| Description |
The PEI is a global initiative that helps developing countries to integrate environment into poverty reduction strategies and other development strategies and planning frameworks. The Coordinator, based in the Poverty-Environment Facility (PEF) in Nairobi, Kenya, will support regional UNDP/UNEP teams in Nairobi, Bangkok, Panama, Geneva and Bratislava to provide support to countries in their regions as part of the overall poverty-environment mainstreaming process. S/he will be the first point of contact between regional teams and the Poverty Environment Facility in Nairobi, and will be responsible for ensuring information exchange between the Facility and the teams. S/he will ensure that teams are supplied with technical support and information, and that lessons learned in the regions are collated and analyzed for global use. The Regional Coordinator will be responsible for interactions among regional teams. In addition s/he will be responsible for working with the teams to allocate budgets and will have financial management responsibilities for PEF funds spent in the regions.
The primary purpose of this post is to ensure the effective implementation of the Poverty Environment Initiative (PEI) including through the coordination of regional activities, ensuring coherence between the PEI and the Energy and Environment Group in New York, and making a significant contribution to policy development and partnerships. The responsibility level will be high, as the Coordinator will be responsible for oversight and management of the support provided by the Nairobi-based Poverty Environment Facility (PEF) to regional PEI teams and in turn to Country Offices. The PEI is a high-profile partnership between two UN agencies and is regularly scrutinized by donors and others as an example of institutional partnership under the UN Delivering as One approach. An experienced and effective manager is needed.
The Coordinator will be part of the PEF senior management structure. S/he will be responsible, under the direction of the manager and Director of the PEF, for operations in all regions.
While not being part of the line management structure of the regional teams, the Coordinator will need to ensure effective operation of those teams and will be responsible for budget allocation and financial management. S/he will need excellent and flexible management skills to deal with complex inter-agency teams including senior managers at a higher grade.
The Coordinator will need to understand UNDP processes, as s/he will be the main interface between the PEF and UNDP HQ. S/he will be called upon to ensure full collaboration between the PEI teams and HQ units. In addition, the Coordinator’s external policy responsibilities will require a good knowledge of the working of the international community, including bilateral donors and multilateral funding agencies.
The first task of the Poverty-Environment Coordinator will be to coordinate the scale-up of PEI activities through established PEI regional teams.
Secondly, the Coordinator will be responsible for liaising between the PEF and UNDP HQ. S/he will work closely with the Practice Manager of UNDP’s Energy and Environment Group to ensure that both the PEF Manager and the regional teams receive timely and effective financial and administrative support. In addition, the Coordinator will intervene directly with UNDP Country Offices, as necessary and in support of regional teams, to solve problems and ensure the effective implementation of the PEI at country level.
Thirdly, the Coordinator will have a significant policy role. With the support of PEF’s Knowledge Management Expert, s/he will be responsible for contributing to various policy publications and briefs, and when appropriate, representing the joint UNDP/UNEP work on environmental mainstreaming to senior policy-making meetings. S/he will identify and liaise with partners and collaborate in global policy processes.
The Regional Coordinator will report to the Manager of PEI for professional and operational matters and to the Director of PEI for issues relating to UNDP. She/he will supervise the Knowledge Management Specialist.
| Duties and Responsibilities | 1. Coordination of the scaling-up of the Poverty Environment Initiative. - Ensure the effective implementation of the PEI at regional level, including managing the process of national programme development, ensuring management support to regional teams, budget allocation and financial management.
- Travel to regional centres and national programme countries to provide support and advice.
2. Information and knowledge exchange - Ensure excellent information and knowledge exchange between regional teams and PEF.
- Ensure coordination and exchange of information among regional teams
- Supervise the Knowledge Management Specialist
3. Liaison within UNDP - Coordinate budget and administrative matters with UNDP HQ.
- Provide support to regional teams and Country Offices in accessing support to financial advisory services and advise of process and procedure.
- Intervene with Country Offices to ensure effective PEI management.
4. Policy development - Contribute to the development of knowledge products relating to mainstreaming policy
5. Partnerships - Identify important partners, particularly within regions.
- Ensure effective liaison with partners, including information exchange, networking and individual relationship building.
- Mobilize partners in the provisin of technical suppport
- Facilitate resource mobilization
| Competencies | Corporate Competencies: - Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
- Treats all people fairly without favoritism
Functional Competencies: Development and Operational Effectiveness - Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting
- Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects
- Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
Knowledge Management and Learning - Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example
- Demonstrates practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues
- Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
- Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP
Management and Leadership - Builds relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
- Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
- Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
- Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
- Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
- Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills
Communications - Good communication (spoken and written) skills.
- Possesses the ability to draft/edit a variety of written reports, studies and other communications and to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style.
| Required Skills and Experience | Education: - A Master’s degree in a subject related to development or environment.
Experience: - At least 7 years of professional experience in environment or development.
- Proven ability to provide seasoned guidance and advice in a broad range of economics and poverty environment issues.
- Knowledge of UN procedures including familiarity with UNDP financial and administrative procedures
- Experience of the work of UN Teams at the country level
- An ability to support and work within teams without being part of a systematic hierarchy
- Highly self motivated and able to work under pressure when necessary
- Excellent inter-personal skills. A service ethic towards teams being supported combined with a strong capacity to bring the right support to bear.
- Excellent communications skills (spoken and written) including an ability to draft/edit a variety of reports and other forms of publication
Language Requirements: - Fluency in English, both oral and written. Competency in other UN languages, specifically French and/or Spanish, an advantage.
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