Location:

Kampala, Uganda
Salary:

negotiable / YEAR
Job type:

FULL_TIME
Posted:

2 months ago
Category:

Economics, Innovation and Knowledge Management, Management and Strategy, Social and Inclusive Development
Deadline:

06/11/2024

JOB DESCRIPTION

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

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.

Uganda has through its Vision 2040 set out an agenda of transforming the country from a largely peasant to a modern and prosperous economy and to achieve upper middle-income status by 2040 by building a people centered, independent, integrated, resilient, and self-sustaining economy. The Vision is to be achieved through six successive five-year national development plans. The overall goal of the current and third five-year development plan (NDP III) is to increase average household incomes and improve the quality of life of Ugandans. Uganda has made impressive gains in social and economic transformation and this progress is manifested, inter-alia, in; a) doubling of GDP over the last 10 years, from US$ 17.2 billion in 2010/11 to US$34.4 billion in 2019; b) increase in per-capita income from US$745 in 2012/13 to currently US$825; and c) increase in life expectancy from 54.5 years in 2012 to 64 years in 2017.

However, several structural development challenges exist, coupled with the unprecedented long-term socio-economic impacts of COVID-19. UNDP Uganda through its Country Programme (CPD 2021-2025) is supporting the implementation of the Government’s National Development Plan (NDP III) for the achievement of Uganda’s Vision 2040.

In this regard, UNDP is seeking to recruit a Team Leader to support the implementation of the CPD through one of its constituent programme offers – namely the Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Programme. The Programme Specialist will work under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative. They will be responsible for management of projects under the ISI programme. Team Leader will lead the Inclusive Growth and Innovation Unit and work with the programme management and operations units, the programme staff in other UN Agencies, as well as with the Programme Stakeholders in Government, Private Sector, and Civil Society.

Team Leader ensures effective oversight on programme/ portfolio management, accountability, and achievement of the CPD results within the assigned outcome, and supervises staff assigned within the unit.

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 in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

The Team Leader will take on the pivotal role of leading the Inclusive Growth and Innovation Unit, where they will guide and inspire the team towards achieving the unit’s strategic objectives. This role involves close collaboration with various stakeholders, including the programme management and operations units within the organization. Furthermore, the Team Leader will engage with programme staff from other UN Agencies to foster a cohesive and effective approach to inclusive growth initiatives.

In addition, the Team Leader will build strong partnerships with key Programme Stakeholders, which encompass government entities, private sector representatives, and civil society organizations. By facilitating these collaborative efforts, the Team Leader aims to ensure that innovative solutions are developed and implemented effectively, ultimately contributing to sustainable development and enhanced economic opportunities for all. This position is crucial for driving the unit’s mission forward, promoting inclusive policies, and ensuring that diverse perspectives are integrated into programme design and execution.

Duties and Responsibilities

1) Provides strategic direction, coordination, and management of the programme/unit in the area of inclusive growth and innovation, achieving the following results:

Leads the analysis of the political, social, and economic situation in the country and ensures collaborative and coordinated preparation/revision of CCA, UNSCDF, CPD, annual business planning, strategic dialogue forums, Integrated Work Plan and ROAR, project documents, their work plans and other programmatic documents;
Identification and analysis of strategic programmatic areas of cooperation based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs,priorities and operationalization of CPD with the Government and other partners of UNDP. Identifies and leads engagement on possibilities for joint programming with other UN Agencies;
Oversees programme/ project design with development partners, UN Agencies and implementing partners for the portfolio, ensuring robust articulation of Theory of Change and results from framework linking inputs and activities to programme outputs and outcomes, supported with evidence to report on the Strategic Plan and CPD indicators;
Localization of the UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP) as related to programme and project implementation at the level of the country office as well as CO business processes mapping and the establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures in project management, control of the workflows within the unit;
Constant monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely adjustment of programme, measuring of the impact of the projects, and that results, and lessons learned to inform analysis, policy and programme, and project work.

2) Ensures accountability, quality control and effective oversight, achieving the following results:

