PBF Coordinator

BACKGROUND

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.

The 1996 Guatemalan Peace Accords, which brought an end to the country’s decades-long civil war, envisioned comprehensive legal, political, economic, and social reforms to overcome the root causes of the armed conflict. However, weak state institutions and lack of political will hindered their implementation. Violence, impunity, and corruption have persisted in post- conflict Guatemala, together with deep social inequalities, structural discrimination, and exclusion – particularly of the indigenous population - fostering conflicts including over land and natural resources, humanitarian crises due to food insecurity, as well as high levels of human mobility.  Key challenges include strengthening democratic governance and the rule of law and building inclusive peace infrastructures at the national and local level with diverse government and non-government actors for the constructive transformation of conflicts to foster conditions for sustainable development and peace.

The UN Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund is the organization's financial instrument of first resort to sustain peace in countries or situations at risk or affected by violent conflict. The Fund works with UN entities, governments, regional organizations, multilateral banks, national multi-donor trust funds and civil society organizations. UN Secretary-General first declared Guatemala eligible to access the Peacebuilding Fund in 2011.  Since then, the Fund has invested in the rule of law via capacity building of institutions and civil society organizations in the security, justice, transitional justice, conflict resolution areas, promoting dialogue, inclusion and respect for human rights in addressing social conflicts, empowering the participation of women and youth in peacebuilding, and seeking justice and transformative reparations for sexual and gender-based violence, as well as addressing regional peacebuilding challenges linked to human mobility. To date, the fund has invested over $46 million in 27 projects. 

For the current period of eligibility (2020-20205), the PBF Strategic Results Framework establishes two priority peacebuilding results:  1. By 2025, justice is more independent, accessible, relevant and efficient, guaranteeing the effective exercise of human rights; 2. By 2025, territorial conflicts have reduced in a peaceful, inclusive, and collaborative way, contributing to human rights and the equitable access to sustainable human development for sustaining peace. The PBF SRF is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and contributes to its expected results in the Peace, Security and Justice and Solid Institutions pillars.

To achieve these results, PBF has an active portfolio of 9 PBF projects with a total investment of $18.6 million, with further projects set to commence in late 2024. The portfolio is supporting key institutional partners such as the Judicial Branch, the Human Rights Ombudsman, the Presidential Peace and Human Rights Commission, the Presidential Private Secretary, the Ministry for the Interior, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal as well as numerous municipal authorities and civil society organizations, particularly women´s and youth organizations.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Established in 2018, the PBF Secretariat, administered by UNDP and under the supervision of the Resident Coordinator, provides support for the strategic orientation, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and communication of PBF programming in Guatemala, and secretarial, technical and logistical support to the functioning of the PBF Executive Committee as a high-level mechanism for the supervision and strategic oversight of the PBF portfolio. 

• Provide strategic guidance and quality assurance to the PBF project portfolio.
• Promote effective coordination within UNCT and with other partners to enhance peacebuilding impact and promote catalytic results.
• Ensure functioning of the PBF Executive Committee. 

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages cross interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key duties and accountabilities include:

Provide strategic guidance and quality assurance to the PBF project portfolio:

• Identify entry points to advance peacebuilding cooperation and the localization agenda in-country.
• Ensure development of Peacebuilding projects aligned with SRF Results.
• Lead the PBF Secretariat team to deliver timely and high-quality support to recipient agencies and national partners.
• Provide technical expertise to recipient organizations to ensure the coherence and quality of projects and programmes.
• Provide mentoring support and solution-oriented coaching to project teams to accompany them in achieving strategic peacebuilding results.
• Support and strengthen the partnership with Civil Society Organizations engaged in the field of peacebuilding in Guatemala.
• Coordinate activities to ensure the coherence and synergy between projects of the portfolio.
• Ensure diligent follow-up of the execution of projects in liaison with recipient agencies.
• Identify implementation difficulties and potential bottlenecks and propose appropriate solutions.
• Put in place systems to track the progress of the Fund’s project results, including data and analysis.
• Ensure quality reporting and coordinate the preparation of progress reports submitted by the recipient agencies and ensure timely submissions.
• Coordinate with the PDA the annual strategic report on the state of peacebuilding in the country
• Ensure compliance with the PBF Rules and Regulations in implementation and reporting.
• Carry out field visits and supervise the monitoring and evaluation of projects.

