Duties and Responsibilities:

Programme Support and Policy Advice:

• Provide programme support to the African Union on COVID-19 PIP and ensure implementation of activities;
• Provide programme and policy advice in the thematic area of COVID-19, Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding to the African Union to strengthen their capacity;
• Provide technical support for the conceptualization and design of post-COVID recovery initiatives and identify new regional initiatives on peacebuilding and conflict prevention;
• Collaborate with other teams in the Hubs in Africa and other regions, and HQ, for the delivery of technical policy advice and programme support to the African Union, to respond to member state’s needs;
• Identify and recommend new opportunities for policy advisory directions and programming to support the African Union and RECs;
• Provide substantive policy support to the RSCA in the development of and roll-out of UNDP-AU flagship initiative on Silencing the Gun beyond 2020 and enhancing capacities of the AU in reducing conflict;
• Support in shaping the design of the new Regional Programme Document (2022-2025) based on technical engagements and priorities of the African Union and regional economic communities and regional mechanisms.

Knowledge Management and Innovation:

• Coordinate and contribute to knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned on COVID-19 including post-recovery interventions;
• Support the identification, development and adoption of innovative solutions, including new technologies, for COVID-19 response and recovery, Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in UNDP Africa;
• Coordinate and support cross-regional exchange of knowledge, develop and share knowledge-based tools and guidance to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material to AU, RECs and at various fora.

Partnerships, Representation and Resource Mobilization:

• Under the guidance of the RBA Regional Coordinator support the mobilization, fostering and strengthening of strategic partnerships with the African Union and RECs in response to COVID-19;
• Provide substantive support to the RBA Regional Coordinator to engage with partners and in resource mobilization initiatives, including through preparation of funding proposals, briefing notes, timely corporate and donor reporting, advocacy and information-sharing requirements;
• Contribute to UNDP engagement in UN interagency coordination on the COVID-19 interventions with the the aim to advance UNDP’s corporate response to COVID-19;
• Advocate for policy and positioning of the Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding area with the AU and RECs as well as in various fora and through programme efforts, including academia and civil society.

Core Competencies :

Innovation:

Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Level 5: Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them.

Leadership:

Ability to persuade others to follow

Level 5: Plans and acts transparently, actively works to remove barriers

People Management:

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Level 5: Models high professional standards and motivates excellence in others.

Communication:

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform:.

Level 5: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others.

Delivery:

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement.

Level 5: Critically assesses value and relevance of existing policy/practice and contributes to enhanced delivery of products, services, and innovative solutions.

Technical/Functional:

Result-based Management:

Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results.

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise.

Knowledge Management:

Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge.

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise.

Partnership Management:

Establishing, maintaining, and utilizing a broad network of contacts. Building partnerships and strategic alliances. Leveraging the resources of partners.

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise.

Resource Mobilization:

Ensuring that UNDP has the resources it requires to implement programmes and advance a policy-oriented agenda.

Level 5: Originate: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise.

Required Skills and Experience

Job Requirement

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in human rights, political science, development studies, public administration and public policies, governance, social sciences or related disciplines.

Experience:

• 7 years of professional work experience providing programme support and policy advice in the general area of Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention in different development contexts. Experience working on pandemic crisis would be an asset;
• Experience with working with the AUC, RECs and other regional institutions and bodies is required;
• Experience working in the African context on issues relevant for this position would be desirable;
• Experience with working in crisis contexts would be desirable;
• Experience in programme management at the field level would be an asset;
• Experience with working with UN and/or government in developing country settings would be an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English;
• Fluency in French or at least one AU working language will be desirable.