Strategic oversight of portfolio programmes/projects and compliance with corporate programming, quality assurance, and reporting requirements. Specific oversight on the vertical funds projects to ensure compliance with their programming requirements, including planning, monitoring, evaluations and quality assurance. Organize annual work planning and quarterly progress reviews and ensure adequate monitoring and quality assurance;
Ensures robust oversight of key performance indicators of the portfolio and leads implementation of corrective strategies and measures based on risk-informed analysis and trends;
Applies programme management and monitoring modules of Quantum and corporate and regional tools and mechanisms. Performs the function of Manager Level 2 in the ERP for development projects transactions approval in line with the CO ICF, as required;
Applies UNDP’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework in the assigned portfolio, including the review of projects’ Social and Environmental Screening Procedures (SESP) and ensuring adequate establishment of safeguards and management plans;
Oversees portfolio compliance with the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfer (HACT) framework covering micro assessments, audits, spot checks and programme visits, ensuring appropriate remedial actions are implemented for adequate risk mitigation. Oversee the management of project-level cash transfers to Implementing Partners/Responsible Parties in accordance with UNDP Financial Rules and Regulations and HACT guidelines;
Performs programme finance oversight measures (incl. tracking of NIM advances, monitoring programme delivery progress, co-financing and other IFD parameters; escalating and advising the CO Management on timely remedial actions required) to improve CO compliance within the assigned portfolio;
Ensures that the unit-specific enabling actions included in the annual Integrated Work Plan are implemented and goals in the Country Office compact are met. Oversees the contribution of the unit to the CO’s performance in corporate KPIs;
Ensures high-quality project/programme reports are regularly prepared following RBM principles; alignment of financial with narrative reports and timely submission of mandatory reportsand briefs as required;
Ensures organizational set-up and fully functional project management and risk management systems to create the best possible enabling environment for high-level performance of Project Teams within the portfolio;
Contributes to development and nurturing of an empowering work environment in own unit, providing guidance and supporting unit members to deliver at their optimum level;
Ensures compliance with a cost-recovery system for the services provided by the CO to projects in close collaboration with the Operations Specialist.

3) Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships and supports resource mobilization, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Development and implementation of CO partnerships and resource mobilization strategies to achieve programme outcomes related to inclusive growth and prosperity area;
Supports deployment of partnership strategies and related actions with a focus on programme portfolio development and the identification of sustainable and predictable funding mechanisms for the implementation of the country programme;
Leads and maintains strong and strategic working relations with Government counterparts as well as other national stakeholders and development partners including multilateral and bilateral partners;
As part of the overall CO’s RM strategy, review the development of new project concepts to ensure the Project Documents and financial agreements are developed with high quality and in line with UNDP rules and procedures;
Leads engagement, networking and mobilization of experts of the international development community, government partners, UN Agencies, and prominent think tanks;
Determines programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UNDP and country needs in order to support mobilization of resources to support the achievement of programme outcomes;
Leads development of strategies for Government cost-sharing in the inclusive growth and prosperity area.

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

Translates evaluation findings, real-time monitoring data, and applied learning to learn to formulate adaptations in UNDP’s programme / project and policy advisory work;
Coordination and support development institutions working towards addressing national development priorities in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners;
Ensures capacity building of national counterparts for effective management and compliance with funding partner’s requirements;
Maintains effective network with development partners and Government at the national level and sub-national level and where necessary links up with the corporate Global Policy Network of UNDP and other international actors;
Leads the implementation of awareness building and advocacy around relevant UN/UNDP events and observances;
Sound and proactive contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
Writes and communicates on best practices and lessons learned linked to programme and policy goals;
Facilitates knowledge building and management especially between the programme and projects and organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on relevant programme issues.

5) Advice and Support on Innovation Policy Development and Programme Management:

Keep abreast of regional discussions, developments and main events as they relate to the innovation knowledge domain within UNDP and broader networks;
Support the development of strategies for scaling up and uptake of innovative solutions;
Development of the CO innovation agenda including developing and testing new concepts, products, tools and resources;
Contribute to the design of innovation activities and initiatives by developing prototypes, analyzing and reporting their impact and assessing their scale up at country and sub regional levels;
Provide support in innovation project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and results reporting in line with Results-Based Management (RBM) guidelines, and support quality assurance, risk management and due diligence processes;
Support the monitoring and management of risks across the portfolio of advisory engagements in the innovation knowledge domain;
Broker and sustain partnerships with leading innovation organizations and experts within country and globally to generate and promote best practices and ensure that UNDP has access to the best available expertise;
Contribute to capacity building of national counterparts as it relates to the innovation knowledge domain in support of achieving the Strategic Plan and other nationally and internationally agreed development goals.

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

Institutional Arrangement

The Team Leader will directly report to the Resident Representative.

Competencies

Core Competencies

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.

Functional/Technical competencies

Business Management

Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

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 Management

Resource Management: Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity.

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.

Programme and Policy

Effectiveness: Programmatic Risk Management and Analysis.

Programme and Policy

SDG Integration: SDG Monitoring and Reporting.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Business Administration, Public Administration, Development Economics, Economics, International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or related field is required.
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in a relevant field in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant working experience at the national or international level in providing policy and/or management advisory services is required;
At least 4 years of the above experience should be in providing oversight and advisory services to complex development projects in the area of inclusive growth and poverty reduction is required;
Proven understanding development and climate financing and policy development processes is an advantage;
Demonstrated multi-stakeholder facilitation and coordination skills is required;
Proven people management and multi-cultural teams experience preferably in the technical area of climate change reporting and/or transparency is an advantage;
Working experience in a UN Agency and/or an international organization is an advantage;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling web-based management systems is required.

Language(s):

Proficiency in English is required.

Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Disclaimer

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: 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.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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