The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the global development network of the United Nations, connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, supporting countries to reach their own development objectives and internationally agreed development goals, building, and sharing solutions in the areas of Sustainable Development, Democratic Governance and Peacebuilding and Climate and Disaster Resilience. UNDP supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as they help shape global sustainable development for the next decade. UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) is its largest regional bureau, covering 46 countries, ranging from high middle-income economies to least developed countries, as well as countries in crisis and post-crisis situations. UNDP works with its national counterparts in the Africa region to help them implement national development priorities and achieve their national development goals. Its work is guided by global and regional development and normative frameworks to which countries in Africa are signatories, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063.

The Lake Chad Basin (LCB) and Liptako-Gourma (LG) regions are facing a multidimensional crisis exacerbated by the rise of extremist activities, political instability, violence, and internal displacement. In response, UNDP has established the Special Multi-Partner Delivery Facility and Regional Stabilisation Facility (RSF) in both regions to foster trust between communities and government authorities, leading to opportunities to lay the foundation for long-term peacebuilding, recovery, and development. The RSF initiatives have helped achieve speedy, large-scale interventions aiming at addressing security, essential social services, and livelihoods challenges.

In the LCB region, significant progress has been made in addressing the multidimensional crises, including the fight against Boko Haram factions. However, the security situation remains volatile, leaving 2.8 million internally displaced persons and 257,100 refugees in the region as of March 2024. The structural causes of the crises, such as the weak presence of local authorities, communal tensions, and longstanding marginalization, remain. These factors have led to a trust deficit between states and communities. Notably, climate change impacts are a major risk multiplier in a region marked by fragility. The complex challenges that the LCB region faces call for time-bound, localized, and integrated civilian interventions. Active from September 2019 to August 2024, the Regional Stabilization Facility (RSF) has focused on building trust between communities and legitimate authorities and laying the foundations for recovery, peacebuilding, and development in the LCB region.

Significant achievements include the return of over 435,000 formerly displaced populations since 2020, accounting for around 20 percent of all internally displaced person (IDP) returnees in the LCB, in addition to approximately 670,000 resettled IDPs in RSF locations. Furthermore, 86 percent of surveyed individuals in programme areas reported feeling safe and secure in 2023, a notable increase from only 50 percent in 2020. Neighbouring non-stabilized sites are seeing increased violence, which is adding pressure in stabilized communities, as people are returning and moving there.

Due to continued crisis and conflict — and to not forego gains already made — an extension of the RSF in LCB is proposed for the period of September 2024 to August 2028. The extended phase of the current RSF will focus on strengthening and increasing stabilization support, with a particular emphasis on government ownership for sustained impact. Stabilization has proven to be a highly relevant model in the LCB context, offering a unique value addition that complements regional, national, and local initiatives. The proposed RSF programme (2024-2028) builds on RSF’s initial successes, lessons learned and evaluative evidence, including that acquired through third-party monitoring.

The LG region is witnessing a significant shift in political, security and humanitarian context as well as an evolving geopolitical landscape. Unconstitutional changes of government in the three LG countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) have resulted in political tensions, undermining democratic order and governance. Political uncertainty remains, with military rule extended until 2029 in Burkina Faso, presidential elections postponed in Mali and no clear pathway towards a transition plan in Niger. The security situation remains volatile, with incidents perpetrated by violent extremist and terrorist groups increasing. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis shows no sign of abating, with more than 2.8 million people forcibly displaced and in need of urgent assistance, including over 2 million in Burkina Faso.

The ongoing Liptako-Gourma Stabilisation Facility (LGSF) in the LG region has been investing in infrastructures for basic social services, livelihoods, community security and social cohesion, which remain the foundations for returning populations and conflict-affected communities to rebuild their lives. The programme has benefited more than 300,000 people directly and indirectly since its launch in 2021. In 2023, over 90,000 internally displaced people have returned to target sites, thanks to better security, improved access to essential social services, and enhanced livelihood opportunities.

Urgent efforts are required to mobilise resources while ensuring timely and quality implementation of the ongoing programme by December 2024. The way LGSF is handled in this transition period will influence UNDP’s ability to stay and deliver in support of vulnerable communities, even in politically constrained contexts.

Position Purpose

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.

Under the overall guidance and the direct supervision of the Manager of the Sub-regional Hub for West and Central Africa-Dakar, Senegal, and working closely with UNDP Country Offices, the Head of Special Multi-Partner Delivery and Regional stabilization Facility for (based in the Dakar Sub-Hub) will be responsible for initiating and managing the effective implementation in the targeted countries, and for ensuring continuous donor liaison as well as the gradual expansion of the Facility and portfolio.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Head of Special Multi-Partner Delivery and Regional Stabilization Facility will perform the following functions:

Leadership and overall management of the Regional Stabilization Facility

• Provide strategic guidance and vision to the work of the Special MultiPartner Delivery and Regional Stabilization Facilities (covering Regional Stabilization Facility for the Lake Chad Basin and Liptako-Gourma Stabilization Facility – RSF and LGSF respectively), positioning the facility as a center of excellence for stabilization in the sub-region and beyond, and ensuring it provides quality support to UNDP country offices in the region.
• Oversee the overall management of the Facility, including human resources and financial management, to ensure adherence to internal policies and procedures, Accountability Framework, donor agreements.
• Represent the facilities in regional and international development fora and engage partners and stakeholders to foster increased commitment, resources, and collaboration for advancing the Stabilization strategic agenda.
• Define the Facility’s annual work plans and set objectives, performance measurements, standards, and expected results in close collaboration with the Hub Manager.
• Guide the preparation of the budget proposal for financial, human, and other required resources, to ensure the efficient operation of the Facility.
• Supervise and assess work in progress to ensure delivery of results according to performance standards, overall objectives, and the Accountability Framework, providing leadership and technical guidance, and taking timely necessary decisions to meet objectives.
• Promote teamwork to facilitate harmonization, linkages, collaboration, synergies, information flow, guidance, and support to the workforce to ensure excellent performance and delivery of results, aligned to organizational and professional standards of efficiency, accountability, and integrity.
• Provide advice, direction and direct technical input to the Manager of Dakar Hub and Country Offices on stabilization-related issues in the sub-region, while keeping them informed of emerging issues.

