Technical Officer – Social Development-Dayr-az-Zawr

Background

The primary role of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is to support country-led efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The work of UNDP in 170 countries around the world is anchored in diverse and effective partnerships, which are vital to our two critical roles at country level: (a) as an integrator across policy, programmatic and organizational silos; and (b) as an operational backbone for the United Nations and other partners.

In Syria, UNDP has adopted a highly principled approach to the delivery of its mandate in providing critical support to crisis-affected communities. Acknowledging the sensitivities of the operational context, UNDP’s activities in Syria are further informed by bespoke measures to mainstream a do-no-harm approach based on a thorough context analysis, to ensure effective safeguarding measures are applied across all areas of operation in response to the multifaced challenges of the Syrian context in terms of economic development, social Inclusion and protection, service delivery, local governance, as well as climate change. Recognizing that gender inequality cuts across all these challenges, UNDP maintains a stand-alone gender equality and women’s empowerment portfolio, supported by a dedicated Gender Equality Unit. In this regard, UNDP Syria is looking for a Technical Officer who can support UNDP’s immediate interventions on Social Development and Gender Support while also extending part-time technical and coordination support to the Gender Equality Unit to help operationalize gender-responsive programming at the field level.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead, manage, coordinate, and develop effective activity planning, implementation and monitoring 

• Act as a technical and project lead for the Social Development and Gender Support projects, and gender equality project activities in the field office. 
• Collect and analyze relevant technical information, data and/or statistics to support the identification of Social Development and Gender Support as well as gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) priorities, and delivery of project outcomes/outputs, while ensuring sex- and age-disaggregated data is integrated to inform inclusive and gender-responsive programming
• Develop project documents and concept notes related to Social Development and Gender Support projects and GEWE targeted projects and mainstreaming activities using collected and analyzed data. 
• Monitor progress of activities and report challenges and concerns in a timely manner, including tracking gender equality indicators in line with the project's Results Framework. 
• Oversee project finance, accounting, and other administrative works related to Social Development and Gender Support and GEWE activities. 
• Follow up on procurement needs, ensuring value for money, transparency, and competition as per UNDP rules and regulations, including preparing or clearing terms of references and technical specifications. 
• Contribute to and coordinate implementation of all Social Inclusion and Development and gender-related work, in alignment with UNDP’s twin-track approach to gender equality, mainstreaming gender across all interventions while supporting standalone initiatives.. 
• Manage risks at the local level and inform Area Manager about any issues that would impede implementation, including risks related to gender-based exclusion or backlash. 
• Ensure all project documentation (progress reports, consultations, lessons learns and other technical reports, minutes of meetings, etc.) are properly maintained in hard and electronic copies in an efficient and readily accessible filing system. 
• Proactively engage with UNDP-led Early Recovery Sector, Protection sector, GBV sub sector and other local gender working groups in terms of needs assessments, joint programming, monitoring and evaluation and meetings.
• Actively liaise with local authorities, NGOs, community groups, cooperatives, civil society organizations, women led organizations (WLO), local women and youth networks (LW&YN), and local technical government entities to support project implementation.
• Coordinate with area office technical officers working on other projects to ensure integration and comprehensiveness in planning and implementation of activities, supporting gender mainstreaming across projects. 
• Implement the required activities under the direction of Area Manager in line with the area office strategy, Country Office Strategy, Gender Equality and women’s Empowerment strategy, and CPD. 
• Perform any other duties related to goals and objectives as requested by the supervisor.
• Identify funding opportunities and support the Area Manager with programme resource mobilization efforts with donor partners, including the development of advocacy/communication tools in support of resource mobilization, with attention to gender-focused programming.

Strategic partnerships and coordination with key stakeholders

• Map, identify, and prioritize potential partners, engaging in discussions and negotiations with stakeholders such as government bodies, local authorities, private sector entities, microfinance institutions (MFIs), associations, NGOs, WLO, LW&YN, and community-based organizations (CBOs).
• Substantively contribute to the harnessing of effective partnerships and lead the identification and onboarding process for implementing partners.
• Provide technical support to the implementing partners and act as a liaison between UNDP and the partners, including monitoring and advising on gender-sensitive implementation across partners’ activities.
• Support the Area Manager in key operational procedures, including drafting grant and partnership agreements, processing payment requests, and handling other essential operational tasks.

Facilitate knowledge building and management

• Provide technical advice and facilitate capacity-building activities for partners and team members to foster discussions at the governorate level, enhance coordination among stakeholders, and strengthen their gender integration capacities.
• Assist the communications team in identifying success stories and creating communication materials, including human interest stories, audio-visual content, and key messages that reflect on-ground implementation progress, particularly those showcasing women’s empowerment and inclusive results in social inclusion and protection project, GEWE project and other UNDP projects as feasible.
• Promote knowledge sharing among UNDP staff and field project teams to ensure effective dissemination of experiences and insights, .
• Promote advocacy for UNDP’s work and opportunities for collaboration in addressing development trends in coordination with partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff, including promoting visibility of gender equality commitments and achievements. 

 

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

Institutional Arrangement

Under the direct supervision of the area manager and technical coordination with the relevant Project Manager(s) for Social Development and Gender Support

Competencies

Core
Achieve Results:	LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively:	LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously:	LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility:	LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination:	LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner:	LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:	LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies (insert up to 7 competencies)  Thematic Area Name Definition 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. Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals. Business Management Monitoring and Evaluation Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to making sure that they are being implemented effectively;  Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results. Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programs and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming.  Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.  Business Development Knowledge Generation   Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches.  Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.  Business Management Communication        Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; 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. Business Management & Advocacy Partnership Management   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.  Finance Budget management Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets. Administration & Operations Events management (including retreats, trainings and meetings) Ability to manage events, including venue identification, accommodation, logistics, catering, transportation, and cash disbursements, etc.

 

 

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements	Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in the field of social science or relevant related field is required Or A First Level University degree (Bachelor’s degree ) in the above field in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree
Min. years of relevant work experience	Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the field of social science or relevant fields are not required to have professional work experience.  Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in the field of social science or relevant fields are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in the design, supervision and implementation of Social Development, Gender Support projects, and gender responsive programming.
Required  skills	N/A
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section	Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of web-based management systems. Four years of practical experience in the design, supervision and implementation of Social Development and Gender Support projects, and gender responsive programming is highly desirable. Experience in developing project documents, strategies and concept notes Experience in community and stakeholder engagement, especially women. Experience in the preparation of donors´ or other technical and financial reports will be an asset. Experience and knowledge of Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment analysis skills and feminist principles.  Experience and knowledge of project management processes is desirable. Experience and knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools is desirable. Experience with the UN system will be an asset.  Good knowledge of the duty station is highly desirable.
Required Language(s)	Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

 

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. 

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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