Project Coordinator

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.

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization in fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

Over the last several decades, pro-growth policies have translated into higher incomes and reduced poverty levels in many countries in Asia and the Pacific. However, economic development has not come without costs and risks, particularly to the most vulnerable. There is now wider recognition that human rights abuses in business operations and supply chains in Asia are no longer sustainable, and that government and business must bring abuses to an end as a moral, legal, and economic imperative.  

Business and Human Rights

In this context, the UNDP Asia Pacific Rule of Law and Human Rights team, Business and Human Rights Unit, is currently engaged in promoting the implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The UNGPs clarify the duty of states and the responsibility of businesses to uphold international norms and treaties on human rights. The UNGPs rest on three pillars: 1) the State’s duty to protect human rights; 2) the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and; 3) the joint responsibility of both the State and businesses sector to provide access to remedy for victims of business-related abuses.

Momentum supporting the implementation of the UNGPs through National Action Plans (NAPs) is developing quickly in the region. Nurturing this, an already well-developed community of industry advocates, human rights activists, and development practitioners are deepening their work on a wide variety of thematic areas, while leading national and multi-national enterprises are embedding human rights due diligence approaches into their operational policies and corporate communication profiles.

After several years of successful interventions around the UNGPs, including on public policy and business practice, the BHR Unit is now moving to a new stage of programming involving “bottom-up” approaches through engagement with youth and media. The new project, Agents of Change: Youth and Media for Responsible Business Practices, will promote youth and media as key implementation partners and drivers of change in the context of business and human rights. Specifically, the project aims to harness the power of youth and media to act as force multipliers of policy progress already made under the B+HR Asia project, and thereby ensure greater compliance with the provisions of the UNGPs and international human rights and environmental standards.

The project is focused on four Asian countries; Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Thailand implementing a broad range of activities targeting Youth and Media in the area of business, the environment, human rights policy with funding from the European Union’s Partnership Instrument.

The Project Coordinator based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, directly manages funds allocated for project implementation at the country level. The Project Coordinator reports to the Programme Analyst – Rule of Law, Malaysia Country Office, and will act under the guidance of the Business and Human Rights team at the Bangkok Regional Hub. The Project Coordinator is responsible for performing and contributing to the following:

• Project implementation, communication, and monitoring of country-level activities, including data gathering and analysis.
• Awareness raising, capacity building, partnership-building and advocacy.
• Reporting and budget management 
• Communication with regional office and country office colleagues with support to activities, at the regional levels including around events.
   

• Coordinate annual work plan development and implementation according to the project document.
• Ensure project meets expectations as specified in project document, and update CO management and B+HR Unit at Bangkok Regional Hub as required.
• Gather inputs and coordinate the preparation of work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports.
• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring.
• Record and maintain documents on relevant CO-led activities, issues, and risks.
• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on activities from the planning to the evaluation stages.
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds; conduct regular monitoring visits, as required.
• Draft and provide inputs to annual and quarterly reports.
• Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources including annual workplan budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and revisions;
• Monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to CSO partners per UNDP corporate guidance;
• Advocate and facilitate knowledge building and management and communication in line with EU and UNDP guidelines. 

Conduct in-country awareness-raising, capacity building and advocacy activities, including: 

• Conduct consultations at national level with media actors, youth groups, CSOs, business and government.
• Design and implement training, campaigns, and advocacy efforts as necessary.
• Develop partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFIs, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector firms and civil society organizations in the specific thematic areas based on the strategic goals of UNDP Country Offices, country needs and donors’ priorities.
• Train media, youth, business and government actors on Business and Human Rights and seize opportunities to use the implementation of the UNGPs as an instrument to strengthen gender equality and promote environmental rights.
• Develop and train media, youth, business and government actors on environmental due diligence practices.
• Engage with stakeholders on access to remedy initiatives, including in the protection of human rights defenders.
•  Deliver briefings/workshops to Resident Coordinators and the UN Country Team to raise awareness and build partnerships at the national level.
• Draft and/or conduct quality control over related publications, highlighting key issues, trends, emerging opportunities, risks, potential project partners, and entry-points for the country.

Manage country-level implementation under the supervision and guidance of the Programme Specialist with matrix reporting to the Programme Analyst, Rule of Law and supporting regional initiatives as necessary in line with overall project aims

• Manage partnership building and relationships with country-level stakeholders, including EU Delegations 
• Provide regular monitoring and reporting of country-level activities on M&E templates provided
• Contribute to project communication and reporting at regional levels, including in annual and quarterly reports
• Connect country level activities with regional level initiatives for purposes of cross-country learning; attend monthly team meetings led by regional team
• Assist with the implementation of regional activities, including the organizing of regional CSERA event, and media conclaves
• Organize national events on Business and Human Rights to exchange best practices; supporting other country office events when requested in furtherance of wider project aims, including South-South exchange

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing and advocacy relevant to the assigned thematic area(s).

• Organize training, workshops, and capacity building activities in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia.
• Identify, synthesize and document best practices and lessons learned that are generated from the project and implementing partners.
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on 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 on development trends and opportunities to collaborate in coordination with the project partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff.
  The Project Coordinator performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.  
   

Core competencies:

• 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:

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 groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Business Management   

• Project Management. Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Partnerships 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
• 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
• Monitoring & Evaluation. Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make 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, programmes 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 make an independent judgement based on set criteria and
  benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.

Ethics    

• UN Policy knowledge – Ethics. Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to ethics and integrity