Chief Technical Advisor, PBF Projects

Burundi has entered a critical phase in the process of stabilization and community recovery. However, a series of events are liable to jeopardize this stabilization phase. Firstly, the massive influx of repatriated and expelled individuals puts critical pressure on the demand for basic social services that are already subject to severe constraints. Secondly, specific problems linked to repatriation such as: ongoing disputes over the ownership of property, lack of access to land, insufficiency of food stocks, rising unemployment – especially among women and youth, all generate fresh tensions within the communities. Finally, unemployment, poverty and lack of opportunity threaten stability and reconciliation. Inattention to these problems could seriously threaten the still fragile stability in the country. UNDP, in partnership with the Government of Burundi, supports the implementation of a program in which community based and government institutions play an active part in communities’ security and socio-economic development. The Government of Burundi, with support from UNDP and other UN agencies, has developed a program, and mobilized financial resources from the Peace Building Fund (PBF) of the Peace Building Support Office, that will act as a catalyst to strengthen government structures, particularly the management of Reintegration and will allow the Ministry of Solidarity to respond strongly to the challenge of reintegration in the context of future national program of reintegration. The program will strengthen national structures undertaking sustainable social reintegration of population affected by the crisis and will promote their economic reintegration and that of the host communities by strengthening the local productive sector and promote sustainable forms of employment. The global strategy will emphasise re-establishing institutional capacity, on the national, provincial and local levels, while also supporting communities to build the country anew within a sustainable development approach. A sense of national and local ownership, facilitated through a participatory approach, is essential. If all beneficiary communities and other stakeholders are fully involved in the process and their views are taken into account during the identification and implementation of a variety of project activities, the accomplishments will be more sustainable. For this reason, the UNDP is therefore recruiting a Chief Technical Advisor to manage the PBF Projects.

Duties and Responsibilities

Implementation of PBF projects and social and economic reintegration strategies focusing on the achievement of the following results: Direct Supervision of Chief Technical Specialist (P4) Coordination, Western Zone and the Chief Technical Specialist (P4) Coordination, Southern Zone ensuring performance objectives are established, monitored and evaluated; A thorough analysis and research on political, social and economic issues related to social and economic reintegration in the country; and Preparation of substantive inputs to the CCA, UNDAF, CPD, CPAP, and other corporate documents, as well as the PRSP 2nd Generation. Responsible for the overall coordination, oversight, and implementation of the PBF reintegration intervention and ensure compliance with UNDP procedures, policies and systems and according to contractual obligations in order to achieve the following results: Provision of high-level policy and programme advice to UNDP CO and the Government of Burundi, in particular the Ministry of Solidarity; Lead UNDP involvement in the social and economic reintegration process, ensuring periodic reporting on progress achieved; Design and formulation of PBF programme through the translation of UNDP priority areas into local interventions; Ensure the timely delivery of interventions in a coordinated manner so as to achieve maximum impact; Facilitate the establishment of mechanisms to guarantee consensus among UN agencies, Government Ministries and other stakeholders on the implementation process and transparent use of resources, through putting in place of / building on, appropriate consultative processes and procedures; Ensure the timely, transparent and consolidated reporting on PBF interventions implemented; Ensure strategic planning of activities / interventions such that they complement and create synergies with activities and interventions in other thematic areas to ensure access to basic social services, access to justice for those affected by the conflict, and other such services; Ensure the devolution of coordination mechanisms from national to field level and ensure the organisation of regular thematic meetings (livelihoods improvement, access to housing and land for cultivation) through creating / building on existing mechanisms for information sharing and tracking resources mobilised for social and economic reintegration; and Coordinate with other agencies and actors to ensure successful social and economic reintegration of populations affected by the conflict and the communities in which they live. Facilitate / strengthen strategic partnerships with perspective of achieving the following results: Provide high level advise to the Ministry of Solidarity, other key ministries and the Sector Group on Reintegration and support the development key donors on best ways to make more effective and efficient use of existing financial resources and to coordinate resource mobilisation process; Open and transparent communication among partner agencies, government, other stakeholders and the general public to ensure visibility of the integrated programme; Ensure greater accountability and transparency to others on use of resources; Regular interaction with critical stakeholders on social and economic reintegration issues, including key UNCT members; and Develop collaborative approach for UN agency engagement in the programme in line with the spirit and framework of “delivering as one”. Maintain and strengthen relationships with current donors supporting the integrated programme and develop new relationships to mobilise additional financial resources through: Development and implementation of resource mobilisation strategies; Identification and response to funding opportunities as they emerge; Through liaison with strategic development partners, advise the Ministry of Solidarity, other key ministries and key donors on best ways to coordinate resource mobilisation process; and Development of synergies with other programmes of the Early Recovery Unit and the UNS to facilitate the transition to sustainable development. Support and facilitate a capacity development process for national ownership focused on achieving the following results: Provide high level policy guidance and technical advice to the Minister, Permanent Secretariat, staff and other key ministries on best way to engage stakeholders in a result based management system and adopt the capacity development approach as the best way to achieve the goals and objectives of the National Reintegration Strategy; Support an inclusive process of formulating a capacity development policy and capacity development programmes for the Ministry of Solidarity to successfully implement the National Reintegration Strategy through the development of appropriate programmes, policies, systems and structures; Provide coaching and mentoring capacity development services to the Ministry of Solidarity and other key ministries and institutions to ensure sustainable socio-economic reintegration of affected populations; and Improved coherency of interventions of the integrated programme from national to provincial to communal levels and ensure that synergies and collaborative efforts are developed with actions of other stakeholders and government entities at all levels. Facilitate knowledge management focusing on the achievement of: Develop systematic approach to identify specific capacity development needs of national institutions involved in PBF projects and social and economic reintegration initiatives at all levels, UNDP staff and participating implementation partners to enhance program intervention; Establish / maintain methodology and forum for practice and knowledge sharing / dissemination within thematic domain of social and economic reintegration; Demonstrate thought leadership in the area of sustainable employment creation, providing strategic guidance and knowledge transfer to the Early Recovery Unit, UNDP leadership and UN System; Contribute to the development of strategy and tools to raise understanding within UNDP leadership, UN agencies, government partners, development partners and other relevant stakeholders on transition to sustainable development; and Develop and implement strategy to document and build evidence necessary to inform the transition from social and economic reintegration towards sustainable development from programmatic and policy perspective. Impact of Results: Sustainability of social and economic reintegration results insured financially and programmatically. Successful coordination of multi agency and multi ministerial support to the social and economic reintegration of populations affected by the crisis resulting in sustainable job creation and increased economic opportunities and reduction in insecurity. A broad and inclusive high-level social and economic reintegration approach developed to facilitate the transition to sustainable development. Economic empowerment of women and greater capacity to advocate for rights.

