Closing date: 12 Nov 2009 -- (CLOSED)
Location: Kenya - Nairobi
Job Title: Project Officer –ROLS
Type of Contract: National SSA Consultant
Duty Station: Nairobi
Duration: 6 months {with effect from January 2010}
Payment: Payment will be based on 5 working days a week
Date of Issue: 30th October 2009
Closing Date: 12th November 2009
Organizational Context
UNDP Somalia is composed of three main clusters: Rule of Law and Security (ROLS), Governance (Governance) and Reduction and Sustainable Livelihoods (RSL).
Governance is a growing programme in a challenging environment. It consists of the following components:
- Capacity Building and Institutional Development: provide basic capacity to Government at federal and state level (short term targeted assistance for key government offices and longer term capacity building)
- Local Governance: Support formation and development of local governance, and develop a platform for decentralized service delivery, jointly with other UN agencies
- Dialogue/Constitution and Civil Society: Support to the constitutional process and participatory governance
The Rule of Law and Security program focuses on (i) Law enforcement (ii) Judiciary (iii) DDR (iv) Mine action and (v) Gender/human rights.
The RSL program has two components:
- Early recovery, including community-led water shed management and flood control, and quick job creation
- Private sector development, including micro finance
The three current legal frameworks under which Somalia is being ruled are the Transitional Federal Charter (2003), the Puntland Charter (1998) and the Somaliland Constitution (2001). The Reconstruction and Development program which was developed by all partners in 2007 and which is based on a Joint Needs Assessment that was carried out in 2006, focuses on 3 pillars: Governance, Social services and Livelihoods. The UN Transition Plan for 2008-9 has formulated five outcomes, four of which UNDP is actively involved in:
- Governance
- Rule of Law and Security
- Local Governance
- Livelihoods.
The project officer will provide analytical and operational support to the implementation of the key projects mentioned above and work under the supervision of the respective Project Managers and in close collaboration with Operations. Final supervisory relationships are to be confirmed.
III. Functions / Key Results Expected
Principal Functions:
Under the direct supervision of the ROLS Civilian Police Project Manager, the Project Officer is responsible for ensuring strong linkage between the ROLS projects and programme, and the timely implementation of the UNDP activities as agreed in the annual work plans by maintaining a tab of the same and flagging anomalies with the Programme Unit and the Project Managers. S/he will seek guidance from the respective heads of HR, Procurement and Finance unit as necessary to ensure that UNDP procedures are adhered to as set out in the Programme and Operations Policies.
A temporary project officer position is now being recruited for a period of 6 months.
Impact of Results
1. Provide programme analytical and operational support to Managers in the following areas
Planning, implementation and monitoring
- Ensure strong linkage between ROLS programme and projects
- Guide Project Managers and support team on UNDP procedures to follow in terms of budgeting, contracting modalities with implementing partners
- Formulate coordinated approaches and plans to support the implementation of the project
- Actively participate in the preparation of work plans and operation plans as well as procurement plans for projects
- Monitor progress and advise on timely corrective actions for proper operational project delivery
- Analyze quality of project delivery and advise on project implementation
- Ensure sound and timely monitoring and reporting on the activities and record monitoring in Atlas
- Liaise with Project Managers in the preparation of letters of agreement (LOA) and Micro Capital Grants including work plans, budget and schedule of payments and submit draft of agreements to internal committees for approval; ensure that such agreements are up to date and that activities are not undertaken beyond contractual period;
- Act as the ROLS focal point for audits and donor verification/evaluation missions.
- Perform quality control function of project activities, including assessing impact and effectiveness, tracking outputs and results, and ensure timely and efficient delivery of project outputs through a client-satisfaction approach.
Budgeting and Financial management
- Prepare project budgets based on approved work plans
- Ensure funds are utilized according to donor agreements and guide project support staff on the same;
- Review financial reports submitted by counterparts and liaise with counterparts to ensure the transparent and accountable use of funds provided in the framework of LOAs and MCGs
Operations
- Prepare project operations plans and support preparation of documentation for recruitment of experts, outsourcing of services and procurement
- Prepare submissions for Contract, assets and procurement committee and implementation steering committee and present the same to the relevant committees;
2. Provide support to the field staff:
- Support coordination of activities implemented in all regions and promote information sharing between the regions and different components of ROLS;
- Training of counterparts and UNDP field staff on operational issues, UNDP rules and procedures, such as training on Letter of Agreements;
- Support the field team on operational, financial and procurement issues.
3. Liaison with partners and timely reporting
- Ensure that donor and other kinds of reporting are done in a timely manner and within the UNDP rules and regulations or according to the criteria set out in partnership documents with donors
- Ensure proper reporting to donors on implementation, the achievement of outputs as well as, contribute to reporting on progress towards outcomes and impact
- Coordinate donor and partner steering committees/project boards, and prepare project updates for partners
- Logistics and admin support for committee meetings
- Promote information sharing and coordination with UN agencies
- Make presentations to development partners, as required
Competencies
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethnical standards
- Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race , nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Functional competencies:
- Good broad knowledge and understanding of one of the three programmatic focus areas of UNDP Somalia: Governance, Rule of law and security or Livelihoods.
- Good knowledge of UNDP operational rules and procedures
- Knowledge and understanding of UNDP’s results based management framework as well as project cycles and procedures, including Results Based Management or Prince2
- Excellent knowledge of project monitoring and evaluation
- Good coordination skills, with ability to handle multiple activities concurrently, work under pressure, and to tight deadlines
- Excellent communication skills, with fluency in written and spoken English with excellent drafting skills.
- High level of computer literacy (knowledge of Atlas an asset)
- Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside UNDP
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
- Ability to participate effectively in a team based, information sharing environment
- Good diplomatic and negotiating skills
Recruitment Qualifications
Education:
- Master’s Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Engineering, International Relation, Public Administration or related field.
Experience:
- A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, progressive experience in international development, preferable in post conflict or emergency settings.
- Experience in project and programme management, including project formulation and implementation in conflict and post conflict environments.
- Previous experience with UNDP is an added advantage;
- Notably good experience working in ATLAS
Language Requirements:
- Good written and spoken English.
Reference Code: RW_7XBD4N-17
