UNDP recrute un Team Lead

Team Lead CDD

UNDP

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

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations’ global development agency. UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP has been helping countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience to sustain development results. It is also recognized as 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.

As a sub-component of the Regional Service Centre for Africa (RSCA), the UNDP Sub-Regional Hub for West and Central Africa (UNDP WACA) covers 24 countries, ranging from high and middle-income economies to least developed countries and countries in crisis and post-crisis situations. UNDP WACA works with UNDP Country offices and national and regional counterparts in the sub-region to support the implementation of national development priorities and achieve the sustainable development goals. UNDP’s 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. Currently UNDP WACA works is primarily informed by the UNDP corporate strategic plan 2022- 2025, the UNDP Africa Promise, and the UNDP regional programme document for Africa 2022-2025.

The Preamble and Article 1 of the UN Charter describes four areas that are the pillars of the UN: Peace and Security; Human Rights; The Rule of Law; and Development. As a UN agency, UNDP works, while primarily focusing on development builds on the others pillars which are not only prerequisite but also enabler of sustainable development. According to the UNSG and as part of the recently published new agenda for peace launched in July 2023, “Building this new multilateralism must start with action for peace, not only because war undermines progress across all our other agendas, but because it was the pursuit of peace that in 1945 unified States around the need for global governance and international organization.” As part of its action for peace, UNDP is implementing two strategic offers namely called crisis offer and the prevention offer which provide strategic entry points for sustainable peace across the globe. UNDP’s Prevention Offer 2022-2025 is a corporate effort to articulate UNDP’s prevention and peacebuilding ambition and promotes a strong development lens that calls for acting early and at scale in conflict and crisis prevention and peacebuilding. Its objectives are threefold, to: (i) stabilize and protect hard-won development gains; (ii) mitigate risks of relapse or recurrence; and (iii) build institutional and

and community resilience to sustain peaceful development pathways. Through the crisis offer, UNDP focuses on breaking the cycle of fragility, getting ahead of the crisis curve, and investing in hope going through the following key steps: “anticipate, prevent, respond to and recover from crisis, every day, and in every development context”.

As part of its governance and peacebuilding work, UNDP WACA is working closely with 24 countries offices and regional partners to building capacities to take and sustain peace across the region.

A key component of this work has been the fight against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) cognizant of the rapid proliferation of SALW constitutes one of the major security challenges currently facing the West and Central African region and its neighbouring regional blocks. The effective control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) is one of the major global prerequisites for peace building, sustainable development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Peace and security challenges in West Africa are primarily about preventing conflicts and bringing development. A major lesson UNDP learned over the years is that where small arms and armed violence dominate, development suffers. The trafficking and wide availability of these weapons fuel communal conflict create political instability and pose a threat, not only to national security, but also to sustainable development. Its widespread proliferation is contributing to alarming levels of armed crime, and militancy but also a rapid growth of non-state armed groups. In the Sahel region for instance, non-state armed groups continue to pose insecurity against government forces across its frontiers. These conflicts have left behind residual insecurity characterized by the exacerbation of the circulation of illicit weapons. The flow of illicit arms as consequence of the Libyan crisis; the formation of organized criminal groups involved in Small Arms, Drugs and human trafficking continues to pose a threat to regional security and stability as evidenced by the activities of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISAWP).

To further promote the prevention agenda, UNDP WACA has been implementing a regional project on SALW for the effective development of a broader peace and security framework for cohesive management of SALW programmes for the West and Central Africa. To continue engaging in this important endeavor and scale up the initiative for fast-track peacebuilding efforts, UNDP WACA hub is recruiting a Regional Coordinator (SALW) who will be working under the direct supervision of the Director of the Regional Hub for West and Central Africa (WACA). In addition to ensuring comprehensive SALW thought leadership to strengthen UNDP positioning, the regional programme on SALW provides proactive support to Country Offices in the WACA offering strategic guidance on policy and programme alignment with UNDP’s Strategic Plan and UNDP’s Africa Offer and work closely with various Regional Bureau teams as well as Central Bureau to ensure timely provision of the policy, advisory, and operational support services to the region and adequate response to crisis management and complex development situations. He/She will work closely with the Governance and peacebuilding team to further promote the UNDP crisis offer and the prevention offer with the view and promoting sustainable peace in WACA.

