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Technical Specialist

UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

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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.

UNDP, in partnership with the national Parliament of Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville House of Representatives, has commissioned a project aiming to strengthening various aspects of both institutions. Recognizing the critical importance of both institutions to democratic governance, the Parliamentary Strengthening Project – Papua New Guinea and Bougainville, (herein the ‘Project’) works with both legislatures to:

  • Support Members of the legislature to more effectively use their parliamentary powers to engage in debate and oversight of national development activities, in relation to critical topics such as improving public financial management, gender equality, reducing poverty through inclusive economic development and building disaster and climate resilience, in particular through the use of Parliamentary Committees.

 

  • Strengthen the capacities of Parliamentary Committees in both legislatures to undertake effective oversight of key government sectors, through transparent processes aimed at including the perspectives of communities, particularly women, into their deliberations.

 

  • Strengthen the capacities of key parts of the Parliamentary Service to assist their Members to discharge their mandates, in particular: (i) committee secretariat staff who assist committees to do their work (ii) research and library staff who can support MPs to take effective action on key issues by keeping them well- informed; (iii) public communications and outreach staff who can work with MPs and within the Secretariat to more effectively engage the public in the work of the National Parliament; and (iv) parliamentary ICT infrastructure.

 

UNDP is now seeking to engage a Technical Specialist (TS)  to work with a small team to deliver a range of activities in support of these outcome areas. The TS will be based in Port Moresby with regular travel to Buka and other sub-national locations in Papua New Guinea.


 
Position Purpose

UNDP is now seeking to engage a Technical Specialist to work with a small team to deliver a range of activities in support of these outcome areas. The TS will be based in Port Moresby with regular travel to Buka and other sub-national locations in Papua New Guinea. The TS will report to the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative or his/her designate. The TS will be based in the UNDP Country Office in Port Moresby. The Country Office will provide necessary administrative and other assistance to the CTA and project team.

Under the overall guidance of the RR and the direct supervision of the DRR, the TS will work with key stakeholders National Parliament, Bougainville House of Representatives, Joint Parliamentary Women MPs Caucus, Parliamentary Committees (GEWE, Elections Committee, Economics Affairs Committee, Public Accounts Committee) and wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

 
 
Duties and Responsibilities
 
Provision of technical guidance for effective project implementation (in close collaboration with the Project Manager and Project Specialists)
  • Provide technical expertise and strategic guidance to effectively plan and implement project activities to ensure achievement of targets and results. Oversight responsibilities include annual work planning and budgeting, monitoring, and reporting on progress and budgets, management of project resources, procurement of goods and services, and contractual management. 
  • Provide technical guidance to ensure that financial and operational procedures of the project are in line with UNDP rules and regulations.
  • Deliver cutting edge technical advice and thought leadership on inclusive and accountable parliaments to national counterparts. Ensure that UNDP and international best practice and lesson learning is fed into programming. 
  • Design and/or deliver parliamentary development training programmes, technical guidance briefs and handbooks.
  • Considering the highly dynamic context, advise on necessary project adaptation options and, when necessary, identify e.g. needs for external technical support or e.g. updates required to project activities, indicators, baselines, targets, and means of verification. 
  • Plan and support monitoring, evaluation, and reporting requirements for the Project.
  • Guide relevant substantive part of the quarterly, mid-year and annual reporting. To this end, support preparation and consolidation of information, data, and reports on the achievements of the project according to the indicators and targets in the log frame and requirements of donors.
  • Prepare, facilitate and follow-up on Project Board meetings and present work plans and periodic progress reports to the Project Board as required.
  • Together with UNDP PNG technical counterparts, identify new areas of support and facilitate implementation of new initiatives.

