Water Partnerships Specialist, Horn of Africa at UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. Headquartered in New York City, UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It provides expert advice, training, and grants support to developing countries, with increasing empha...

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• Job TypeFull Time
• QualificationBA/BSc/HND , MBA/MSc/MA
• Experience7 - 9 years
• LocationNairobi
• Job FieldEngineering / Technical&nbsp , Project Management&nbsp

Duties and Responsibilities

The Key Functions, Accountabilities and related duties/tasks are as follows:

Overall management and supervision of programming coordination structures of the UN Technical Working Group on GW4R: 

• Ensure technical coherence, quality and standard throughout the programme technical working group and its project components;
• Maintain close working relations with national and local partners to ensure optimum programme impact as well as participation and ownership by key stakeholders;
• Lead and direct programme work planning with the partners, in all its aspects, including forecasting of programme requirements timing and priorities, budgeting, work distribution and tasking to ensure satisfactory progress and timely completion of the overall programme and its constituent project components;
• Ensure close coordination, harmonized planning and information exchange with the key stakeholders; 
• Encourage and find opportunities for cross-pillar synergies, identify cross-cutting issues and work to advance enablers;
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned from the programme for organizational learning;
• Coordinate the collaborative platform comprising the UN, World Bank and other Partners engaged in the GW4R. 

Establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system and ensure quality and timely reporting according to donor reporting schedules for the GW4R:

• Establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system, to track and measure results of activities in line with the TOC. This includes ensuring continuous data collection, including field level data collection systems; 
• Ensure timely and accurate input to the UNDP corporate template for compliance with programme-related UNDP and donor reporting obligations and requirements (includes drafting of annual progress report);
• Ensure periodic collection of case studies, human interest stories, new partnerships and best practices for inclusion in donor reports, the UNDP newsletter and UNDP website;
• Advance communications and visibility of results in close collaboration with the Communications Team; 
• Support/facilitate external evaluation, audits and donor assessments related to the GW4R initiative.

Develop, strengthen and maintain constructive working relations and partnerships with key partners and counterparts, including government officials, other development partners, UN entities and civil society:

• Actively support the Resilience Hub to strengthen partnership/donor relationship management including visibility, strategic engagement and  advise senior management to establish link with results and resource mobilization efforts in line with the overall RPA;
• Strengthen and maintain a substantive network of partnerships with relevant counterparts at different levels, civil society organizations, national NGOs, RECs, the private sector, implementing partners, other UN entities and the donor community;
• Actively support the Resilience Hub to meet resource mobilization targets including through the development of donor proposals and maintaining a responsive partnership liaison system.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relevant to the water portfolio:

• Identify capacity building needs and opportunities. Ensure appropriate training, project workshops and other relevant activities are organized and implemented in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia;
• Ensure project reports capture results, lessons learned and good practices for possible wider application; 
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on development and portfolio related issues. Support establishment of knowledge platforms for the water offer to facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with portfolio partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area;
• Promote advocacy for UNDP’s work and opportunities for collaboration in addressing development trends in coordination with the key partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

Institutional Arrangement

The Water Partnerships Specialist will work under the supervision of the Principal Water Adviser for the Regional Bureau for Africa. 

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

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

2030 Agenda: 

• People Gender:  Gender Mainstreaming.
• Engagement & Effectiveness: Effectiveness: Programming principles & standards and development effectiveness principles 

Business Management: 

• Partnership Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide network of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results.

Business Direction & Strategy: 

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment 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.

Required Skills and Experience 

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Hydroecology or Groundwater Engineering, or a relevant related field is required. OR 
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years (with a master’s degree) or 9 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in engineering-related project management and partnership management is required;
• At least 3 years of experience in providing monitoring and evaluation for engineering-related projects;
• At least 3 years of experience in the development sector is required;
• Experience managing and coordinating large-value projects is an asset;
• Experience in working in Africa’s border regions is an advantage;
• Experience working in the UN System or with other development partners is an asset. 

Method of Application Interested and qualified? Go to UNDP on estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com to apply