Duties and Responsibilities

Lead the Resource mobilization and partnership effort of the follow up Phase of the Regional Projects on SALW, namely, the Organised Crime West Africa Against Trafficking (OCWAR-T) and Regional Cross Border management projects in West and Central Africa. Leads and manages project deliverables and identify strategies for mobilizing resources and partnerships.

He/She will be responsible for the following:

Coordinate partnerships between with all relevant stakeholders ECCAS, ECOWAS, Development partners, UNDP Country offices as well as represent UNDP in global and regional technical meetings to further deepen UNDP position in SALW and prevention related matters.
Manage the regional SALW team and lead the drafting and formulation of Description of Action (DoA) for the planned EU and German funded projects (2024-2026) for the Regional Small Arms programme in the West and Central African Region.
Develop and enhance collaboration and partnership with all relevant partners for enhanced national and regional capacities for peacebuilding and security sector governance with a focus on the fight against the proliferation of SALW.
Provide technical and advisory support to UNDP towards setting up and implementing innovative solutions for sustainable peace and security in WACA.
Champion the formulation and implementation of a detailed Partnership and Resource Mobilization (PRM) Strategy for scaling up efforts to fight SALW in WACA
Lead the team to identify and formulate lessons learned, codify, and disseminate those lessons and recommendations to be integrated into broader regional knowledge management efforts.
Develop and implement communication initiatives for mindset change and actions towards the prevention agenda in the WACA region.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the direct supervision of the Director, Dakar Sub Regional Hub, the incumbent will be primarily responsible for managing the Regional SALW programme in WACA and contribute to the UNDP WACA peacebuilding agenda. He/she will provide technical advice to senior management and ensure coordination of partnerships between the multilateral actors, as well as Country offices in the Mano River, Liptako Gourma and Sahel on issues of SALW/ Peace and Security. The incumbent will work closely with the Governance Team Lead of the Sub Regional Hub to ensure that SALW projects are aligned to UNDP’S regional programme delivery and help manage all matters requiring SALW representation and/or direct intervention from RBA including the post Sahel Offer implementation activities. Additionally, he/she will supervise and lead team of staff, experts (international and national consultants), and will liaise with colleagues in UNDP Central Bureaus and the Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) on SALW and conflict prevention issues.

Competencies

Core
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
People Management Competencies: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Thematic Area	Name	Definition
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.
Business Direction & Strategy	Effective Decision Making:	Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.
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 and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment
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.
2030 Agenda: Peace	Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights:	Small Arms Control.
2030 Agenda: Peace	Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights	SALW

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Academic Education	Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in Business Administration, Development Studies, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences, or related field. OR A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields, combined with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Min. years of relevant Work experience	A minimum of seven (7) years of technical/programme experience in Small Arms and Light Weapons for holders of Master’s degree. Or A minimum of nine (9) years of technical/programme experience in Small Arms and Light Weapons for holders of Bachelor’s degree. Experience in Global engagement on international instruments and frameworks on SALW and peacebuilding. At least five years of experience in championing efforts on security sector governance including SALW at national and regional level. At least five years of experience in negotiations, design, monitoring, and evaluation of Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Implementation. Proven experience coordination of Biennial Meetings of States (BMS) on the UN programme of Action in UN Headquarters. Proven experience in working with regional and international organizations in the WACA region (ECOWAS, ECCAS). Prior experience in partnership building and engagement with key donors such as Germany and EU. Excellent drafting and communication skills.
Required skills and competencies	Technical Competencies: Expert level knowledge of Arms Trade Treaty Implementation and negotiations. Expert level skills in the design, research, and knowledge on diversification and implementation SALW/ conflict prevention. Knowledge of regional and global development frameworks mainly SDGs and Agenda 2063. Knowledge of the UN programming principles- Leave no one behind (gender equality and human rights) resilience and sustainability. Knowledge of result-based management principles. Ability to conduct risk analysis and develop mitigation strategies. Skills: Proficiency in conducting research and analysis. Proficiency and experience in MS Office applications. Excellent oral, written and presentation skills. Others: Coordination experience working with governments, development partners, and international organizations. Effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner. Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work. Ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities. Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge. Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
Desired additional skills and competencies	Demonstrated experience and good knowledge of development Partners’ landscape. High level skills in chairing and facilitating global/national meetings. Good understanding of other development organizations is desirable.
Required Language(s) (at working level)	Proficiency in English and Knowledge of French will be an asset.

Disclaimer

Female candidacies are strongly encouraged.

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.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence. We strongly encourage female candidacies.

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Team Lead CDD

UNDP