Provide direct strategic and substantive expertise to both Parliaments, including on matters related to core functions of law-making, oversight and representation.
  • Guide the National Parliament and Bougainville House of Representatives through technical advice to both Speakers (or their nominated representative/s), both Clerks and the Parliamentary Administration.
  • Strategic policy advice and capacity building when requested by members, speakers, Clerks and parliamentary staff, including delivery of ad hoc training or knowledge sessions.
  • Provide background papers, briefing notes and concept notes to inform decision- makers on parliamentary development issues such as strengthening of the legislatures’ law-making, representation, oversight and other roles of Parliaments.
 
Lead on gender mainstreaming, women’s political involvement, and inclusive leadership in both Parliaments.
  • Advise the design and implementation of programming initiatives for women’s political representation and participation, improved inclusion of youth, persons with disability, marginalized and minoritized groups including through collaboration with other projects teams at UNDP PNG.
  • Ensure full integration and mainstreaming of initiatives in the area of women’s political representation and participation with broader programming areas.
  • Create and/or identify opportunities for the skills development and networking of women parliamentarians.
  • To ensure this, collaborate effectively with related projects in the Governance, Peace, Gender and Social Cohesion portfolio with activities that contribute to gender mainstreaming and women’s political participation. 
  • Support collection of relevant data enabling measurement on progress towards CPD goals related to gender equality and women’s empowerment. 
 
Build strategic partnerships, positioning and advocacy for inclusive and transparent parliamentary processes in PNG
  • Develop and support the strengthening of partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders and partners.
  • Lead project networking and partnership development with the aim of enhancing coordination and cooperation among key parties.
  • Develop and/or strengthen relationships with regional and global parliamentary development projects and networks, parliamentary associations and peer networks, to ensure PNG National Parliament and BHOR gain enhanced exposure and opportunities for peer and south-south learning.
  • Strengthen UNDP’s visibility with potential stakeholders and provide efficient communication to all partners in relation to parliamentary development 
 
Provision of top- quality advisory services, knowledge production and management
  • Lead analytical work to identify key policy issues/gaps to improve policies for the thematic area of the portfolio.
  • Draft or commission the development of key knowledge products.
  • Identify and document emerging issues, challenges, lessons learned, and good practices linked to governance and social transformation, draft analysis, report, and policy papers. 
  • Develop communication products such as op-eds, press releases, case studies, and blogs, and provide inputs to UNDP representative speeches and meeting preparations.
  • Contribute to wider regional and global UNDP knowledge-sharing seminars and community of practice to ensure better synergy and collaboration. 
  • Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice. 
 
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.
 
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities : The Technical Specialist will provide oversight and Supervisory roles to the Project Manager, National Parliament and BHOR Specialists and Finance and Administration Officer.  
 
 
Competencies
  • Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site. 

  • Cross Functional and  Technical Competencies:
Business Direction and strategy – Strategic Thinking: Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight. 
 
Business Direction and strategy – System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact other parts of the system.
 
Business Development – Partnerships Management: 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.

2030 Agenda: Peace – Governance: Parliamentary development. 

Business Development – Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.
 
Business Management – Results-based Management: Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tool.
 
Business Management – Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management. 
 
 
Required Skills and Experience
 
Education:
  • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Political Science, Law, Public Administration, or a related field is required. Or 
  • A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas started above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
  • Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience working on democratic governance, political institutions, and institutional capacity building is required.
  • Experience in a senior position in a parliament is required. 
  • At least 5 years’ experience working in, or with Parliaments, technical knowledge of parliament functions and processes is required. 
  • Experience in donor/stakeholder coordination and management is required. 
  • Experience in strategic planning, policy advice and capacity development are required. 
  • Experience in building and maintaining strong relationships in cross-cultural environments is required. 
  • Proven experience in building capacity with counterparts is required. 
  • Experience working with similar projects in the Asia-Pacific is desired.
  • Experience of parliamentary development in the pacific is highly desirable. 
  • Experience in delivering effective institutional strengthening programs in other cultural contexts particularly in parliaments or central government ministries is desired.
  • Experience in managing institutional change in challenging environments is desired. 
Language
  • Fluency in English is required. 
  • Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset. 
 
Please note that continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

 
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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