Management & Innovation Specialist

Background

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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.

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help build nations that can withstand crisis and support their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP works in nearly 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) is its largest regional bureau, covering 46 countries, ranging from high middle-income economies to least developed countries, as well as countries in crisis and post-crisis situations. UNDP works with its national counterparts in the Africa region to help them implement national development priorities and achieve their national development goals. Its work is guided by global and regional development and normative frameworks to which countries in Africa are signatories, including the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.

Achieving these core strategic goals requires UNDP to take action in a number of areas that conform its programme for the Africa region. These range from service delivery support in crisis and post-crisis settings, to national capacity development, the provision of innovative policy advice to national governments, or the convening of national and regional dialogues around key development issues.

To make this possible, UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa counts with a core capacity of highly qualified professionals located in its headquarters in New York and in its regional and sub-regional offices in Addis Ababa, Dakar and Nairobi. RBA staff provide both substantive and managerial support to UNDP’s operations in the Africa region, enhancing its standards of efficiency and accountability, providing innovative region-wide strategic thinking and policy analysis, and engaging in advocacy and partnerships development, helping translate corporate and RBA strategies and goals into development impact and results on the ground.

Under the guidance and supervision of the Adviser of the Management Support Team, and in close coordination with the team members, the Management and Innovation Specialist is responsible for effective support the Regional Bureau financial planning, budgeting and monitoring of the CO’s performance, regional programme and regional hubs. Supports the Internal Control and risk management, as well as the quality performance in terms of operational and financial indicators for the Region. He/she is responsible to provide effective guidance to CO’s on operational standards, preventing deviations through the preparation of strategic reports and escalating performance issues to the Adviser. He/she will work closely with relevant HQ units to ensure coherent, timely and appropriate prioritized support to CO’s. The Management and Innovation Specialist is responsible to propose innovative solutions towards to regional Agenda, fostering close engagement with CO’s.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:
Support RBA financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting.

Support the Regional operational capacity towards programme delivery.

Support the Regional Bureau internal control and risk management.

Deliver on Technical Advice for Innovation and Digital Transformation.

1) Support RBA financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting:

Provides advise to COs, based on guidelines, on the better ways and approaches to ensure adequate planning and budgeting of available resources;

Provides advise to COs to ensure adequate forecasting of delivery for each funding stream identified within their portfolio;

Provides advise to COs to ensure adequate forecasting and planning/registering of all revenue to be generated locally for each of the possible sources identified at a Country level;

Provides specific advice on cost recovery policy with emphasis on Direct Project Cost implementation and proactively promotes knowledge sharing of best practices;

Provides quality assurance on reports prepared of pipeline and guidance, when requested, on levels and categories of pipeline to ensure data reflected is accurate;

Provides financial analysis on management changes processes;

Provides quality assurance of resource section of IWPs throughout the whole cycle: planning, mid-term review and year end assessment, in order to help COs and the Bureau to ensure alignment of COs IWP resource requirements with budget in addition to ensure that the Bureau leadership has the most up-to-date and accurate budget data for the duration of the agreement, related to the projects’ activities, administrative and support costs;

Proactively advises COs to design monitoring tools to ensure their planning and forecast are accurate and provides guidance to escalate to and/or make adjustments, if necessary; and

Prepares customized reports both on aggregated and individual level, as per demand, to provide accurate information to Senior Management.

2) Support the Regional operational capacity towards programme delivery:

Advises on strategies, policies and plans affecting COs operations, delivery of practice advisory, knowledge and learning services;

Proactively advises and supports COs to design monitoring tools to set and track delivery milestones;

Advises COs on different modalities of project implementation assessing on the adequate modality for each case and type of engagement suggested with counterpart, as per demand;

Advises and supports COs on the request of Fast Track procedures, as needed;

Advises and supports COs on the identification of bottlenecks and challenges affecting delivery capacity and proactively provides integrated solutions to address the issues found;

Guide CO’s on audit and compliance matters;

Guide CO’s and RBA teams on restructuring proposals, including sustainability principles;

Liaises with and interpret financial guidelines from RB HQ/ BMS/OPG; and provides financial guidance to CO; and

Advises COs in regards to the POPP, financial dashboards and indicators, monthly, quarter and annual closing exercises.

3) Support the Regional Bureau internal control and risk management:

Supports the implementation of the risk mitigation plan by monitoring the CO’s appropriate internal controls and prepares information on CO’s performance in order to ensure that UNDP rules and Regulations are followed, escalating any deviation and/or potential risk identified;

Promotes business processes and ICFs reviews, following the RB approach and strategies;

Ensures continuous analysis of UNBOA audits, CO audits, HACT audits and DIM audits, and close follow up to implementation of recommendations and preparation of inputs if required by auditors;

Advises and supports COs in the preparation of internal audits and in the implementation of audit recommendations. When requested by COs, advises in the preparation of management responses to exit notes;

Advises and supports COs in HACT implementation;

Reviews reports and analysis prepared for revision of approvals for increased delegation of procurement authority (IDPA);

Reviews follow up with COs focal points provided to routinely monitoring exception reports, based on corporate tools and dashboards, anticipating potential issues, liaising with relevant parties;

Provides guidance to COs to address issues flagged at quarterly corporate revisions such as CPI One Pager and GSSC reports.

4) Deliver on Technical Advice for Innovation and Digital Transformation

Foster close engagement with country offices to promote innovation, connecting local digital initiatives, for regional testing and adoption;

Develop and promote regional innovation agenda, including the developing and testing of concepts, initiatives, tools and products;

Provide support to regional or subregional projects on innovation and digital transformation, liaising with HQ units to ensure information is disseminated to relevant actors ;

Facilitate, in collaboration with other units and experts, workshops and webinars on digital technologies, innovative use of data and methodologies.

Competencies

Core

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 while exercising good judgement.

Technical/Functional

Financial Planning and Budgeting

Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP’s long and short-term financial goals.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Knowledge of methodologies, tools, systems and apply practical experience in planning, monitoring, evaluating and reporting and ability to apply to practical situations.

Internal Reporting and Accountability

Ability to create internal reporting and accountability processes and standards.

Quality Assurance

Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to insure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled.

Data Measurement

Ability to set goals and indicators and to interpret and synthesize results into usable information to inform policy, strategy, and/or action.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
Master’s degree or equivalent in business administration, public administration, finance, economics, international relations or related field.

Experience:
7 years of relevant experience at national and international level, including progressively responsible experience in planning, designing, organizing and implementing development projects, as well as in programme/project administration.

Relevant experience of administrative, financial and budgetary principles and practices, administration of financial resources and knowledge of theories, concepts and methodologies related to results-based management (RBB and RBM).

Relevant experience on innovation and digital initiatives at national or international level.

Knowledge and experience on utilization of corporate tools and platforms: Atlas, and Executive Snapshot preferred.

Language Requirements:
Proficiency in English and French is required.

Other:
Non-Smoking environment.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

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.

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