P4 - Programme Specialist, (Migration, Forced Displacement, and Recovery Solutions)

Background

 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

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.

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. 

Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau (CB) guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response, and recovery. The Bureau has the responsibility for support to prevention, crisis response, resilience, and recovery work under the auspices of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Crisis Bureau staff provide global strategic advice to UNDP management and technical advice to regional hubs and Country Offices; advocate for UNDP corporate messages, represent UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora, and engage in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. As part of the Global Policy Network (GPN), the Crisis Bureau works in an integrated manner with UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) ensuring that issues are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. The Crisis Bureau supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven in its programme support efforts, in close coordination and thematic synergy with BPPS through the GPN. Within CB the C3RT ensures that UNDP is ready to mobilize rapid responses to crises, providing immediate support and coordinating recovery including early recovery efforts across global and local levels. The team's mission emphasizes developing and maintaining standards, protocols, and systems to deliver optimal crisis response, including effective communication and resource mobilization. 

Reporting to Regional Team Leader, Governance and Peace Building, matrixed to the Asia Pacific Team LeaderC3RT, the Programme Specialist will be the Bangkok Regional Hub’s lead adviser on migration, forced displacement, and recovery solutions. In collaboration with the GPN teams in the Regional Hub, HQ and Country Offices, s/he is responsible for providing policy and programme advisory services to Country Offices and overseeing regional programming related to mitigating displacement risk, finding solutions to displacement, maximizing the development potential of migration, all gender sensitive, and embedding these areas within UNDP’s recovery programmes. Working in close collaboration with GPN policy teams in the Hub the Programme Specialist will be responsible for supporting the integration of issues related to migration, forced displacement and recovery solutions in the context of the regional programme for Asia and the Pacific. The Programme Specialist will support pipeline development and positioning of country offices and lead the development of regional programme initiatives, as applicable, in areas where UNDP has significant comparative advantage to deliver programmes or provide thought leadership on all aspects pertaining to migration, forced displacement, and recovery solutions.

Working to ensure quality and coherent policy and programme advisory services within the region and across other regions as well as alignment with the UNDP Strategic Plan, the Programme Specialist advances the credibility and recognition of the organization’s programmes on migration, forced displacement and early recovery in crisis and fragile settings. As part of this, the Programme Specialist contributes to UNDP’s response to crises in the Asia Pacific region, and supports the establishment and development of partnerships in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus at the regional level. The Programme Specialist ensures that programming for displacement, early recovery and recovery are linked to long-term sustainable development interventions in the region with a focus on addressing the root causes of forced displacement and negative drivers of migration.

Position Purpose:

The Programme Specialist ensures that programming for displacement and recovery are linked to long-term sustainable development interventions in the region with a focus on addressing the root causes of forced displacement and negative drivers of migration. Key responsibilities of the position include:

• Programme and Policy Support 
• Support Policy Development 
• Resource Mobilization 
• Partnerships, Representation and Advocacy 
• Knowledge Management

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across 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.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provision of programme support and top-quality policy advice

Act as focal point for UNDP on migration, forced displacement, and recovery across Asia and the Pacific region, providing high-quality and timely advisory support to Country Offices and UNDP programmes in the region.

• Ensure strong coordination with the relevant regional and global teams in both Crisis Bureau and BPPS to strengthen Country Office recovery and resilience programming as it relates to forced displacement and migration.
• Deliver technical policy advice and programme support, in collaboration with the GPN teams in the Regional Hub and HQ, which responds to country office needs, including through the provision of capacity building and backstopping on migration, forced displacement, and recovery.
• Coordinate the development of UNDP’s regional thought leadership on migration, forced displacement, early recovery and recovery, including through the conception and production of knowledge products that support UNDP and others in applying HDP-Nexus development approaches to migration and forced displacement. 
• Represent UNDP in government and non-governmental regional fora, focusing on the prevention of and sustainable solutions to forced displacement, disaster displacement, climate mobility, and migrant contributions to sustainable development.
• Identify and recommend new opportunities and innovations for advisory directions, roles, and partnerships for increased results.

