Programme Specialist (Re-advertised)

Provide technical services and related quality assurance of the project deliverables focusing on achievement of the project outputs. 

• Provides support to Country  Offices  based national country coordinators to ensure the planning and effective implementation of high-quality deliverables and the required quality assurance;
• Oversee the content and organization of capacity-building and training activities; 
•  Support grantees and implementing partners to achieve project objectives; 
• Support grant management and related technical assistance.

Provide technical advise  to the country offices to establish and a functioning ecosystem platform and ensure quality assurance of related outputs.  

•  Support and guide the ecosystem platform facilitators in the target countries; 
• Supports in implementation of ecosystem platform action plans; 
• Support the implementation of ecosystem grants; 
• Organize field visits to monitor grant implementation as per conditions stipulated in the contract. 

Monitor and report on progress in implementing project activities and achieving the targets set.

• Provide leadership and technical advice  and develop clear strategies and an effective system for data collection, means of verification, and information sharing and reporting;
• Lead the implementation of project monitoring, evaluation, and results framework to identify plan deviations and other problems; and make needed course corrections within agreed upon tolerances to achieve results. Conduct field visits as required to verify project activities relative to stated targets and provide regular field updates to UNDP management;
• Lead the development and conduct of mid-term and annual reviews, and end line assessment; and coordinate the conduct of independent evaluations. Follow up on the implementation of decisions, recommendations, and course corrections;
• Manage and monitor project risks, including social and environmental risks, initially identified and submit new risks to appropriate project governing bodies for consideration and decision on possible actions;
• Coordinate the preparation of project,  donor and steering committee reports in line with the reporting schedule and UNDP and donor requirements. Ensure provision of ad hoc reports and information requested by relevant entities.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, learning and knowledge sharing, and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic areas.

• Identify capacity building needs and opportunities. Ensure appropriate training, project workshops and other relevant activities are organized and implemented in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia;
• Ensure project reports capture results, lessons learned and good practices for possible wider application;
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on development and project related issues.;
• Support establishment of knowledge platforms for the project, facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with project partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area;
• Promote advocacy for UNDP’s work and opportunities for collaboration in addressing development in the informal economy sector  in coordination with the project partners, stakeholders, and UNDP Country Office communications staff.

Institutional Arrangement 

The Project Specialist will work within the AFSH Private Sector Unit and under the strategic guidance of its Team Leader, with direct reporting to the Informal Economy Project Manager. 

People Management (Insert below standard sentence if the position has direct reports.)

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

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking 

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions;
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Direction & 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 Development: Knowledge Facilitation    

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

Business Management: Project Management      

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

Business Management: Communication 

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience 
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media, and other appropriate channels

Partnership management: Relationship Management      

• Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding

• Fluency in English is required.