Job Openings at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – 2 Positions

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is recruiting to fill the following positions:

1.) Conflict & Political Economy Specialist
2.) Project Management Associate

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations.

Headquartered in New York City, the status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity.

Job ID: 32448
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Practice Area - Job Family: Capacity Development - CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Education & Work Experience: I-Master's Level Degree - 5 year(s) experience
Grade: NOC
Vacancy Type: FTA Local
Posting Type: Common System
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background

• Nigerians continue to grapple with extreme adversity across the North-East Nigeria and the rest of the Lake Chad region where a recent surge in violence has uprooted tens of thousands more people, exacerbating an already dire crisis situation. An intractable extremist insurgency that has left tens of thousands of people dead, approximately 2.5 million displaced, and more than 10 million people in the region affected and in need. It is unlikely that security responses alone will be sufficient to address the complex factors that gave rise to the insurgency, and which continues to sustain it. There is increasing consensus that military efforts must be coupled with significant investments in complementary stabilization, peacebuilding and recovery activities to benefit the local population with both local and Lake Chad Basin (LCB) regional levels, if the security-humanitarian-development nexus around Lake Chad is to be effectively addressed.
• While robust national and multi-national military operations have re-taken territory previously controlled by Boko Haram, a new approach is required to consolidate these gains and establish the conditions necessary to transition from military to civilian responsibility for security, and from the provision of humanitarian assistance to the resumption of stalled development processes.  To this end, UNDP has launched Lake Chad Basin Regional Stabilization Facility, supporting four Lake Chad Basin countries (i.e., Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad) as well as LCB regional institutions, such as the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).
• The Facility will act as a rapid-response package–delivering within 90 days of target area selection – that relevant authority can sequence with military operations as necessary, to ensure immediate follow-up in specific locations and curtail the ability of armed opposition groups to re-infiltrate and exploit any security vacuum or community perceptions of non-responsive Government by extending an organized and effective civilian security umbrella, consolidating military progress with development ‘dividends’ for the local population.
• The National Window of the Regional Stabilization Facility for Nigeria aims to address the needs of immediate stabilization in the target areas in North-East Region of Nigeria with high degrees of insecurity, promoting the phased transition of insecure areas toward greater security, and the reduction of current volatility whereby previously secure areas have become more rather than less vulnerable.
• There is need to undertake regular and sustained granular analysis of conflict risks and factors of resilience to ensure that the proposed interventions are appropriate and fully conforms with the principle of “do no harm.” A sustained political-economy analysis of conflicts  will also identify immediate stabilization and peacebuilding needs as a basis for  designing catalytic interventions.
• To this end, UNDP Nigeria is seeking qualified personnel to support conflict and political-economy analyses efforts with a focus on the North East but with extended support to other Northern States of Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin Region as a whole.
• The Specialist will also work alongside contracted experts or NGOs/CSOs to assure the quality of conflict analysis and other socio-economic assessments and ensure coordination with other specialists, UDNP staff, government officials and NGOs/CSOs to consolidate the analyses and disseminate the assessment results to relevant stakeholders.
• S/he will provide pertinent advice to UNDP senior management for designing and implementing immediate peacebuilding and stabilization measures including within the Stabilization Facility for North-East and related integrated conflict prevention and recovery programmes in Northern Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor, the Conflict and Political Economy Specialist will be responsible for the following functions and tasks:

• Support the design and implementation of sound conflict and political economy analyses and provide accurate information on the latest conflict dynamics and trends and socio-economic implications;
• Support day-to-day activities related to conflict and political economy analyses and community conflict surveillance mechanism to capture early-warning signs for harmful factors for the programme interventions, including technical guidance to local and international consultants and NGO/CSO partners and coordination with other programme teams and the key stakeholders;
• Provide policy advice and technical inputs to the Stabilization Facility Team and UNDP senior management as well as the respective stakeholders for designing effective immediate stabilization interventions, monitoring impacts (both positive and negative) of stabilization interventions in the beneficiary communities as well as the NE Nigeria and Lake Chad Basin Region as a whole.