Competencies

Ethics and Values Reliably delivers on promises and honors commitments, holding himself/herself accountable for actions taken Takes the initiative to report on any deviations from established norms/practices Demonstrates and promotes the highest standard of integrity, impartiality, fairness and incorruptibility in all matters affecting his/her work and status Recognizes ethical dilemmas and/or conflicts of interest and seeks advice or support to resolve them Strives to build and support a diverse team and takes full advantage of the perspectives brought by people regardless of gender, culture or religion Identifies conflicts of interest between stakeholder groups and works to keep UN/UNDP from inappropriate involvement in such situations Developing and Empowering people/Coaching and Mentoring Integrates himself/herself into the work unit, taking responsibility for own contribution to achieving team results Takes initiative and seeks opportunities to initiate action Helps peers to identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, training and development needs Communicating Information and Ideas Facilitates open exchange of information and ideas encouraging team members to share their views, thoughts and feelings Uses tact and sensitivity when delivering sensitive information or resolving delicate issues Building Strategic Partnerships Building strategic alliances Identifies and prioritizes opportunities and obstacles in the political scene (government, civil society, parliamentarians, pressure groups) to advance UNDP’s agenda Identifies common interests and goals and carries out joint initiatives with partners Makes effective use of UNDP’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships Builds partnerships with non-traditional sectors by translating UNDP’s agenda into messages that reflect the pertinence of their values and interests Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations Leverages the resources of governments and other development partners Advocacy/Advancing a Policy-Oriented Agenda Influencing the public policy agenda Advocates for the inclusion of UNDP’s focus areas in the public policy agenda Brings visibility and sensitizes decision makers to relevant emerging issues Builds consensus concerning UNDP’s strategic agenda with partners on joint initiatives Leverages UNDP’s multidisciplinary expertise to influence the shape of policies and programmes Demonstrates political/cultural acumen in proposing technically sound, fact based approaches/solutions Dialogues with national counterparts and other stakeholders to strengthen advocacy efforts, incorporating country, regional and global perspectives Demonstrates cultural sensitivity, political savvy and intellectual capacity in handling disagreements with UNDP’s policy agenda in order to promote and position UNDP in complex environments Client Orientation: Meeting long-term client needs Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions or alternatives Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for internal and external clients, and persuades management to undertake new projects or services Consults with clients and ensures their needs are represented in decision-making processes Advises and develops strategic and operational solutions with clients that add value to UNDP programmes and operations Promoting Accountability and Results-Based Management Development and application of organizational standards Ensures compliance with the organizational standards for audit, monitoring and evaluation and results-based management and promotes and monitors their application Promotes a culture of accountability in the organization Develops, disseminates and promotes the use of sound methodologies and tools to assist organizational units in carrying out results-based monitoring and evaluation Analyses audit, evaluation and policy application review results, extracts key elements and prepares proposals to address areas of weakness in the organization’s performance

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master’s degree in Political Sciences, International Relations or Law, Economics, Social Sciences or other relevant area. PhD is considered an asset. Experience: Relevant experience of at least ten (10) years with progressive responsibility in management of community development programs and implementing programme and projects in post-conflict context. Substantive knowledge of UNDP capacity development methodology is mandatory. Professional work experience in at least 5 African Countries. Demonstrated experience in integrating gender and conflict sensitive programming. Experience in coordination support in post conflict. Knowledge and familiarity with the multi donor’s environment and their respective mandates will be an advantage. Excellent writing, facilitation and presentation skills. Experience in the use of computers is required. Languages required: Fluency in French (mandatory) and a good working knowledge of English (an asset).

Chief Technical Advisor, PBF Projects