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Programme Specialist, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development

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Organization Name: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Amman, Jordan
Location: Amman, Jordan
Apply email: https://jobs.partneragencies.net/erecruitjobs.html?JobOpeningId=8785&hrs_jo_pst_seq=1&hrs_site_id=2
Start Date: 19 Mar 2017, 01:45 am
Closing Date: 28 Mar 2017, 12:00 am

Agency: UNDP
Title: Programme Specialist, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development.     
Job ID: 8785   
Practice Area - Job Family: Poverty Reduction - INCLUSIVE GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT     
Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 28/03/2017         
Time Left: 12d 13h 17m
Duty Station: Amman, Jordan  
Education & Work Experience: I-Master's Level Degree - 7 year(s) experience    

Languages      
Required: English        
Desired:  Arabic, French
          
Grade: P4       
Vacancy Type: FTA International
Posting Type: External
Bureau: Development Policy    
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension
          
Background:
          
The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Within the Arab Region, UNDP is committed to assist program countries to develop their own integrated, transformative and scalable solutions to tackle the interconnected challenges of poverty, vulnerability, inequality and exclusion, in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. This includes measures to enhance prospects for inclusive growth, jobs and livelihoods at both national and local levels, including through economic recovery and resilience-building in crisis and post crisis contexts, with a particular focus on empowering women and youth, as well as advancing opportunities for the most vulnerable.  UNDP is also supporting policy and program transitions from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working to help countries in leaving no one behind, and promoting integrated approaches to sustainable development.

The Policy Specialist, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development, based at UNDP Amman Hub is responsible for contributing substantive policy and programme advisory services to the Country Offices in the Arab region and applying the products and tools relevant to the thematic areas of Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development. These include poverty, vulnerability and inequality, employment with a particular focus on youth and women, social protection, private sector development and entrepreneurship. The Policy Specialist supports SDG mainstreaming and implementation efforts, within the framework of United Nations Development Group (UNDG) common approach to supporting SDG implementation, MAPS (Mainstreaming of 2030 Agenda, Acceleration towards the SDGs, and Policy Support drawing on the expertise and programmatic experience of different parts of the UN). The Policy Specialist will support countries on SDG implementation and monitoring based on UNDP’s technical areas of work and programming. 

Working to ensure the execution of quality and coherent policy and programme advisory services within their region and across other regions as well as alignment with the Strategic Plan, s/he advances the mission of UNDP and increases the credibility and recognition in this thematic area.

S/he acts in response to requests from country offices and works in close collaboration with the Sustainable Development and Development Planning and Inclusive Sustainable Growth teams in HQ, BBPS Strategic Policy and Global Positioning (SPGP) Unit, BPPS clusters (Governance and Peacebuilding, Gender, Climate change, energy & disaster risk reduction), as well as RBAS regional programs and UNDP’s Global Policy Centers. 

S/he is responsible for performing and contributing to the following:
Programme Support and Policy Advice;
Support Policy Development;
Policy Positioning and Representation;
Partnerships and Resource Mobilization; and
Knowledge Management.
S/he  works under the supervision of and report to the Regional Team Leader, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development.
          
Duties and Responsibilities:
          