Specific Functions/Results Expected
Ensure effective formulation and implementation of programme strategies for conflict and political economy analyses throughout the programme management cycle of the Stabilization Facility and related initiatives:

• Undertake thorough analyses and researches on the political, social and economic, and conflict situations in the NE and Northern regions of Nigeria including in programme target communities and provide substantive inputs to the Stabilization Facility and other related programmes/projects in the CO;
• Identify the areas for support and interventions on conflict analysis, conflict surveillance mechanism, and conflict mitigation in line with the current context of Northern Region;
• Develop a methodology, approach, and workplan to analyze the conflict context dynamics in the target communities/areas in Northern Region and regularly update the analysis results and data;
• Design the detailed implementation plan of the identified interventions for conflict and political economy analyses, including identification of potential implementing partners, methodologies, and coordination mechanisms;
• Establish a mechanism to constantly capture information on conflict dynamism and other socio-economic trends in the target communities and consolidate the analyses;
• Liaise and coordinate with experts/staff in relevant projects in CO, to ensure collaboration and sharing of the analysis activity results and lessons learnt.

Support day to day activities related to conflict and political economy analyses and community surveillance mechanisms, focusing on result management, quality assurance and oversight:

• Support NE Stabilisation Facility and cohesion building programmes through providing technical support to ensure the project activities are implemented in a conflict-sensitive manner and promptly report to the Senior Management of the Stabilization Facility and relevant actors whenever the issues that require their attention arise;
• Support the design and undertake conflict and political-economy analysis activities through community mobilization, establishing community consultation groups, including vulnerable target population (e.g., women, disability, social minorities etc.) and promoting consultations with relevant parties to identify the need gaps and UNDP’s entry points for catalytic effects;
• Provide technical support to design conflict and political-economy analyses in an inclusive and participatory manner with all concerned parties and manage the conflict analyses and surveillance mechanisms;
• Provide technical advice to national/international consultants and NGOs/CSOs for conflict analyses and implementation of project activities;
• Support selection, recruitment and training of local volunteers on conflict surveillance, dispute resolution and mediation, including Sexual & Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and human rights in the target communities;
• Prepare reports, information materials, and publications on the conflict and political-economy analysis activities.

Provide top-quality advisory services to the Programme Team, UNDP Nigeria, Government, donor partners and other key stakeholders and ensure facilitation of knowledge building and management:

• Provide policy advice and technical inputs to the Stabilization Facility Team and ongoing Peacebuilding, Social Cohesion and Recovery programmes as well as the respective stakeholders for designing conflict sensitive interventions, monitoring impacts of the interventions and undertaking necessary countermeasures;
• Ensure timely and effective dissemination of analysis results on the latest trends in conflict, political and socio- economic situations and other relevant areas that can have an impact on the delivery of the project results;
• Support organization of roundtable discussions, briefing sessions, and presentation to internal and external audiences on conflict/socio-economic trends in the target communities, Northern Regions, NE Nigeria, and Lake Chad Basin Region;
• Undertake outreach activities and coordinate with UN System actors and other organizations in the field of conflict analysis and peace-studies to create synergies and collaboration including participation in Task Forces and other ad-hoc internal working groups on cross-cutting themes as requested;
• Provide policy advice to strengthen synergies and partnerships with other actors, such as CSOs/NGOs, the governments, academic institutions and the international organizations for greater positive impacts of conflict analysis/assessment activities;
• Provide technical support to strengthen the capacity of staff and community groups for advocacy, communications, and tools on conflict analysis and monitoring, including utilization of social media and other innovative communication tools;
• Engage in Community of UNDP Practice within the area of crisis management, conflict analysis and peacebuilding to support knowledge sharing and documentation of best practice.

Impact of Results:

• The key results have impact on effective positioning of UNDP in the broader Northern States of Nigeria including the North East through sound conflict and political economy analyses, which informs the design and implementation of area-specific, conflict responsive and flexible programming.

Requirements, Skills and Experience
Education:

• Nigerian national with a minimum of Master's Degree in International Conflict / Peace Studies, International Development / Relations, Economics, Political Science, with a focus on peace and conflict studies.

