UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work is carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, and forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Crisis Bureau guides UNDP’s corporate crisis-related strategies and vision for crisis prevention, response, and recovery. UNDP’s Crisis Bureau’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery (DRT) for Building Resilience Team provides integrated policy and programme support on disaster risk reduction and recovery in the context of UNDP’s broader approach to resilience building. The Team specifically fosters the integration of risk reduction as a key element in sustainable development and recovery at national, sub-national and sectoral level. Whilst working in close collaboration with related fields such as climate change, governance, conflict prevention and livelihoods, the Team focuses its support on the following thematic areas:

• Disaster and Climate Resilience
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Risk Governance
• Risk Information, Early Warning and Preparedness
• Recovery Preparedness, Assessments, and Implementation
• Urban and Community Risk Management and Resilience

In this context, the DRT specifically fosters the risk informed development as a key element in sustainable development and recovery at national, sub-national and sectoral level from systemic and multidimensional risks and on integrated approaches with pillars of climate action such as mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage. The team leads UNDP’s global practice in this field and provides high quality policy advice and programmatic support to UNDP Regional Hubs in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of disaster/climate risk reduction and recovery programmes. In line with the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement, the DRT works with partners to strengthen disaster and climate risk governance capacities; foster greater coherence of disaster risk reduction and the three pillars of climate action efforts; provide access to risk information, preparedness and early warning systems; strengthen recovery preparedness, assessments and implementation; and the resilience of urban and rural communities. The team collaborates closely with related UNDP practices such as nature, climate change and environment, governance, conflict prevention, health, human mobility, gender, inclusive growth, and poverty eradication, towards a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to resilience building.

Position Purpose 

The Programme Specialist, Resilience and Risk Informed Development is responsible for contributing substantive policy and programme advisory services to the Country Offices globally and applying the products and tools relevant to the thematic area of Risk Informed Development. S/he acts in response to requests from country offices and in collaboration with the integration and coordination team. 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 is responsible for performing and contributing to the following:

• Programme Support and Policy Advice
• Policy Research and Development
• Policy Positioning and Representation
• Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
• Knowledge Management

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 to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

Programme Implementation and Policy Advice: 

• Provides technical guidance and advisory services to UNDP Country and Regional Offices in designing and implementing risk informed development activities both internally and externally of UNDP.
• Provides advice and guidance UNDP Country Offices, on issues related to the strengthening of risk governance, risk management that fosters actions that anticipate and avoid creation of future risks, integrating risk management into development strategies and plans and promote portfolio approaches for building resilience.
• Execute programme initiatives to support key results, outcomes, and outputs of the UNDP Strategic Plan and RBAS’s Regional Programme Document.
• Advice country offices in developing and implementing strategic programmes, and projects such as those that strengthens capacities in risk governance, planning and coordination in GPN portfolio approaches that foster integrated programming.
• Coordinate the production of relevant analysis and guidance for programme support that responds to country office needs.
• Apply multi-disciplinary approaches, including through setting up, coordinating, and engaging with integrated GPN Teams 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 and conflict situations in response to requests coordinated by CB and ensure proper use of policy and tools in this context.
• Incorporate gender equality and human rights’-based approach in policy and programming work.
• Provide relevant contribution to UNDP SURGE.

Contribute to Policy Development:

• Provide strategic advice to policy development and innovation through consolidation of relevant lessons from projects and programmes.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for development of new policies and guide the overall team priorities and workplans.
• Support in identifying risk financing solutions including enhancing application of integrated national financing frameworks, budget and expenditure analysis, public and private sector resource mobilization and risk informing investments.
• Advise and provide technical support on people centered and stakeholder driven policy making and implementation.
• 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 thematic area and assess policy success, as well as communicate these methods to other country offices and regions.
• Conceptualize and recommend policy innovations in the thematic area to improve programme delivery.

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.
• Prepare briefing notes and speeches.
• Advocate the importance of the thematic area in various fora at the regional level, including academia and civil society, with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms, and to mobilize support for international frameworks.
• Support Team Leaders in engagement in UN interagency coordination in relevant policy areas by organizing and participating in regional meetings.

Building Strategic 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 in the area of work.
• Support team leader in fostering strategic partnerships with UN and external regional partner institutions, regional development banks, regional cooperation bodies, Governments, private sector, academia, NGOs, and CSOs at regional and local level.
• Develop and maintain inter-institutional partnerships for disaster and climate risk assessments, damage, and loss accounting systems; provide leadership to collaborative efforts on developing international standards; supports advocacy efforts for effective application of climate and disaster risk assessments in country.

Facilitate Knowledge Management 

• Identifies and documents UNDP’s best practices and lessons learned in risk assessment; develops guidelines and tools for planning risk assessment, as well as relevant training materials; enhances the capacity of UNDP country office’s staff and UN country team for planning, implementing, and coordinating disaster and climate risk assessment.
• Coordinate team contributions and support to corporate KM activities, at region-specific level to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area in collaboration with policy teams at HQ and in Regional Hubs.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
• Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned in the specific thematic area and verify that knowledge sharing, and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools.
• Support the development of integrated capacity building programmes, which promote the mainstreaming of risk reduction into the national development agendas based on evidence of risk information.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core competencies:

Achieve Results

• ​​Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively

• ​​Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously 

• ​​Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences​.

Adapt with Agility 

• ​​Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination 

• ​​Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results​.

Engage and Partner 

• ​​Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration​.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion 

• ​​Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity​.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

2030 Agenda: Planet Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery 

• Disaster Recovery Policy, Planning and Programming.

2030 Agenda: Planet Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery 

• Post Disaster Needs Assessment.

Partnership Management: Multi-stakeholder Engagement 

• Knowledge and ability to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships and remove any obstacles to resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder funding platforms.

Business Development: Knowledge Generation 

• Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Business Development: Knowledge Facilitation 

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, internally and externally.

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 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 optimising return on investment.

Required Skills and Experience 

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, international affairs, governance, social/natural sciences, engineering, or related disciplines is required, OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.

 Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with Master´s degree) or 7 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of relevant professional work experience providing policy advice and programme support in the general area of Recovery/Crisis Response in different development contexts in Arab States Region.
• At least 3 years of experience working in developing country settings in the Arab States region is required and experience in crisis contexts is an asset.
• Understanding of the international and regional disaster risk reduction systems, networks and key stakeholders is required.

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in any other UN language is highly desirable.