Governance and Peacebuilding Regional Coordinator

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response, and recovery.

The Governance and Peacebuilding Regional Coordinator is the lead expert in the governance and peacebuilding knowledge domain.  S/he leads a team of Specialists in this area based in the Regional Hub and reports to the Regional Hub Manager with supervision from the Crisis Bureau Deputy Director in New York as part of the Global Policy Network. S/he responds to requests from Country Offices under the guidance of the Regional Hub Manager, and in collaboration with corporate support providers, such as the Country Support Management Team, the Crisis and Fragility Engagement and Policy Team, Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding and Responsive Institutions, Rule of Law, Youth, Governance and the SDG integrator Team. S/he has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Renewed Governance and Peacebuilding Framework along with the Crisis Offer and the Global Governance Programme

Key Duties and Accountabilities

• Lead in articulating entry points and/or pivotal considerations for integrating peacebuilding and governance within regional and country-specific strategies for achieving the SDGs;
• Provide technical oversight to the team providing specialized and/or high-profile support on policy advisory and programming services primarily to COs within the region, that respond to country office needs, including through the provision of capacity building and backstopping to COs and UNCTs;
• Work with the Regional Bureau’s Country Advisors to ensure relevant, timely and multi-disciplinary response to Country needs for policy services;
• Collaborate substantively with COs and Regional Programmes to achieve regional/CO strategic goals and plans by supporting relevant regional initiatives and promoting synergies with the regional programmes;
• Provide specialized and/or high-profile support to high priority COs in project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and results reporting in line with RBM guidelines, and support quality assurance, risk management and due diligence processes. In this regard, support COs in developing PBF and other project documents;
• Provide sector specific and technical policy advice for crisis situations and on migration and displacement;
• Provide specialized and/or high-profile support to COs conducting and engaging in assessments related to all forms of crisis response, such as post-crisis, capacity and crisis-related/fragility assessments;
• Ensure risks are monitored and managed across the portfolio of advisory engagements;
• Create and facilitate opportunities for developing the capacity of national counterparts in support of achieving the Strategic Plan, the Crisis Offer and other internationally agreed development goals as it relates to the peacebuilding and governance knowledge domain;
• Provide policy advisory and programming services to COs in other regions received through the GPN;
• Provide substantive inputs in developing UNDP’s policies for the thematic area and contribute to the formulation of global policy products.
• In implementation of the Renewed Regional Governance and Peacebuilding Framework, support COs to champion each of the six pillars by providing technical and advisory support;
• Receive and coordinate requests for CO programme and policy support, assess nature of request and conduct technical review, determine if the request necessitates a multi-disciplinary response and accordingly coordinate with relevant teams in both Regional Hubs and HQ, and define package of support in collaboration with corporate stakeholders and the GPN network;
• Coordinate the engagement of regional policy advisors / technical experts for advisory services in governance and peacebuilding, as per scoping agreements;
• Provide intellectual and strategic direction in identifying tools, developing methodologies and producing knowledge management products linked to crisis-related governance and peacebuilding, including migration and displacement;
• Provide direction on the content development for regional/CO knowledge products through the analysis of data, case evidence, and research findings in accordance with corporate standards;
• Lead the identification and prioritization of technical issues warranting collaboration with HQ and regional teams to research, develop and share knowledge-based tools, such as policy positions/practice notes/concept papers and other research-based products to influence/advance policy dialogue in the knowledge domain and present UNDP’s knowledge assets and capabilities at global and regional forums;
• Work closely with policy teams in HQ to curate and sharpen the research, testing and roll-out of newly commissioned policy/business development initiatives, by providing the regional perspective/specificities as well as experience-based insights on what is of most practical value for national counterparts and regional leaders;
• Design and deliver specialized training on programming tools including by developing training packs for COs to facilitate innovation learning, foster and encourage policy innovation and continuous improvement to enhance programme delivery.
• Set forth an operational platform for continuous analysis, documentation, codification of regional results/lessons learned;
• Critically review and curate regional data, case evidence and research findings to distill pivotal lessons for UNDP globally and to translate substantive learning into organizational agility;
• Advocate and enable South-South facilitation of exchanges and experiences sharing where valuable;
• Oversight of capacity development of UNDP staff in application of tools and practices;
• Development and strengthening of linkages with peacebuilding and governance community of practice, both inside and outside the UN system.
• Represent UNDP to advocate core organizational messages and positions in high-profile arenas to position UNDP to influence the policy direction in the region, including the African Union and Sub-regional organizations;
• Advocate the application of ground-breaking peacebuilding and governance approaches, especially as an integrated approach to achieving the SDGs, in various regional and country fora with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms;
• Represent UNDP within engagements in interagency coordination in peacebuilding and governance policy areas;
• Act as a pivotal resource in shaping the relationship management of regional partners and resource mobilization in line with the Regional Bureau and Global Policy Network priorities, as well as with corporate guidelines;
• Articulate and enable pathways for mobilizing and fostering external partnerships behind regional initiatives;
• Manage the building of strategic alliances and partnerships, especially with key think tanks and non-governmental organizations;
• Ensure UNDP/ Representation at inter-agency meetings, academic conferences, donor consultations and other events;
• On behalf of UNDP in the region, manage joint crisis governance initiatives with UN system, in particular the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA);
• Leverage and enable mutual support and engagement between UNDP advisors / programme managers and country-based and regional Peace and Development Advisors.

Education

Experience