Professional Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in designing and implementing local level and/or national level conflict and context analysis; strengthening early warning systems and programs in conflict-affected environments
• Extensive experience in undertaking action research, socio-political analysis of development dynamics in conflict contexts
• Rich understanding of and previous working experience in Nigeria’s North East and the Lake Chad Basin
• Understanding of the political, social and cultural background of the Lake Chad Region is critical
• Excellent analytical and writing skills, including political/context analysis skills;
• Extensive experience in strategy and programme development in conflict settings including Prevention of Violent Extremism.
• Knowledge of analytical tools employed in crisis-affected/fragile contexts.
• Expertise in incorporating political economy analysis   learning into program design, monitoring, evaluation, indicator development, impact analysis, and collaborative learning
• A high degree of political and cross-cultural sensitivity
• Experience drafting user-friendly knowledge products such as toolkits, methodologies, analytical documents, policy papers, project and program documents, baseline studies, desk reviews, and comparative studies.
• Functionally related professional management skills including remote office management;
• Strong leadership and team-building skills in complex and conflict settings
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, as well as experience in the handling of web-based management systems.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in spoken and written English, Hausa or  Kanuri is a requirement.

Competencies

Core
Innovation - Ability to make new and useful ideas work:

• Conceptualizes and analyses problems to identify issues, underlying problems and how they relate
• Contributes creative, practical ideas and approaches to deal with challenging situation
• Strives for quality client-centered services (internal/external) when making decisions and taking actions.

Leadership - Ability to persuade others to follow:

• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills required
• Ability to plan own work, manage conflicting priorities, report on work progress and delivery outputs in a punctual manner
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Sets clear performance goals and standards; execute responsibilities accordingly.

Communication - Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform:

• Strong communication (spoken and written) skills and ability to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills.

Delivery - Ability to get things done:

• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
• Ability to lead strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources
• Ability to formulate and manage budgets, manage transactions, financial analysis and reporting.

Technical/Functional
Primary - Communications and Interpersonal Skills:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster good working relations with various persons, good working knowledge of information and computer technology.
• Understanding the challenges of working in a multi-cultural environment and working in  a  crisis setting
• Excellent writing skills in English.

Secondary - Knowledge Management:

• Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge
• Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence
• Uses ICT and web-based management systems effectively as a tool and resource
• Is motivated & demonstrates a capacity to pursue personal developments & learn.

Partnership Management:

• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to motivate staff and mobilize colleagues and partners in the best interest of achieving results.

Application Closing Date
13th September, 2020.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Important Applicant Information / Notice

• 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.
• UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
• The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Job ID: 32304
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Practice Area - Job Family: Crisis Prevention and Recovery - DISASTER RISK REDUCATION
Grade: G6
Vacancy Type: FTA Local
Posting Type: External
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background

