Aid Effectiveness Specialist – UNDP

Job Description

Job Identification	1616
Locations	Khartoum, Sudan
Posting Date	18/11/2021, 15:13
Deadline	02/12/2021
Job Schedule	Full time
Agency	UNDP
Grade	IB
Vacancy Type	International Personnel Service Agreement
Practice Area	Crisis management / Country Management Support
Bureau	Regional Bureau for the Arab States
Other Criteria	Minimum of 10 years of professional experience
Required Languages	Excellent verbal and written skills in English is required

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.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

During the previous regime, Sudan had a fragile political relation with the international community resulting in shrinking development assistance for about three decades. The recent regime change has created a window of opportunity for substantial improvement in Sudan’s relations with the international community and consequently, prospects for reversing the low levels and composition of external development finance. 

However, the challenge facing Sudan is not only to increase the level and change composition of external development finance.  A major constraint facing effective development cooperation in Sudan has been the fragmented management of external development finance within government institutions, besetting the efficiency and effectiveness with which external development finance is delivered, and the weak capacities of the staff responsible for development cooperation. 

For this to be addressed, Sudan’s country systems for management of external development finance flows need to be strengthened significantly to the point of ensuring a high level of confidence among Development Partners in the use of that development finance.  

In 2020 UNDP embarked on a project to support the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) in effective development cooperation (“Development Effectiveness Project”). The project proposes various pathways for developing Sudan’s national capacities for effective development cooperation, including the strengthening of aid information management, development of institutional capacities, a reinforced policy framework on effective development cooperation to ensure sustainability, and agile but systematic Government and Development Partner dialogue. These pathways all revolve around the objective of producing a development cooperation set-up that is coherent and aligned with the national Poverty Reduction Strategy and guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The strategy of the project is to be grounded in institutional capacity development for data-driven effective development cooperation, as well as efficient coordination both across key governmental entities and with key development cooperation actors. Expected outputs of the project include: the operationalization of Sudan’s aid information management system (SAID); the establishment of a policy framework, institutional arrangements, and institutional capacities of the Government of Sudan to effectively manage external development finance; and the establishment of a Government-led coordination mechanisms for effective development cooperation. 

One year after the commencement of the project, modest achievements have been registered. The development of the Sudan Aid Information Database (SAID) has been completed, with some of the stakeholders in Government now trained in its use. More trainings are planned for other stakeholders, with a view to ensure that all those that need to use the SAID are fully empowered to do so. The launching of the Sudan Partnership Forum (SPF) on 9th September 2021 lay the ground for the development of an architecture that will facilitate cooperation between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and Development Partners (DPs) on matters of development. The Aid Coordination Unit (ACU) of the MoFEP serves as the Technical Secretariat of the SPF.  The SPF Secretariat will be the vehicle that will drive the work of the SPF in the most effective manner. This will involve building partnerships and liaising closely with all stakeholders (Government, Private Sector, Civil Society, the UN and Donor agencies). 

In order to safeguard the gains registered to date and maintain momentum to implement what remains in the plans, UNDP is seeking the services of an Aid Effectiveness Specialist to continue providing the requisite technical assistance to the ACU. The Aid Effectiveness Specialist will be based in the ACU and will work under the overall guidance of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (Programmes) and the direct supervision of the Director of ACU (MoFEP). The Aid Effectiveness Specialist will support the work of the SPF Secretariat to ensure successful programme implementation in close collaboration with other Technical Assistants in the Secretariat. He/she shall leverage the UNDP HQs staff to resolve complex programme-related issues to enhance development cooperation and policy support provided to the SPF. 

Scope of Work 

The Aid Effectiveness Specialist will play a key role in providing substantive guidance and support to the ACU and provide the requisite capacities to execute its mandate. This will also require building and maintaining relationships with key project stakeholders. The main responsibilities of this position include:  

1. Provide high-quality substantive support to the delivery of Development Effectiveness project results 

• Provide substantive input to Development Effectiveness project workplans, identifying priority issues and actions related to development financing and coordination for consideration in the 2022 Annual Work Plan. 
• Provide technical and advisory support in the operationalization of the Sudan Partnership Forum (SPF) and ensure that all areas of the development cooperation architecture are well established. 
• Play a supporting role in drafting the annual Development Cooperation Report (DCR) and other knowledge products/publications related to development financing and cooperation.  
• Support the continued strengthening of the Sudan Aid Information Database (SAID), as well as increased use of SAID data. 
• Advise on the development of an integrated PFM IT solution. 
• Provide technical support to enhance the capacity of ACU officials and other Government officials. 

2. Building and maintaining relationships with key project stakeholders 

• Support ACU officials in their engagement with global fora, including the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) and the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC);  
• Contribute to effective development cooperation knowledge creation and management; 
• Regularly contribute to effective development cooperation knowledge platforms, including SparkBlue and communities of practice, by sharing best practices and results. 

3. Support UNDP corporate processes 

• Provide substantive inputs to UNDP corporate planning processes, including Country Programme Document (CPD) development and others, as required.  
• Provide project-related inputs to UNDP corporate reporting processes, including the Results-Oriented Annual Reporting (ROAR) exercise, as required.  
• Work with relevant UNDP colleagues to draft the annual progress reports for the Development Effectiveness project.  
• Participate in UNDP recruitment and procurement processes, as required.  

Institutional Arrangements 

The incumbent will report to UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative (Programme) for programme and administrative matters. However, he/she will also report to the MoFEP, through the ACU, on technical and project-related matters. 

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA 

Min. Academic Education 

• Master’s degree in economics, international relations, public policy, social sciences or related discipline is required. 

Min. years of relevant Work experience  

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in sustainable development financing, effective development cooperation, public finance, private sector development, capacity building and advisory services is required. 

Required skills and competencies 

• Demonstrated experience in supporting government agencies in the area of development finance and coordination.  
• Experience directly supporting national governments in designing, implementing and monitoring development interventions. 
• In-depth understanding of global developments and best practices in the area of effective development cooperation, combined with demonstrated experience in supporting that work at the programme country level; 
• Demonstrated ability to lead consultations with senior government officials and facilitate discussions among a wide group of stakeholders is required. 
• Excellent writing skills, as demonstrated by previous research/analytical reports/policy notes on relevant topics. 

Desired additional skills and competencies 

• Knowledge of the mandate and role of the UNDP in effective development cooperation and relevant experience in developing countries will be an asset. 
• Familiarity with relevant global fora, including IATI and GPEDC. 
• Previous work experience with UNDP / UN in similar functions.  
• Excellent knowledge of data collection, analysis and statistical tools.  

Required Language(s) (at working level) 

• Excellent verbal and written skills in English is required.  

Travel

UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station and their return to their home upon completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only if the function will be undertaken physically in the duty station and excludes working from home arrangements. Necessary duty travel is not expected at this time, but in case it is required, the full cost will be borne by UNDP. 

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders) Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.  UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications. 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. Scam warning The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

About United Nations Development Programme

The United Nations Development Programme is a United Nations organization tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. Headquartered in New York City, it is the largest UN development aid agency, with offices in 170 countries. 

• Headquarters: New York, NY
• Founded: November 22, 1965, United States
• Parent organization: United Nations General Assembly
• Subsidiary: United Nations Volunteers

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