Exciting Career Opportunity at UNDP

ROLE: JPO – Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Programme Officer

Important Job Description:

The following position is only open to Danish nationals under the UNDP JPO program framework. The applicant must be bilingual (Danish and English). Please visit https://www.undp.org/jposc for the complete requirements and information about the JPO Programme.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the diversity of nations and cultures in which we work, we foster inclusion to ensure that all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Increasing representation of underserved populations requires a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts. Applicants who identify as members of marginalized or excluded groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Discover more about working at UNDP, including our core values and inspiring stories.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme:

The UNDP JPO Programme provides outstanding young leaders with the skills and experience needed to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and make a positive difference in the world. The program provides young professionals with excellent exposure to multilateral cooperation and sustainable development while also serving as a valuable entry point into the UN system.

Background Information and Organizational Context

Formerly peaceful coastal West African countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo) are now threatened by violent extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking, and piracy. There is now a growing risk of extremist groups spreading southward from Burkina Faso and other Sahel countries into coastal states, with serious consequences for sub-regional stability. As cases of radicalization and recruitment, as well as cross-border movements of extremist groups and violent incidents, have been documented, preventing violent extremism is critical.

In this context, the UNDP regional project, entitled “Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism in the Atlantic Corridor“ (2023-2025) seeks to apply a regional prevention approach to address the challenges of violent extremism in the sub-region, with particular emphasis on promoting community-level resilience and capacities to effectively prevent and respond to radicalization factors, while contributing to supporting infrastructures for peace, in particularly capacities and mechanisms for early warning and early response.

Denmark is under the Peace and Stabilisation Fund (PSF) supporting the UNDP Atlantic Corridor initiative 2023-2024 aiming to prevent violent extremism in the high-risk areas and borderlands along the borderlands of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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Reporting structure and partners

Under the general guidance and supervision of the head of the Inclusive Governance and Accountable Governance cluster (Ghana) and Regional Peacebuilding Advisor, the Junior Professional Officer is expected to support the implementation of the Atlantic Corridor project, while contributing to the PVE work under the broader project. The JPO will work closely with the country-specific project management teams in all countries and the sub-regional project management team at the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa.

Training:

Use of yearly JPO duty-related travel and training allocation (DTTA), as per the online
DTTA guide Orientation Programme and other training and learning opportunities provided by UNDP
Participation in a hybrid JPO Policy, Programme and Operations (PPO) Induction Workshop

Duties and Responsibilities

Programme Management and Technical Advisory

Firstly, Provide program technical support and advice in the thematic area of preventing violent extremism, Conflict Prevention, and Peacebuilding, as needed in the project oversight and implementation, with attention to conflict and gender-sensitive approaches.
Secondly, Provide technical programmatic and operational support to Country Offices in overseeing the implementation and roll-out of the Atlantic Corridor project as well as PVE activities under the broader PVE regional project, while ensuring close coordination with technical focal points and field officers for regular planning, coordinating, and implementing, monitoring and reporting.
Thirdly, Provide technical support in sub-regional reporting and regular monitoring of activities and coordinate COs inputs/feedback on the project, including drafting reports for management and donors, in compliance with reporting requirements.
Moreover, Provide support in overseeing the progress of project implementation, delivery, and implementation of activities including through support in developing and overseeing Annual Work Plans and risk management.

Knowledge Management and Innovation

Coordinate and contribute to research for various analytical and communication products, knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, and codification of results/lessons learned on governance, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention.
Additionally, Engage with the existing UNDP Community of Practices to share knowledge and leverage UNDP’s existing capacities on PVE and relevant topics, as relevant to the project.
Then, Support the identification, development, and adoption of innovative data collection, visualization, and M&E tools for more effective project management.
Also, Provide support in the application of Results Management tools and guidance to facilitate timely and regular monitoring and reporting of project indicators, targets, and milestones.
Afterward, Support in capacity enhancement efforts targeting UNDP Country Offices and implementing partners to improve project oversight, reporting, and knowledge management.

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Partnerships, Visibility, and Resource Mobilization

Provide support in resource mobilization efforts, including through the preparation of funding proposals, briefing notes, timely corporate and donor reporting, advocacy and information-sharing requirements, and other tasks as required.
Provide support to enhance the visibility and strengthen concerted, joint communication efforts, in close consultation with UNDP regional and country-specific communications teams, including through the monitoring and implementation of country-specific communication action plans.
Support efforts to keep donors informed on the progress of the project through the informal monthly meetings in the inception phase and as required/requested.
Support efforts to ensure effective communication and concerted coordination with UNDP Country Offices, and close engagement with donors and other key stakeholders, in line with the Project’s Governance and Oversight mechanisms.

Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside your comfort zone, learn from others, and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, consider in decision-making

Cross-functional and technical competencies:

Conflict Prevention: Addresses conflicts in a timely, sensitive manner; escalates to leadership when appropriate.
Partnerships: Ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.
Knowledge Management: Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in a professional area of expertise.
Crisis Assessment: Knowledge of conflict analysis and risk assessment concepts and the ability to apply them to strategic and/or practical situations.
Project and Programme Management: Accountable for project implementation and/or team deliverables, critically assess value and relevance of existing thinking and policy, anticipates constraints and identifies solutions, and expands the capacity of the team to deliver on time and on target.
Report and Brief Writing: Ability to write clearly and concisely. Ability to prepare quality reports and briefs.
Resource Mobilisation: Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs with funding opportunities, and establish a plan to meet the funding plan.

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Required Skills and Experience

Education requirements:

Master’s Degree or equivalent Advanced Degree in a related field of expertise: conflict studies, law, political science, development studies, public administration and public policies, governance, social sciences, or related disciplines.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

A minimum of two years of paid working experience in a relevant field
2 years of professional work experience providing policy analysis and program support in the area of preventing violent extremism, peacebuilding, and conflict prevention.
Experience with working with UNDP and/or government in developing country settings is preferred.
Experience with working in collaboration with the AUC, RECs, and other regional institutions and bodies would be considered an asset.

Language requirements:

Fluency in English and Danish French is desired Nationality:

The following position is only open to Danish nationals under the UNDP JPO program framework. The applicant must be bilingual (Danish and English). Please visit https://www.undp.org/jposc for the complete requirements and information about the JPO Programme.

Duty Station: For the first two years of the assignment, the duty station is UNDP Accra, Ghana. This is followed by one more year at the UNDP HQ in New York.

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.

How to Apply for this Career Opportunity at UNDP

Click Here to Apply Online

Closing Date: 31st October, 2023

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Exciting Career Opportunity at UNDP