Lead Effective Programme Management and Monitoring and Evaluation 

• Lead the implementation of the Facility, including the establishment of the architecture for operations & programme delivery, preparation of respective TORs and recruitment; the establishment of communications and M&E structures and functions, including for baseline data collection, and staffing of respective functions; and the establishment of project management and M&E formats and procedures.
• Lead the Dakar project team, including staff and consultants, in both substantive and operational issues ensuring optimization of human and financial resources and nurturing a culture of results with highest performance standards.
• Undertake day-to-day management of the programme, including effective programme implementation and documents progress towards the achievement of outputs.
• Manage the programme budget and facilitate budget approvals and revision processes as per UNDP policies and procedures, including approval of requisitions, and follow up on purchase orders and payment requests in UNDP Quantum and other relevant systems, as appropriate.
• Manage donor awards, MOUs, NRLA, LOAs, and UN-2-UN agreements, and coordinate and ensure quality control of financial reporting to the donors. Ensure full delivery by contract end date in in line with donor agreements and approved workplans.
• Ensure programme assessments are undertaken, and relevant baseline data collected to allow for programme monitoring and evaluation to take place.
• Oversee the establishment of the monitoring and evaluation plan of the Programme and ensure its implementation.
• Ensure a management information system is established, which allows the efficient and effective collection, storage, and analysis of data throughout the programme, including sex and age-disaggregated data where relevant.

Ensure Effective People Management 

• Provide effective direction to and empower personnel in the Facility.
• Manage the team in compliance with corporate human resources policies and strategies.
• Ensure the optimal staffing of the Facility.
• Facilitate the Facility workforce in their learning and development.
• Facilitate the Facility workforce in maintaining their health and well-being, safety, and security.

Facilitate Knowledge development and management

• Actively support knowledge building and sharing in the region. Ensure regular reporting on the implementation of the strategy.
• Facilitate the development of stabilization knowledge sharing spaces in support of RRs, leveraging existing capacities, lessons learned, and best practices in the sub-region.
• Facilitate sub-regional exchanges amongst RRs on issues of common interest to stabilization; organize thematic/mini clusters to discuss and develop UNDP’s sub regional stabilization response.
• Access UNDP’s worldwide and regional knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned, distill best practices, and ensure their dissemination for organizational and stakeholders’ learning and sharing, including through the Regional Service Center for Africa.
• Introduce innovation and best practices, access to knowledge and expertise and promote its application.

Lead Advocacy, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Establish and maintain partnerships with relevant stakeholders (governments, regional initiatives, UN agencies, implementing partners, etc.)
• Ensure continuous donor liaison.
• Coordinate with and support the RRs in the three Country Offices to build and maintain political momentum and communications channels.
• Lead efforts to mobilize resources for the expansion of the Facility and the portfolio, including through the preparation of strategies, programme briefs and project documents, and the organization of regular donor meetings, as appropriate.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

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 Programme Team.

Competencies

Core:
Achieve Results:

• Prioritize team workflow, mobilize resources, drive scalable results/strategic impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Easily navigate complexity, encourage/enable radical innovation, has foresight.

Learn Continuously:

• Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all.

Adapt with Agility: 

• Proactively initiate/lead organizational change, champion new systems/processes.

Act with Determination:               

• Able to make difficult decisions in challenging situations, inspire confidence.

Engage and Partner:

• Construct strategic multi-partner alliances in high stake situations, foster co-creation.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Create ethical culture, identify/address barriers to inclusion.

People Management:

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

Cross-Functional & Technical:
Business Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking             

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks, and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP.

Business Management: 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.

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 Management: Portfolio Management 

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s 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.

2030 Agenda: Peace – Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions    

• Restoration of local government capacity (post-crisis)

2030 Agenda: People – Gender  

• Gender Mainstreaming

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’ s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Political or Social Sciences, International Relations, Development, Project Management, or other related areas 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.
• A PhD in Economics, Political or social Sciences, International relations, Development, Project Management is preferred.

 Experience:

• Minimum 10 years (with master’s degree) or 12 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in stabilization, peacebuilding, recovery, governance and development areas, rule of law, crisis response and prevention or other areas is required.
• Previous experience in coordinating multiagency and multi-country programmes, is required.
• Experience in Africa and in stabilization programmes would be a strong asset.
• Experience in strategic Partnership Building and Resource Mobilization is desired.
• Prior experience and good knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to stabilization, recovery & development, and a good knowledge of the United Nations System and the multi/bilateral cooperation is desired.
• Prior experience and sound knowledge of UNDP processes including experience and knowledge of UN/DP internal processes, project/programme management or other UN agencies and development is an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in French and English (oral and written) is required.