Programme Manager-Inclusive Governance Initiative (IGI)

Background

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), including the commitment to “leave no one behind” in development processes. Within UNDP, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP's Strategic Plan. BPPS's staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder forums including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. Within BPPS, the HIV & Health Group (HHG) implements a global project with regional dimensions addressing inequalities and human rights issues that have an influence on health outcomes for the poorest and most marginalized, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Intersex (LGBTI+) populations.  

The “Inclusive Governance Initiative” (IGI) is a key component of HHG’s global health and rights project, focused on supporting countries and regional institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa to be more inclusive of (and responsive to) sexual and gender minorities, given that such populations are frequently marginalized and disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes, poverty, political exclusion and discrimination. IGI is primarily funded by Sweden’s development cooperation agency, Sida.  The first phase of IGI was implemented from 2020 to mid 2025, and a second phase will be implemented from mid 2025 to mid 2028.  

Position Purpose:

The Programme Manager: IGI will be responsible for overall leadership and management IGI, in line with available resources and relevant project documents and donor agreements. Accountabilities and responsibilities will include ongoing shaping of the strategic direction of IGI, in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders; mobilizing resources and managing donor relations; building and maintaining close working relationships with a broad range of national and regional partners; and managing the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of IGI activities.  The Programme Manager: IGI will also be responsible for directly managing a regional team of consultants that provide technical support to relevant UNDP country offices and partners, as well as engaging with regional institutions and facilitating South-South learning.  The Programme Manager: IGI will also work closely with the Programme Manager: Young Key Population Initiative, a parallel project that is closely integrated with IGI, to contribute to overall goals of both young key population and sexual and gender minority inclusion in Africa.  

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

Management of IGI project activities 

• Oversee and manage planning, implementation, monitoring and oversight of IGI, including financial management of allocated resources.  
• Coordinate and supervise the administrative, financial, procurement and programmatic management of IGI in accordance with UNDP rules and procedures.  
• Establish effective operating procedures related to the management of the project and oversee compliance throughout project implementation.  
• Ensure timely execution of the project activities in line with the Agreement with the Government of Sweden and the Global HIV & Health Project Document.  
• Ensure that IGI activities managed by NGO and CSO partners are executed according to action plans and within established budgets, in accordance with Responsible Party Agreements and Low Value Grant Agreements.  
• Ensure that IGI activities managed by UNDP country offices are executed according to action plans and within established budgets. 
• Liaise with M&E Specialist and oversee proper functioning of the project’s M&E system and implement strengthening measures where required.  
• Provide oversight on programmatic impact and ensure timely and accurate reporting within UNDP and to donors. 

Substantive Thought Leadership 

• Provide overall intellectual leadership on sexual and gender minority rights and inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa, collaborating with and mentoring others as appropriate, in civil society, business, academia, governments, the UN system and beyond;  
• Provide substantive thought leadership, contributing to the advancement of social inclusion for sexual and gender minorities in sub-Saharan African, within the broader vision of the HIV and Group’s 2022-2025 Strategy (“Connecting the Dots”), UNDP’s Strategic Plan, and the SDGs;  
• Position IGI at the forefront of identifying and promoting the use of evidence to drive relevant regional, sub-regional and country policies and programmes; 
• Ensure quality control and guidance to the IGI team in their provision of evidence-based policy advisory services to country offices, ensuring relevance of the services provided to country and regional context; 
• Keep abreast of emerging debates and evidence relevant to the initiative’s work, sharing insights as appropriate with the initiative’s team and partners, as well as with UNDP more broadly through HHG and BPPS.

Build Strategic Partnerships, Representation and Advocacy

• Mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN and other relevant bodies and provide substantive guidance and direction to those partnerships, supporting outward looking engagement. 
• Represent the initiative in UNDP’s corporate discussions, in interagency coordination and in other fora to engage partners in advancing the strategic agenda of UNDP’s HIV and health portfolio. 
• Maintain and foster close relationships with donors including the Government of Sweden’s Regional Team on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and others;   
• Develop and oversee strategies for mobilizing additional financial resources for the initiative, from existing and additional partners. 
• Identify appropriate implementation partners and collaborators, overseeing the establishment of sub-grant or other agreements as required. 
• Represent the initiative externally as required. 

Promote Community of Practice and Knowledge Management

• Contribute substantively to discussions on inclusive and just societies, positioning UNDP and advocating for the importance of the UNDP’s work on sexual and gender minority inclusion as part of UNDP’s broader commitment to “leave no one behind”; 
• Encourage team members to contribute to substantive discussions on UNDP’s work and approaches to building peaceful, just and inclusive societies through relevant communities of practice, blogs, articles and the use of social media. 
• Oversee, influence and promote the advance of policy dialogue in the team’s thematic areas through cross-regional exchange of knowledge and collaboration, South-South and triangular cooperation, synthesis of knowledge emerging from the development and implementation of programmes, and the linking of research and practice.  
• Promote, facilitate, encourage and co-manage relevant communities of practice, in close collaboration with relevant teams in the BPPS/HHG team at national, regional and global levels; 
• Stimulate the use of social media and newer communication methods to ensure wide dissemination of positions, events, debates on the topics covered under the issue

Ensure effective recruitment and supervision of team members

• Directly supervise and mentor relevant personnel and consultants contracted to provide technical and project implementation support to IGI, in focus countries and at sub-regional and regional levels. 
• Co-supervise IGI focal points based in relevant country offices, in cooperation with their country office-based supervisors. 
• Ensure recruitment and retention of IGI team members as required and as resources permit. 

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

Competencies:

Core  CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)

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

People Management:

UNDP People: Management Competencies can be found on the dedicated site. 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: 

2030 Agenda: People: Health

• Inclusion and rights of Key Populations at risk of HIV and other excluded

2030 Agenda: People: Health

• LGBTIQ rights 

Communications: Advocacy Strategy & Implementation  

• Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change 

Partnership Management: Resource mobilization 

• Allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with business needs and priorities and principles of accountability and integrity 

Business Management: Partnership Management 

• 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.

Business Direction and Strategy: Systems 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 initiative with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management

Requirements:

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Development Studies, Business Administration, Public Health, Law, or other relevant field 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 will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree  

Experience:

Required 

• Minimum of 10 years’ (with master’s degree) or 12 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in LGBTI+ and HIV key population work in multiple countries in Africa is required. 
• Proven technical expertise and track-record of providing relevant policy advisory support on LGBTI+ and HIV in Africa  
• Proven ability to raise funds and maintain productive donor relations  
• Experience working with relevant African civil society organizations, either directly or through technical support provision 

Desirable 

• At least 15 years or more experience in LGBTI+ and HIV key population work in multiple countries in Africa; 
• Familiarity interacting with or working with UNDP, the broader UN development system, and other bilateral and multilateral development partners. 
• Experience in designing and implementing capacity development programs on LGBTI and/or key population issues for government, CSO and community groups.  
• Proven ability to manage teams including consultants and partners working in multiple countries. 
• Experience in managing multi-country projects 
• Successful track record in resource mobilization 

Language:

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Working knowledge of French, Portuguese or vernacular African languages is desired.  

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

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