• One of the poorest and most environmentally degraded regions in the world, the West African Sahel region is also considered one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change, with temperature increases projected to be 1.5 times higher than the rest of the world. Climate vulnerability is compounded by the region’s high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and its natural resources to support food security and livelihoods, high population growth, rapid and unplanned urbanization, environmental degradation, deepening poverty levels, governance challenges and low socio-economic development, and chronic humanitarian crises due to recurrent drought, flooding, food insecurity, epidemics and violent conflict. These factors increase the fragility of communities while recurrent disasters have been causing a continuous deterioration of livelihoods, exposing people to deeper poverty and food insecurity and undermining their resilience to future shocks and stresses, with varying impacts on different social groups such as women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. The cumulative impacts of these events have been eroding hard-earned development gains, while undermining recovery from the various crises as well as the resilience to future crises.
• The development challenge presented above highlights the unique opportunity for supporting the Western Sahel through African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its member states to take integrated and holistic approaches to disaster and climate risk-informed development that contributes to building resilience of the whole region. UNDP has sought to strengthen the policy and institutional capacities of Western Sahel countries in understanding the multi-dimensional risks that the region face and devising mechanisms that anticipate and respond to these challenges. In this regard, UNDP Regional Service Centre of Africa developed a regional project Strengthening capacities for disaster risk reduction and adaptation for Resilience in the Sahel Region: fostering risk-informed solutions for sustainable development, which is anchored in the Regional Programme.
• The main objective of this regional initiative is that regional institutions and national governments have institutionalized and domesticated risk-informed development planning, programming and investment for resilience building.
• With funding from the Swedish Government (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency - SIDA), the Sahel Resilience Project proposes to strengthen the Sahel regional capacity in fostering risk-informed development through a multi-country approach. The change expected to be achieved through this Project is that Sahel regional institutions and national governments have institutionalized and domesticated risk-informed development planning, programming and investment for gender-responsive resilience building. The project focuses on seven Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Chad, Niger and Nigeria).
• The Regional Project will be implemented in partnership with the African Union, Regional Economic Commissions and Institutions (ECOWAS, Lake Chad Basin Commission, CILLS/AGRHYMET), UN Women and academia/research-based institutions (Peri-Peri U). The Project Team will be housed within the Humanitarian Division of the ECOWAS Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs in Abuja.
• The Project Administrative will work under the guidance of the Project Manager and in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Humanitarian Division, and ECOWAS Operations and Finance Teams. The Project Administrative will report directly to the Project Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Project Administrative Associate provides project and administrative services in support of the Regional Resilience Project.
• This includes project support in financial management, planning, implementation, administrative support, reporting and information management.
• The Associate implements UNDP’s policies, rules and regulations.
• The Associate will identify and help resolve bottlenecks, clarify and interpret procedures in terms of project management practices.
• The Associate will also work in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project teams in the UNDP Nigeria country office for resolving complex project-related issues and information delivery.

Specifically, the Project Administrative Associate will be responsible for the following three key result areas:

Support to the implementation, management and monitoring of the Project:

• Providing project management support;
• Tracking, monitoring and reporting on the use of project resources;
• Maintaining project budget;
• Confirmation of availability of funds prior to review by supervisor; creating vendor set-up information in Atlas;
• Ensuring the compliance of project implementation and general operations;
• Generating reports and information on implementation of projects and project status.

General operational and administrative support to the Project Management Team:

• Assisting the Project Manager and DRR Specialist administratively;
• Coordinating and writing briefing materials and reports for meetings;
• Processing Travel Requests, including timely follow-up action on medical/security clearance;
• Providing administrative and logistical support for meetings, workshops, trainings, conferences, retreats and any other special events;
• Handling the communication work related to the project;
• Taking care of and assisting procurement of staff, goods and services;
• Organizing and preparing agendas and minutes of meetings and tracking follow-up actions;
• Organization and coordination of workshops, conferences, retreats, etc.

Management of the project’s documentation portfolio:

• Preparing information for the audit of the project;
• Editing and translating reports as necessary for in-house dissemination and/or publication;
• Coordination of assets management and timely preparation and submission of periodic inventory reports;
• Proper control of supporting documents of funds and activities;
• Collecting and disseminating information related to the project;
• Support the identification of clear and achievable financial targets, a realistic plan to reach them.

Competencies
Core:

Innovation:

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work Level 3: Adapts deliverables to meet client needs.

Leadership:

• Ability to persuade others to follow Level 3: Proactively seeks and recognizes the contributions of others.

People Management:

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Level 3: Appropriately involves team in different stages of work and decision-making.

Communication:

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Level 3: Expresses information and views with adaptive reasoning and appreciation for complexity and variation.

Delivery:

• Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement Level 3: Takes responsibility for addressing critical situations and delivering core value.

Technical/Functional:

• Financial Planning and Budgeting.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Fundamental knowledge of processes, methods and procedures.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Building Strategic Partnerships.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Results-Based Programme Development and Management.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Knowledge of UN and intergovernmental financial management processes.
• Level 3: Implement & Manage: Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating the ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.
• Project monitoring and financial reporting.

Level 3: Implement & Manage:

• Exercises skills and knowledge independently, demonstrating ability to manage self and team responsibilities, in area of work.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Secondary Education, preferably with specialized certification in Accounting and Finance. University Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences and Social Sciences would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

• Six years of progressively responsible administrative or programme experience (three years with University Degree) is required at the national or international level, in West Africa. 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.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and working knowledge of French.

Application Closing Date
Midnight New York, USA; 5th September, 2020.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• UNDP 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 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.