1) Programme Support and Policy Advice:
Execute policy, strategy, and country-level and regional programme initiatives on poverty, inequality, inclusive growth and sustainable development to support key results, outcomes, and outputs of the Strategic Plan;
Support country offices in developing and implementing strategic frameworks, programmes, and projects as it relates to inclusive growth, poverty eradication, reduction of inequalities and the achievement of the SDGs;
Coordinate the production of relevant analysis and guidance for policy advice and programme support that responds to country office needs;
Apply multi-disciplinary approaches, including through setting up, coordinating, and engaging with Development Solution Teams (DSTs), as required, to deliver advisory services and programming needs in line with emerging client needs and corporate standards, as well as maintaining and developing networks of experts in UNDP’s areas of work;
Develop and implement solutions in crisis situations in response to requests coordinated by UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) and ensure proper use of policy and tools in this context;
Incorporate gender equality and human rights-based approach in policy and programming work; and
Provide relevant contributions to UNDP SURGE, as required.
2) Support Policy Development:
Support policy development and innovation through consolidation of  relevant lessons from projects and programmes;
Provide guidance and input to teams in the Amman Regional Hub in their provision of policy advisory services to country offices on all poverty and sustainable development programming efforts, including on the UNDG MAPS approach, and UNDP package of services and tools (e.g. UNDP Rapid Integrated Assessment tool) to support the implementation of the SDGs at national and local levels, helping them to ensure relevance of the services provided to country and regional context including in post-crisis situations, as appropriate;
Produce relevant analysis and guidance, in close collaboration with different teams in BPPS, including Global Policy Centers, on inclusive growth, poverty and inequality issues, including on issues such as multidimensional poverty, distributional impacts of policies, labor conditions and social protection frameworks in different contexts including post disaster and crisis settings;
Identify gaps and opportunities for development of new policies and guide the overall team priorities and workplans;
Provide Quality Assurance to ensure alignment with global development policies, norms and standards;
Ensure cross-practice approach and cross-regional collaboration;
Create methods for reviewing policy services in the area of Poverty and Sustainable Development and assess policy success, as well as communicate these methods to other country offices and regions; and
Conceptualize and recommend policy innovations in the thematic area to improve programme delivery.
3) Policy Positioning and Representation:
Under the guidance of the team leader, mobilize, foster and strengthen strategic partnerships with UN entities and other relevant bodies at the regional level, and provide inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives, including regional Interagency thematic groups (e.g youth, social protection);
Prepare briefing notes and speeches;
Advocate the importance of the thematic area of Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development in various fora at the regional level, including academia and civil society, with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms; and
Support Team Leaders in engagement in UN interagency coordination in relevant policy areas by organizing and participating in regional meetings on poverty, inclusive growth and sustainable development related issues.
4) Partnerships and Resource Mobilization:
In collaboration with BERA, support the Team Leader to engage with regional partners and develop/implement resource mobilization plan under corporate guidelines, including to fulfill corporate and donor reporting, advocacy and information-sharing requirements;
Provide substantive inputs related to regional external partnerships for Poverty, Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development; and
Support the Team Leader in fostering strategic partnerships at the regional level with UN and external regional partner institutions, including with UNDP HDRO, UNDESA, ESCWA, UNICEF, ILO and the World Bank, governments, private sector, academia, NGOs, and CSOs at regional and local levels and provide substantive inputs to those partnerships in support of UNDP initiatives focusing on sustainable development outcomes.
5) Knowledge Management:
Coordinate team contributions and support to corporate KM activities, at region-specific level to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area of Poverty and Sustainable Development in collaboration with policy teams at HQ and in Regional Hubs;
Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice; and
Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned regarding pro poor and inclusive growth approaches and sustainable development in the roll out of SDG implementation/ acceleration initiatives, ensuring that knowledge sharing and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools.     
Competencies:
          
Corporate competencies:

Innovation:
Ability to make new and useful ideas work.
Leadership:
Ability to persuade others to follow.
People Management:
Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.
Communication:
Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.
Delivery:
Ability to get things done.
Technical/Functional

Primary

Poverty and Human Development:
Knowledge of poverty, human development and inclusive and sustainable growth issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.
Development planning:
Knowledge of development planning processes at the national and local level and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.
Project and Programme Management:
Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Partnerships:
Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships.
Knowledge Management:
Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Knowledge of the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.
Secondary:

Resource Mobilization:
Ability to identify and organize programmes and projects to implement solutions and generate resources.
Coordination:
Ability to manage complex relationships through pathways of knowledge exchange, capacity development, funding relationships and strategic engagement.
Trends and emerging areas analytics:
Ability to scan the horizon and identify approaches and initiatives to bring into policy and programme design.           
Required Skills and Experience:
          
Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in development economics, social sciences or related disciplines.

Experience: 
Seven years of professional work experience providing policy advice and programme support in the general area of Inclusive growth and Sustainable Development in different development contexts;
Strong analytical skills in economic, social and ideally also on environmental dimensions of sustainable development;
Solid analytic skills on inclusive growth, poverty and inequality issues (e.g. multidimensional poverty, distributional impacts of policies, labor conditions and social protection frameworks); and
Experience working in developing country settings is required and experience in crisis contexts is an asset.
Language Requirements: 
Fluency in English both written and oral;
Working knowledge of Arabic and/or French is an asset           
Disclaimer:
          
Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

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