Job Overview
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.
The Government of Iraq and UNDP formalised the partnership in December 1976 with the signature of the Standard Basic Agreement (SBA). The Agreement provided the foundation for a solid partnership for Iraq’s development.
UNDP Iraq’s ability to deliver at speed and scale amidst a challenging context makes UNDP a critical partner for the Government of Iraq. UNDP works across all levels of government across Iraq, including Federal and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) ministries, Governate line ministries, municipalities, and Local Peace Committees.
UNDP Iraq collaborates with over 30 bilateral partners, who have trusted UNDP to implement around US$2 billion for Iraq’s development across a wide-ranging set of priorities, including stabilisation, social cohesion, economic diversification, governance, environment, energy and climate change.
To implement the programme, led by the Government of Iraq, UNDP partners with national civil society organisations, international NGOs, and Iraq’s private sector.
UNDP’s response to the Government’s priorities
For the coming years, UNDP aims to accompany the Government of Iraq on its journey to unlock a transformative and just energy transition which includes political, socio-economic, and climate change perspectives relevant to Iraq as 5th largest oil producer in the world. This journey identifies four development pathways that are critical to reaching the destination:
Transition to green and inclusive private sector-led growth
Just institutions and effective service delivery
Supporting water security, renewable energy, and pollution control
Stabilisation to ‘sustaining peace’ transition
To reinforce its presence in the regions and governorates, the country office has also established four regional offices; Erbil serving the three provinces of KRI, Anbar serving the Middle and western provinces, Basra serving the southern provinces and Karbala serving the middle and eastern provinces.
In line with the above, UNDP Iraq has prepared and continues to augment and refine a major pipeline of projects intended to respond to emerging development priorities in line with the above three pillars and in full coherence with the UN’s overall assistance framework. Translating this pipeline into signed and well-funded programs and projects and undertaking major resource mobilisation efforts are the key programmatic priorities of the Country office.
Operationally, UNDP Iraq will continue to be guided by serious budgetary constraints requiring scaling up the adaptation of “fast track measures”, carefully considered innovations and risks aimed at faster delivery, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness while increasing income generation through GMS and DPC to help ensure longer-term Country Office sustainability.
Position Purpose
Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Resident Representative (RR) and in collaboration with the Deputy Resident Representative – Programme (DRR-P) and the Deputy Resident Representative Operations (DRR-O), the Head of the Basra Office acts as the manager of the Office in Basra serving the Basra and surrounding provinces and as advisor to the CO senior management on developments in the Basra and surrounding governorates of Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Maysan.
Her/his main role is to lead and coordinate the Country Programme’s contributions to development support in the designated governorates, including development of programs and project and their continued monitoring of implementation. She/he will help lead UNDP’s strategic planning and identifying new programme areas in the designated Area of Operations (AOR), (while ensuring consistency with the UNDAF / CPD priorities and contribute to creative responses to emerging challenges and opportunities.
The Head of Basra Office will work in close collaboration with the DRR/P, DRR/O, the Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU), and the Partnerships, Advocacy and Communications team (PACT) in the Country Office, Programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQ staff and local (and national) government officials, technical advisors and experts, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society to successfully implement the UNDP Programme.
More specifically the Head of Basra Office is expected to:
Develop and maintain comprehensive knowledge of issues related to her/his region by tracking and monitoring developments at the level of the AOR as well as on the level of national policies, measures and programs undertaken by the local and national government and other partners at both the national and sub-national levels:
Build and maintain an excellent relationship with all local and national government and non-governmental partners relevant to her/his region, provide these partners with technical support and policy advice as may be requested by senior management in such a way as to contribute to the country office’s efforts to position UNDP as the preferred and privileged partner of choice of the local government to work towards the achievement of the SDGs:
Develop and maintain comprehensive knowledge of UNDP and UN policies, innovations, policy measures, programs, substantive and technical support resources and capacities at the global and regional levels, as well as, good practices, other country experiences, and other similar resources to bring to bear as she/he develops programs and projects in support of the local government’s priorities in her/his portfolio:
Build-up, and oversee the implementation of, a strategic portfolio of programs, projects, initiatives and other support instruments that would optimally respond to the emerging needs of the local government’s developmental priority in line with UNDP’s mandate, strategic plan and CPD (or other overall UNDP development support framework):
Build and maintain an excellent relationship with all donors and contribute to mobilising the necessary resources to fund the portfolio of projects.
Duties and Responsibilities
As manager of the Basra office, the Head of Basra Office ensures the strategic direction of UNDP programme in that area focusing on achievement of the following results:
Thorough analysis of the political, social and economic situation in the region/provinces and collaborative preparation/revision of CCA, UNSDCF, CPD, AWP and other documents:
Identification of strategic programme areas of cooperation:
Operationalization of UNDAF/CPD in collaboration with the main partners and other UN Agencies:
Identification of possibilities for joint programming.
