Technical Specialist (Organizational Development)

The Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoSS) has defined its post-independence peace and statebuilding goals in the South Sudan Development Plan (SSDP) and its annexed Mid Term Capacity Development Strategy (MTCDS). It has identified civil service strengthening for efficient and transparent service delivery as one of its key priority programme. UNDP has been steadily supporting GoSS in the post-CPA period in its state-building process, through supporting the prioritization and establishment of core governance functions, and through public sector capacity support initiatives such as the secondment of 200 civil servants from neighboring countries into state structures through this IGAD project. These civil servants serve as rapid capacity enhancement support and are "twinned" with South Sudanese civil servants to ensure the direct transfer of skills and on-the-job training. IGAD has been hailed as a good model for post-conflict capacity development, and actions are being taken to further stepping it up. IGAD project management unit is embedded in the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development (MoLPS&HRD). As envisaged in the IGAD project, support needs to be provided to MoLPS&HRD to establish country leadership and facilitate the smooth implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project. UNDP has also supported GoSS, under the leadership of MoLPS&HRD in defining the MTCDS - and capacities need to be infused in the ministry to support implementation of the strategy. Given the increasing recognized priority assigned by GoSS to the implementation of the MTCDS and to civil service reform including through the IGAD initiative, and the leading role allocated to MoLPS&HRD in managing these key processes and initiatives, MoLPS&HRD has requested UNDP to provide a more stable and continuous form of technical advice to support its own organizational development, in the form of an Organizational Development Specialist to be assigned to work within the Ministry. Organizational development support to MoLPS&HRD is particularly needed as the ministry has been recently created by merging the previous Ministry of Labour and Public Service, and Ministry of Human Resource Development, and a restructuring process is ongoing. This post is in line with UNDP new strategic direction in South Sudan. UNDP is in the process of defining its CDP/CPAP for the 2012-2013 period. A key CPD output under the governance pillar is support to public sector reform and civil service strengthening; accordingly, a new comprehensive programme is currently under development, which will bring under one coherent umbrella all UNDP support to MoLPS&HRD to lead public sector reforms and capacity development efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the joint supervision of the Team Leader, Governance/Rule of Law Unit, and of the Undersecretary (U/S) in the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Human Resource Development, and in coordination with the IGAD project manager, the incumbent will contribute to the following deliverables and related tasks: MoLPS&HRD Strategic Plan in place and implementation ongoing: Provides advise to the Ministry in the definition of its new strategic plan, following the merging of the previous Ministry of Human Resource Development and Ministry of Labour and Public Service; Identifies and develops strategic partnership for the implementation of the Strategic Plan; Identifies and coordinates mechanisms and plans that need to be set up for SP implementation; Supports the design of a participatory monitoring system to oversee SP implementation and inform course correction. Rationalization of key ministries, commissions and public service institutions conducted: Develops and maintains strong linkages with Office of the President and other government entities to coordinate the rationalization of government; Supports the process of prioritization and sequencing of government rationalization; Identifies needs for guidance notes and checklist to support personnel conducting rationalization; Develops guidance notes and support material as per identified need; Supports collection of results from ongoing rationalization and sharing of lessons learnt for definition of next steps. Training policy enacted and implementation ongoing: Coordinates collection of feedback on training policy draft and establishes consultation mechanisms for finalization; Identifies and advocates for the set up of mechanisms and plans necessary for policy implementation; Based on training policy, supports definition of scope and methodology of Training Needs Analysis (TNA), and defines budgeted plan for TNA implementation; Maps and liaises with service providers involved in training for civil service to ensure their services are aligned with the new training policy; Provides strategic advice to the ministry in the set-up of / partnership with training institutes (e.g. establishment of Management Development Institute, MDI; partnership with Juba University; Networking with regional think thanks and training institutes). Screening and reselection of public servants conducted: Assists in the Screening and reselection process of current civil servants in accordance with Presidential Circular No. 21/2011. Participates in the validation of certificates of civil servants in national ministries as per ToRs provided to the screening and reselection Committee. Coordinates with Governors for implementation of the Presidential Order and State and County level. Budget and Management Services Directorate operational: Advises on organizational development needs of the newly established directorate; Highlights staffing needs; identifies and provides on-the-job training to national counterpart(s) in the Directorate; Coordinate definition and implementation of directorate work plans; Provides some direct training to directorate beneficiaries (mainly as on-the-job training to directorate national trainers/counterparts). Mechanisms for implementation of the Mid-Term Capacity Development Strategy set-up: Coordinates consultations on MTCDS implementation start-up and establishment of the Capacity Development Working Group within MoLPS&HRD Provides advice to the team(s) drafting MTCDS-mandated documentation (e.g. CD protocol, CD workplans, etc…); Supports the realization of workplans for cross-government CD initiatives; and the identification and mobilization of goods and services needed to implement workplan activities. Prepares regular reviews of action plans and budgets into a Progress Report; Supports identification and coordination/implementation of interventions that contribute to continuously honing the group's capacities to: a) implement and monitor the MTCDS and;b) to design, implement and monitor any future capacity development strategy. Ad hoc advisory and technical support provided that may be assigned by the U/S: Provides on-the-job training to counterparts in the Ministry; Prepares periodic and other progress reports on agreed deliverables, results and lessons learned; Drafts talking points and/or contribute to policy papers for high-level conference/meetings on public sector reforms, human capital and capacity development; Liaises with other government counterparts, national entities and international donors involved on issues related to his/her area of work.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies: Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability Functional Competencies: Demonstrates team-building capacity including interpersonal and communication skills and ability to cope with a difficult environment where formal institutions of government are at the embryonic stage. Deals diplomatically with challenging bureaucratic processes, and pressure to meet strict deadlines. Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities Advanced computer skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master Degree in Business Administration, Public Administration or related studies. Educational background on strategic management, organizational development and/or human resources development a strong asset. Experience: Minimum 5 years of relevant international work experience, including in post-conflict countries. Experience managing or providing advisory services for: A) civil service reform programming; B) conducting organizational assessments and defining/implementing organizational development plans, preferably in a public sector setting; C) defining and/or managing capacity development initiatives in fragile contexts. Familiarity with leading complex change management processes. Previous experience in working with high-level government counterparts and development partners. Past experience with UNDP or other UN Agencies or International Non-Government Organizations in similar positions constitutes an advantage. Language: Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of Arabic is desirable

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.

Technical Specialist (Organizational Development)