The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is one of the world’s largest multilateral development agencies partnering with national stakeholders from the government, private sector, academia and civil society, to achieve 2030 national visions and to build a world where no one is left behind. To achieve this aim, UNDP provides and supports capacity building efforts, promotes policy dialogue and advocacy, and shares best practices and knowledge.

The UNDP Multi-Country Office (MCO) for Mauritius and Seychelles partners with both countries in inclusive development, environment protection, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. Our porgammes also support digital transformation and capacity development for the public sector and gender mainstreaming across our programme portfolio.

The MCO works to support achievement of UNDP strategic objectives to create a world where people and planet thrive together, and to help the multi-country Office act with both ambition and scale to address urgent problems facing the country as well as global climate deteriorating conditions. Programme staff assist the Multi-Country Office in formulating and implementing programme strategies that go beyond solving immediate development challenges to create future smart and integrated systemic changes in resilience and capacity building within the country.

Position Purpose:

Under the guidance of the Resident Representative, the Assistant Resident Representative (ARR) serves as a member of the oversight and management team for the country programmes in Mauritius and Seychelles. The main role is to support the management of the country programmes to ensure programmatic coherence, financial sustainability, and alignment with the global, regional and MCO strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The ARR oversees the programme team in strategic planning and identifies new programme areas in collaboration with the Senior Economist and Thematic Team Leaders while ensuring consistency with UNCDF/ CPD priorities and creative responses to emerging challenges and opportunities.

The ARR works in close collaboration with the Team Leaders, Programme Management Support Team, Operations Team and Senior Economist in the MCO, Programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society to successfully implement the UNDP programme.

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 to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

• Support the thorough analysis of the political, social, and economic situation in the country and collaborative preparation/revision of CCA, UNCDF, CPD, AWP, and other documents.
• Identification of strategic programme areas of cooperation.
• Operationalization of UNCDF/ CPD in collaboration with the main partners and other UN Agencies. Identification of possibilities for joint programming.
• Analysis and presentation of UNDP policies and their implementation in the MCO.
• CO business processes mapping and establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management, control of the workflows in the Programme Unit.

Ensures effective management of the MCO programmes and supervision of the Programme team focusing on quality control of the full cycle of programming from formulation and implementation to accountability and reporting achieving the following results:

• Effective application of RBM tools, establishment of management targets (BSC) and monitoring achievement of results.
• Design and formulation of CO programme within the area of responsibility, translating UNDP priorities into local interventions. Coordination of programme implementation with the executing agencies.
• Strategic oversight of planning, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring of the programme, tracking use of financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations. ARR(P) performs the function of Manager Level 2 in Atlas for development projects transactions approval.
• Effective monitoring, measuring the impact of the CO programme and evaluation. Constant monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely readjustment of programme.
• Follow up on audit recommendations. All exceptions are timely reported.
• Aggregate reports are regularly prepared on activities, outputs, and outcomes. Preparation of donor reports.
• Organization of cost-recovery system for the services provided by the MCO to projects in close collaboration with Operations Manager.

Contributes to establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships and supports resource mobilization in cooperation with the Programme and Management Support Team focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Implementation of the MCO partnerships and resources mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes.
• Creation and coordination of partnerships with the UN Agencies, IFI’s, government institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, private sector, civil society etc.
• Determination of programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donors’ priorities.
• Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for cost-sharing.

Ensures provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals.
• Coordination of development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.
• Establishment of advocacy networks at national level and linked to international networks. Relevant, high-impact advocacy campaigns are implemented with key partners.
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on programme.

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:Supervision and performance management of Multi-country Office Programmes Team

Core:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3

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

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3

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

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3

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

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3

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

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3

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

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

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

• Show managerial courage
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and emotional intelligence
• Ability to motivate and direct
• Ability to build an enabling workplace
• Ability to build capability
• Manage performance and ensure accountability
• Lead with humility

Cross-Functional & Technical:

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

Partnership Management – Strategic Engagement:

• Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives

Business Development – Knowledge Facilitation:

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

Business Management – Client Satisfaction/Management:

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Business Management – Results-Based Management:

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results

Business Management – Project Management:

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

Business Management – Portfolio Management:

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization as programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment