Organization:UNOPS North America Regional Office The Chrysler Building 405 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor New York Tel: +1 212 457-4000
UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.
Working in some of the worlds most challenging environments, our vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.
UNOPS provides services in sustainable infrastructure, sustainable procurement and sustainable project management, with projects ranging from building schools, roads, bridges and hospitals to procuring goods and services and training local personnel.
By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.
We employ more than 6,000 personnel annually and on behalf of our partners create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of regional and country offices, we oversee activities in more than 80 countries.
UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.
Background Information - Development Group Cluster
Development Group Cluster
The UNOPS Development Group Cluster is based in the North America Office and supports a diverse and complex portfolio including partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (the Bureau for Development Policy, the Human Development Report Office, and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation), the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United Nations Secretariat and a broadening community of primarily New York-based UN partners in the delivery of project management, implementation and administration services.
Background Information - Job-specific
The United Nations office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN system-wide coordinator and focal point for South-South cooperation (SSC). It monitors South-South cooperation in the UN system and submits related reports to the highest levels of the UN system, including the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC and UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board, among others. The Policy Division of the Office is tasked with these core duties and under the cooperation frameworks for SSC, it has as its top priority the promotion of SSC as a viable strategy for countries of the South to achieve their national and internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In their decisions at the 2013 quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR) and various session of the High-level Committee on SSC (HLC), Member States have emphasized the need for the UN system to step up efforts in support for SSC.
More specifically, in its decisions at the seventeenth session of the HLC (decision 17/1 and 17/2), Member States (a) requested the Secretary General for a comprehensive report on the progress in the implementation of its decisions, including concrete recommendations for strengthening the UN Office for SSC to enable it support the mainstreaming of SSC across the UN system; (b) decided to consider the report of the Joint Inspection Unit(JIU) on South-South and triangular cooperation in the United Nations system and the related note by the Secretary-General in 2013. Furthermore, at the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly, Member States requested the Secretary General to prepare a comprehensive report on the State of SSC for submission to the sixty-eight session of the General Assembly in 2013.
The Policy Division is tasked with these major undertakings of organizing an intercessional meeting of the HLC and that of facilitating consultations and related work on the preparation of the comprehensive report of the Secretary General on progress in the implementation of HLC decisions. At the intersessional meeting, Member States will discuss the recommendations contained in the JIU report and decide on further actions for implementation of these recommendations.
The Policy Division will hold consultations with Member States and all other relevant stakeholders in the preparation of the Secretary Generals comprehensive report that will be submitted for consideration at the eighteenth session of the HLC. The Policy Division will also prepare the Secretary Generals comprehensive report on the State of South-South cooperation and lead the preparation of the fifth cooperation framework on SSC. OBJECTIVE: Reporting to the Chief, Division for Policy of the UNOSSC, the Policy Specialist will be responsible for set of outcomes in the work of the UN Office for SSC towards the implementation its current cooperation framework for SSC, i.e. policy development and advocacy.
The main goal for this area of work is to promote SSC as a viable strategy for the South to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and the Millennium Development Goals, including Goal 8, in pursuit of a more inclusive globalization.
The performance of the framework in this area is to be measured by the extent to which its activities contribute to the achievement of the broader goal of improving awareness and understanding among the international community of the concept, importance and contributions of SSC to development. Furthermore, the Office is also tasked with ensuring that MDG-based South-South and triangular approaches are also appropriately integrated into national development strategies and the operational activities of the United Nations development system, especially those of UNDP and United Nations Country Teams.
The Policy Specialist will be tasked to undertake logistical and substantive preparations for the intersessional meeting of the HLC in June 2013. S/he will liaise with the Policy Division Chief and coordinate research work related to the preparation of various reports of the Secretary-General and the Administrator as well as drafts of the fifth cooperation framework on SSC. The Policy Specialist will also be part of a team tasked with drafting various policy related reports, documents and statements, conducting policy research and in organizing intergovernmental forums for policy dialogue on SSC.
Functional Responsibilities
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY
- Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Policy Division the Policy Specialist is expected to deliver the following: Mainstreaming and servicing South-South cooperation within UNDP and the UN system
- Responsible for the substantive arrangements of the intersessional meeting of the High-level Committee (HLC) on South-South Cooperation in addition to coordinating preparation of its report to the 18th session of the HLC, including policy services during intergovernmental negotiations on SSC by the HLC and other relevant bodies;
- Coordinate and organize regular meetings of the Bureau of the HLC and ensure timely distribution of its minutes and other relevant documents; draft the work plan of the Bureau of the High-level Committee for 2013 and provide substantive policy support towards improvements of the HLC;
- Support the drafting of the policy report of the Secretary General on implementation of the decisions of the HLC at its seventeenth session;
- Research and analyze support to South-South cooperation by UNDP country offices and UN organizations and draft inputs to various reports of the Administrator and the Secretary General;
- Conduct research and analysis on the trends in South-South and triangular cooperation globally and within the UN system and draft parts of the report of the Secretary General on the State of SSC;
- Conduct research and analysis to inform the 5th cooperation framework on SSC and organize related consultative meetings in addition to drafting parts of the framework;
- Oversight management of national and regional south-south cooperation efforts
- Coordinate inter-agency regular updating of the UN entities space and policy pages of the Offices website; work closely with the website developer and provide technical support to UN South-South focal points to manage their respective agencys space;
- Coordinate regular communication with inter-departmental, intergovernmental and inter-agency focal points for SSC;
Advocacy and outreach
- Oversee dissemination of Policy Divisions monthly e-newsletter and the Southern Innovator Magazine;
- Support the organization of 10th United Nations day for SSC;
- Coordinate and organize interagency meetings on SSC including the UN multi-stakeholders meeting in conjunction with 2013 Global Development Expo.
- Support the substantive work on the production of the South Report, a flagship publication of the UN Office;
- Strategize the strengthening and expansion of the multi-partner South-South focal point networks by organizing and supporting multi-stakeholder sub-regional workshops;
- Support work on strategizing resource mobilization and the organization of a conference to establish a fund for productive capacity development in LDCs;
- Undertake other tasks as requested by the Director of the UN office and Chief of the Policy Division.
Competencies
Technical/Functional
- In-depth knowledge of SSC as a development modality and UN system support to SSC.
- Advanced research and writing skills to produce clear, analytical documents for use by a wide-range of researchers, practitioners and governmental and intergovernmental entities.
- Able to draft documents, correspondence, speeches, briefings, talking points.
- Capable of working in a fast-paced environment with tight and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously.
- Strong IT skills.
Corporate
Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling the UN/UNDPs values and ethical standards.
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP.
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Behavioral
- Demonstrates sensitivity, tact and diplomacy in internal as well as external relations.
- Exercises the highest level of responsibility and is able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.
- Communicates effectively with staff at all levels of the organization and is comfortable in handling external relations at all levels.
- Participates in teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills.
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
- Demonstrates strong communication skills.
- Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.
- Demonstrates strong time management skills and ability to manage complexities.
- Education/Experience/Language requirements
EDUCATION
Master’s Degree in either of the following disciplines: international development, public administration, economics, international relations or other related fields.
EXPERIENCE
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the area of policy analysis and policy research in development both at national and international levels.
- Experienced in researching and writing on topics of South-South cooperation required.
- Strong research and writing skills, including experience creating analytical reports, policy briefings, high level speeches and statements. Publication record an asset.
- Negotiation training important. Experience supporting/facilitating inter-governmental negotiations leading to major agreed outcome is a plus.
- Experience and knowledge of UN/UNDP procedures concerning reports, publications and speeches.
- Experience in editing professional journals or other publications.
- Experience in the logistics of planning and organizing high level international seminars and conferences is required, particularly in developing countries.
- Experience using statistical and economic software for data analysis, such as SPSS.
LANGUAGE
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.
Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required;
knowledge of an additional official United Nations language is an advantage.
Contract type, level and duration
Contract type: International ICA Contract level: IICA-2 Contract duration: 6 months 3 June 2013 to 31 December 2013 with the possibility of extension based on performance and availability of funds. For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx
Additional Considerations
- Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
- Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
- Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
- The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.
Closing Date: Tuesday, 14 May 2013
http://unjobs.org/vacancies/1368303009866