Colombia: Programme Specialist

Jan 16, 2016 | UNDP
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According to UNDP´s Strategic Plan 2014-2017, UNDP is expected to address development issues as they actually exist - complex, multi-dimensional and often unique to each society to effectively contribute to eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP proposes to concentrate on three substantive areas of work, which are focused on a) How to adopt sustainable development pathways; b) How to build and/or strengthen inclusive and effective democratic governance; c) How to build resilience. UNDP is adopting an issues based approach to development needs and priorities in all of its areas of work.

UNDP´s approach to development considers the importance of being guided by national ownership and capacity, recognizing the intrinsic value of the body of economic, political, social, civil and cultural rights established by the United Nations, utilizing sustainable human development to guide our contributions, reflecting the pivotal significance of gender equality and women’s empowerment, ensuring participation and voice in pursuit of equitable access to development opportunities and gains across the population, advancing South-South and triangular cooperation and assisting countries to play an active role as global citizens. By adhering to universality, UNDP offers over 170 programme countries access to the services of UNDP and, through the effective exercise of UNDP’s coordination function, to those of the United Nations Development System.

When applied together in an integral manner, the areas of work are expected to contribute to the achievement of expected development outcomes. In case of Colombia, the three prioritized outcomes in its Country Progamme for 2015- 2019 are:

• Growth and development are inclusive and sustainable, incorporating productive capacities that create employment and livelihoods for the poor and excluded;

• Countries have strengthened institutions to progressively deliver universal access to basic services;

• Early recovery and rapid return to sustainable development pathways are achieved in post-conflict and post-disaster settings.

Under the overall guidance of the Resident Representative, direct supervision of the Country Director, and the Deputy Country Director, and in close articulation with the Programme Specialist (Poverty and Inequality Reduction), the Programme Specialist (Sustainable Development) is responsible for management of UNDP programme within the thematic areas of Sustainable Development and Resilience, including Biodiversity Management, Climate Change and Disaster Risk prevention and Management, and Pollutants as part of the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster. The Programme Specialist (SD) analyzes political, social and economic trends and leads formulation, management and evaluation of programme activities within his/her portfolio and provides policy advice services ensuring issues based approach and synergies with other areas of work within his/her portfolio and provides policy advice services. He/ She also provides high level advisory and technical support to guarantee environmental sustainability of the Country Programme.

Supervises and leads programme staff, coordinates activities of the project`s staff; assures coherent response as part of the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster, works in close collaboration with other programme and the operations teams, project coordinators, Government officials, civil society, private sector, programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs staff and technical advisors/experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and ensuring successful UNDP programme implementation.

The Programme Specialist will perform a variety of programme and project duties and will be responsible but not limited to guide the identification, design, formulation, results oriented monitoring and management of evaluations of programmes/projects, ensuring that they are properly implemented and contribute to the expected UNDP Country Programme (CPD) outcomes as well guaranteeing UNDP´s core principles of transparency, efficiency and quality in general.

Duties & Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Coordination of Sustainable Development and Resilience portfolio, including Biodiversity Management, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Prevention and Management, and Pollutants as part of the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster in close articulation with other areas of work;

• Provision of top quality policy advice services on Sustainable Development and Resilience issues to the Government at the national, regional and local levels and internally within UNDP;

• Formulation, design and implementation of programme strategies within CPD framework ensuring an issues based approach, human rights based approach, gender approach and conflict sensitivity;

• Creation of strategic partnerships and design and implementation of a resource mobilization strategy;

• Supervision of programme staff and assurance of compliance to office strategic and operational requirements.

• Coordination of Sustainable Development and Resilience portfolio, including Biodiversity Management, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Prevention and Management, and Pollutants as part of the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster in close articulation with other areas of work focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Proactive articulation within Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster to assure integral and issues-based programmatic approach;

• Thorough analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country conducts the preparation of substantive inputs to CCA, UNDAF, CPD, CPAP and other technical documents;

• Collection and analysis of information about the Sustainable Development and Resilience and related Sustainable Development Goals at the national, regional and local levels for proposing public policies in order to their achievement;

• Identification of areas for support and interventions within the sustainable development and resilience area as part of the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster, with particular emphasis in activities addressing biodiversity management, sustainable energy, climate change and , Disaster Risk Prevention and Management, and Pollutants, in close coordination, collaboration and articulation with other areas of work;

• Actively contributes to the application of issues-based approach to UNDP´s work at national, departmental and local levels to assure coherence and effectiveness of UNDP´s work in Colombia;

• CO business processes mapping and preparation of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures in Results Management;

• Provision of high level advisory and technical support to guarantee environmental sustainability of the Country Programme;

• Promotes the inclusion of cross-cutting issues (e.g. gender, human rights) where UNDP could strengthen its position to help address national challenges as part of its efforts to perform its mandate.

• Ensures provision of top quality policy advice services on Sustainable Development and Resilience issues to the Government at the national, regional and local levels:

• Promotion of corporate policies on Sustainable Development and Resilience and linkages with global and regional programmes in this area of work and coordination with Sustainable Development and Resilience Cluster for UNDP regional Hub for LAC;

• Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues. Identification and synthesis of best practices and lessons learnt directly linked to programme country policy goals;

• Support to development of policies and institutions that will address the country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners;

• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice as well as knowledge building and sharing within the CO and implementing;
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on programme issues;
• Enhances UNDP’s value added as a trusted partner of the local, regional and national level stakeholders.
• Ensures effective and relevant formulation, design and implementation of programme strategies focusing on quality control and results:
• Design and formulation of CPD within the area of responsibility, translating UNDP’s priorities into national, regional and local interventions. Coordination of programme implementation with the implementing partner. Introduction of performance indicators/ success criteria, cost recovery, targets and milestones;

• Supervises the quality of programme/project to be presented to the local PAC by the Programme Analyst; quality control and follow up of contribution agreements; aware of the closure of projects once finalized. Programme Specialist can perform functions of Senior Manager in Atlas;
• Manages the application of RBM tools, establishment of targets (BSC) for the achievement of results, and leads results oriented monitoring of the sustainable development and resilience portfolio, including assurance of quality reporting oriented to results and management of outcome oriented evaluations.
• Creation of strategic partnerships and design and implementation of a resource mobilization strategy:
• Clear awareness of the bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors’ priorities, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation in order to identify opportunities and niches for jointly development programmes/projects;
• Development of partnerships with key stakeholders in the country as government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society, IFI’s, UN Agencies in specific thematic areas based on SDGs and strategic goals of UNDP.
• Supervision of programme staff and assurance of compliance to office strategic and operational requirements:
• Oversees and guarantees compliance with UNDP`s rules, regulations and procedures by programme staff under his/her supervision;
• Jointly with Programme Analysts, performs systematic follow-up of annual work plans for guaranteeing their planned results as well as their overall implementation;
• Risk management to mitigate its possible impact in programmes/projects;
• Guarantee that programme analysts under his/her supervision contribute substantively in the audit of NIM (National Implementation) /DIM (Direct Implementation) and NGOs projects within its portfolio;
• Guarantees that the programme analysts make an adequate follow up on audit recommendations. All exceptions are timely reported;
• Supervises timely and substantive submission of mandatory reports to the counterparts, donors and HQ.

Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the achievement of the Country Programme Outcomes and contribution to the SDGs in the country, which require integral programmatic approach involving different areas of work. The effectiveness of the results require close articulation within the Inclusive Sustainable Development Cluster