Ensures effective oversight of the program in the Basra region/provinces focusing on quality control of the full cycle of programming from formulation to implementation achieving the following results:
Support the design and formulation of CO programme within the AOR, translating UNDP priorities into local interventions:
Coordination of programme implementation with responsible parties:
Strategic oversight of planning, budgeting, implementing and monitoring of the programme, tracking use of financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations:
Effective monitoring, measuring the impact of the CO programme and evaluation. Constant monitoring and analysis of the programme environment, timely readjustment of programme:
Organization of cost-recovery system for the services provided by the Sub-Office to projects in close collaboration with the DRR-O and Operations Manager.
Ensure effective management of the CO partnership building, resource mobilization and management focusing on quality control from formulation to implementation of the country programme achieving the following results:
Support to the preparation and implementation of CO Partnership, Resource Mobilization, and Communication Strategy
Support coordination of special donor events in the AOR with a focus to generate buy in, fostering of partnerships and mobilization of additional resources:
Contribution to and updating of outreach/publicity/advocacy material geared towards partners and donors in partnership with the communications team:
Participate substantively in peer reviews of s concept notes and project documents:
Support financial and substantive evaluation of the projects, operational and financial agreements and contribute to development of innovative solutions in partnership with relevant operations and programme pillar:
Advise the local context of geopolitical circumstances, security situation and development agenda to the CO Programme.
Ensures provision of top quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:
Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals:
Coordination of development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the local government and other strategic partners:
Establishment of advocacy networks at the sub-national level and linked to international networks. Relevant, high-impact advocacy campaigns are implemented with key partners:
Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
Responsible for effective Office management focusing on achievement of the following results:
Ensures smooth running of the Sub-Office, builds an effective SO team, promotes team work and an environment that is conducive to delivering results.
Ensures full responsibility for the appropriate use and management of resources attributed to the Sub-Office by tracking use of financial resources, ensuring the integrity of financial systems and consistent application of the Internal Control Framework and/or rules and regulations. Continually find ways to systematically identify and integrate efficiency gains and cost reductions in all operations of the Sub-Office.
Drafts lease agreements/contracts and other transactions under written delegated authority from the
Resident Representative. Has Manager rights as delegated.
Responsible for the management of the Sub-Office staff, monitors their performance, completing performance assessments where necessary.
Ensures timely and regular reporting.
In collaboration with the Security Advisor and the Operations Manager, ensures that the security needs of office
and projects are met. Under the supervision of the Resident Representative and in collaboration
with the Security Advisor ensures enforcement of security procedures and MOSS/MORSS requirements in the Sub-Office.
Mitigates possible risks and impacts associated with the Sub-Office operations (e.g. logistical, security etc) by proactively designing reduction measures in collaboration with the Security Advisor.
Builds capacity of the office staff by identifying capacity needs and establishing training/learning programmes.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: The incumbent has the overall responsibility of managing the Basra Office and supervisory responsibilities towards the Basra Office staff.
Competencies
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Core |
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Achieve Results:
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LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact |
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Think Innovatively:
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LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems |
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Learn Continuously
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LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences |
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Adapt with Agility
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LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands |
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Act with Determination |
LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results |
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Engage and Partner
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LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration |
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Enable Diversity and Inclusion
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LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity |
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
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Thematic Area |
Name |
Definition |
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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 |
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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 |
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Business development |
UNDP representation |
Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities; advocate for UNDP, its values, and mission and work with various constituencies |
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Business direction and strategy |
Effective decision making |
Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority and area of expertise and resources |
|
Business management |
Partnerships 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 |
Communications |
Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally through media, social media and other appropriate channels. |
|
Business management |
Gender Mainstreaming |
Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues and ability to apply it to strategic and/or practical situations, e.g. gender-responsive planning |
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or other field with relevant experiences; OR
Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or other field with relevant experiences; OR
A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
Minimum 5 years with a (Masters’ degree) and 7 years (with Bachelors’ degree) of relevant experience at the national and/or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, implementation, and/or monitoring and evaluation of development projects, and in establishing inter-relationships among international organization, national and sub-national governments, civil society, and local community leaders in relevant thematic areas; and establishing inter-relationships among international organizations and national governments.
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, (MS Word, Excel, etc), database package, and web-based management systems such as ERP.
Work experience in southern governatorates is an asset.
Previous work experience with UN agencies is an asset.
Previous work experience on gender equality and gender mainstreaming, knowledge of gender equality at the institutional level is an asset.
Language requirements:
Fluency in English and Arabic, written and spoken is required.
Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
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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