in application of tools and practices.

Facilitate knowledge management and community of practice networking

Compile, analyze, report, and codify disaster risk reduction and recovery experiences and lessons learned from various country offices, foster cross-country learning and collaboration, and also seek for cross-regional exchanges under the new GPN structure.
Contribute to the development and effective application of Crisis Bureau’s knowledge management products and policy documents.
Provide relevant substantive inputs to the UNDP Community of Practice on Crisis Prevention and Resilience and strengthen linkages with DRR, recovery and climate change communities of practice, both inside and outside of the UN system.
Advocate and enable South-South facilitation of exchanges and experiences sharing where valuable.
Provide inputs to country offices with requests for information on best practices and experiences on disaster risk reduction and recovery together with partners and expert institutions.
Encourage and support COs to capture good practices through blogs, videos, photo essays etc. and promote on social media and other regional channels as well as the COPs.
Conduct capacity mapping and stock-taking of country and regional level status related to disaster risk reduction, recovery, and resilience.

Advocacy and partner engagement for effective policy positioning in the region

Contribute to the development and nurturing of partnerships with the EU, World Bank, UN agencies and regional intergovernmental organizations, bilateral partners, think tanks, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations to foster and strengthen the practice of recovery.
Support consultations on and drafting of joint agreement and MOUs and statements of intent on disaster risk reduction and recovery, including monitoring of implementation.
Foster partnership through attendance in regular meetings, contributions to joint knowledge products and joint conferences and workshops.
Proactively coordinate with other regional teams on integrated missions and support to the COs.
Support the DRT’s engagement in partnership through reporting and developing briefing notes and background information when required.
Contribute to the resource mobilization efforts through development of project concept notes and proposals and contribute to the DRT’s resource mobilization plan under corporate guidelines, including adherence to corporate and donor reporting, advocacy, and information-sharing requirements.
Carry out any other relevant tasks assigned by the supervisor.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.CompetenciesCore:Achieve Results

Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively

Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously

Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility

Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination

Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner

Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical:Business Direction and Strategy: System Thinking

Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Direction and Strategy: Strategic Thinking

Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities, and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.

Business Direction and Strategy: Effective Decision Making

Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implication.

Business Direction and Strategy: Negotiation and Influence

Reach a common understanding/agreement, persuade others, resolve points of difference through a dialogue, negotiate mutually acceptable solutions and create ‘win-win’ situations.

Business management: Portfolio Management

Ability to select, priorities and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.
Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment.
Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.

Business development: Knowledge generation

Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches.
Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

2030 Agenda: Planet – Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery

Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Risk Management.

Required Skills and ExperienceEducation:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Law, International Affairs, Development Economics, Development Planning, Engineering, or other relevant field is required. OR
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional work experience in providing 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 is required.
Experience in either, public sectors (national or multilateral, including UN), or private sectors (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate) is required.
Proven track record, knowledge, and experience in the field of disaster risk reduction and recovery is required.
Experience and understanding of the international and regional disaster risk reduction systems, networks and key stakeholders is required.
Proven track record of 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) is highly desired.
Experience in resource mobilization is desired.
Working experience in developing countries is required.
Working experience in Latin America and the Caribbean would be an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English and Spanish, oral and written is required.
Working knowledge of French and/or Portuguese language will be an asset.

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.DisclaimerUnder US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Expected salary:

Location: Ciudad de Panamá

Job posting date: Wed, 25 Dec 2024 01:41:07 GMT

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Programme Specialist