Strengthen effectiveness of PBF support mechanisms in-country:

• Plan, lead, and oversee the work of the PBF Secretariat to support project delivery and maximum peacebuilding impact in Guatemala.
• Organize the agenda, convene, facilitate and follow up on the meetings and field visits of the Executive Committee so that it can fulfil its responsibility to monitor and supervise the projects.
• As part of RCO, ensure regular interactions with implementing agencies and reports to the Executive Committee and parties involved in the implementation.
• Liaise with government, recipient agencies, and civil society partners for effective project implementation.
• Coordinate closely with UN agencies and NGOs involved in the implementation of peacebuilding projects.
• Coordinate the submissions of UN agencies and CSOs to the PBF Gender and Youth Promotion Initiative calls for proposals.
• Organize field visits to monitor the progress and formulate applicable recommendations for more effective project implementation.
• Support the RCO in the dissemination of the results of projects at the national level and UNCT level.
• Raise the visibility of peacebuilding results achieved by the PBF portfolio and strengthen corporate communication. 
• Ensure that projects stories, best practices, and lessons learned are shared with PBSO.
• Contribute peacebuilding policy discussions with evidence from the field.
• Share good practices via the Community of Practice.
• Provide technical mentoring support to UN-IONGs recipients and national partners as needed. 

Effective coordination in area of peacebuilding to ensure maximum PBF impact:

• Work closely with the Peace and Development Advisor to facilitate information-sharing and dissemination of conflict prevention and peacebuilding tools.
• Coordinate existing partnerships between stakeholders (government, civil society, private sector UN system, international partners) for maximum alignment, effectiveness, and impact.
• Develop and deepen partnerships with UNCT entities, INGOs, and bilateral and multilateral actors
• In synergy with the PDA, support the coordination of UNCT entities, technical partners, and funders in peacebuilding.
• Support the RC in peacebuilding issues by exchanging information and analyses based on the monitoring of projects and field studies/surveys.
• Ensure new projects are based on thorough conflict analysis in close coordination with the PDA.
• Put in place and ensure internal coordination mechanisms for each project involving national counterparts, and non-government organizations.
• Ensure gender mainstreaming in implementation and monitoring of ongoing projects in close coordination with Gender specialists.
• Establish a knowledge management and lessons learned system based on the results of the different projects.
• Keep up-to-date mappings of women´s and youth CSOs related to peacebuilding.
• Reinforce with the PDA capacities of partners related to conflict-sensitivity and support integration of a conflict sensitive approach in UNCT programming. 

Strategic alignment and resource mobilization support:

• Ensure alignment of the projects with other interventions planned or in progress, the UNSDCF and national frameworks.
• Contribute with the Peace and Development Advisor to regular analyses of the national context to guide the programming of the UNCT.
• Engage with national authorities in the follow-up of ongoing projects and in project development as well as advocate for them taking a larger role in peacebuilding promotion. 
• Suggest strategic directions and identify entry points for the development of new projects in-country.
• Ensure the supervision of the visibility activities of the PBF projects, through the elaboration of strategic communication products on a continuous basis. 
• Liaise with the RUNO focal points, communication experts, and use social networks and communication products to communicate PBF´s strategic priorities and project results.
• Contribute to the development of cross-border projects and programmes for possible PBF financing. 
• Contribute to periodic reviews of the intervention strategy and its relevance to the context.
• Ensure communication on the progress of projects as catalysts for the consolidation of peace.
• Ensure a monitoring role for the identification of potential funding sources
• Undertake any other task requested by the Resident Coordinator

Other Duties:

• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:   

• The PBF Coordinator will supervise a team of 5 persons (Administrative/Financial Assistant; M&E Official; Communications Official; Analyst; Driver).

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Law, Social Sciences, Economics, Management, International Development, or any other related discipline is required, OR
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor´s degree) in Law, Social Sciences, Economics, Management, International Development, or any other related discipline in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of advanced university degree.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills 

• Minimum 7 years (with Master´s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor´s degree) in management or coordination of development projects or programs, including at least 3 years in the field of peacebuilding.
• Relevant experience in project cycle management, results-based management and reporting in the area of development programming is required.
• Experience in consultations and negotiations with governments is required.
• Experience in team supervision and leadership is required.
• Experience in leading inter-agency teams not under one’s direct supervision is an asset.
• Proven experience in conflict analysis and conflict-sensitive programming is an asset.
• Working knowledge of PBF processes and guidelines is required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with high-level interlocutors, to facilitate liaison and negotiations with government and international organizations.
• Experience and good skills in monitoring and evaluation.
• Previous experience with the United Nations would be an asset.
• Good knowledge of peacebuilding issues in Guatemala would be an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and oral Spanish and English is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

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

People Management Competencies

• UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site. 

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies: 

Business Management: Project Management

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

Business Management: Portfolio Management

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organizations 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.

Business Management: Monitoring

• Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results.

Business Management: Partnerships

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

2030 Agenda: Peace: Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions

• Youth Peace and Security

2030 Agenda: Peace: Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights

• Transitional Justice

2030 Agenda: People: Gender

• Women, Peace, and Security

 

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

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