Lead Policy Development

• Lead the integration of UNDP’s work in migration, forced displacement, and recovery in the region to deliver a coherent policy and programming framework in support of the implementation of the UNDP Strategic Plan, in particular ensuring linkages between i) adaptation planning, disaster risk reduction, and displacement risk governance, ii) economic recovery and inclusive growth, iii) displacement/return, early recovery and peacebuilding/social cohesion, and iii) sustainable solutions to displacement, early recovery, and women’s empowerment in crisis and fragile settings, as well as other thematic priorities as they emerge.
• Advise on policy gaps and positioning opportunities for UNDP’s work on migration, forced displacement, and recovery, including early recovery, in the region.
• Critically assess and measure policy services in the designated area and recommend to COs, HQ and Hub Management new policy and strategic alignment options.
• Foster policy innovation in the thematic areas of migration, forced displacement, and recovery to enhance programme delivery.

Ensure immediate deployment to provide rapid crisis response and surge support to countries affected by sudden-onset crises

• Advise and support COs with the implementation of the UNDP crisis response packages and other recovery solutions tools in the immediate aftermath of crisis. 
• Provide programming contributions as UNDP SURGE for country offices, which includes development of programmatic frameworks for recovery and early recovery, 
• Guide and support COs with re-pogramming of project portfolios after a crisis.
• Engage in humanitarian cluster system in support of the CO management in relevant sectors. 
• Support COs with immediate post crisis assessments.
• Provide initial support to kick start programming and SURGE planning

Build Strategic Partnerships, Resource Mobilization, Representation and Advocacy

• Mobilize, foster, and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities e.g., IOM, UNHCR, ILO and other relevant regional bodies including UNESCAP, ADB, ASEAN and other regional integration mechanisms.
• Promote multi-agency approaches to migration, forced displacement and recovery, which foster strong local and/or government leadership and ownership.
• Develop strategic partnerships with the private sector, civil society, global funds, and innovative impact investors as they relate to migration, forced displacement, and recovery in coordination with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau and the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy.
• Represent UNDP in UN interagency coordination mechanisms related to migration, forced displacement and recovery as well as in other fora to advance UNDP’s strategic agenda on early recovery and solutions to displacement.
• In collaboration with relevant teams at regional and global levels, co-lead resource mobilization to support the delivery of UNDP results and oversee pipeline development, the preparation of funding proposals and donor briefings.
• Establish and maintain an enabling environment for harmonious working relationships and team building, by promoting consistent and constructive communication, open information sharing, and coordination among personnel

Facilitate Knowledge Management

• Oversee analysis, documentation, and codification of results/lessons learned in the specific thematic area, ensuring that knowledge sharing, and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools.
• Guide and coordinate the cross-regional exchange of knowledge by collaborating with policy teams in HQ to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools and guidance to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material at various fora. 
• Lead promotion of innovation in the region in delivering solutions for IDPs, returnees, and displacement affected communities, with a focus on maximizing the effectiveness of UNDP’s interventions in terms of the Inter-agency Standing Committee Criteria on progress towards solutions to displacement.

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: Manage and supervise support staff, project staff 

Competencies

Core:  

Achieve Results:

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 

Learn Continuously

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility 

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 

Act with Determination        

•  Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

Business Direction & Strategy - Strategic 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 Management - Portfolio Management:              

Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management

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 

Partnership management - Resource mobilization:       

Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet funding

2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness - Crisis and Fragility Policy and Engagement:

Humanitarian-Development Peace (HDP) Nexus

2030 Agenda: Prosperity - Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility:               

Addressing the Adverse Drivers of Irregular Migration and Forced Displacement

2030 Agenda: Prosperity - Recovery Solutions and Human Mobility:               

Economic Recovery
 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Development, International Relations, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or related disciplines is required.
• OR A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional work experience providing advice, programming support, research, / or thought leadership on migration, displacement, and recovery is required.
• Experience in fragile or developing country settings is required.
• Experience in working with international development organizations is an asset.
• Experience in inter-governmental and/or inter-agency processes is an asset. 
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of UN/UNDP programming modalities, is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in resource mobilization is desired.
• Proven experience in managing/ leading teams is an advantage. 
• Experience in promoting innovation in delivering solutions for IDPs, returnees, and displacement affected communities is an asset. 

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is desired.
• Working knowledge of regional languages would be an advantage.

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

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders) 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

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.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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