UNDP Afghanistan Mission Statement:
UNDP supports stabilization, state building,
governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in
partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community
and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional
development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens.
Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption
of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council
elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the
legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries,
Government agencies and commissions at the national and subnational levels.
UNDP has played a key role in the management of the Law and Order Trust Fund,
which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the national police
force and in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major
demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and
reconstruction programmes have taken place nationwide. UNDP Programmes in
Afghanistan have benefited from the very active support of donors. UNDP
Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability
and works in close coordination with the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan
and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts
on the ground.
Organizational Context:
Building robust government institutions for
effective governance and a professional and responsive civil service with the
overall aim of improving service delivery to Afghan people is one of the top
priorities of the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRA). In the
Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), Capacity Development (CD) has
been identified as a cross cutting issue and the improvement of public sector
capacity in particular as the key challenge to development in Afghanistan. It
has been recognized that unless adequate capacities are built, technical and
financial support will remain underutilized to the detriment of the development
process.
In Afghanistan, problems of capacity exist at all
levels where capacity is needed and assessed. At the overarching systemic level
of the enabling environment, the legal and policy framework needs to be put in
place to guide and lead the implementation of measures for the development of
effective organizations and improved performance. At the organizational level,
some of the major problems include an incoherent government structure with
overlapping functions across government ministries; outdated work processes,
procedures and systems; patronage and nepotism in appointments; gender
imbalances; and the absence of well-defined mechanisms for carrying out common
functions of government, namely policy and strategy formulation, project
management, financial management, procurement and human resource management. At
the individual level, lack of human capacity in terms of availability, knowledge
and competence, is a serious issue in government ministries/agencies
responsible for service delivery at national and sub-national levels. There has
been a basic lack of core competencies and specialist skills to develop
policies implement projects and deliver services.
The National Institution Building Project (NIBP)
brings the experiences of two UNDP projects, namely, Capacity for Afghan Public
Services (CAP) Project and Civil Service Leadership Development (CSLD) Project,
under a single project framework to provide a coordinated, up-scaled and
comprehensive package of Capacity Development (CD) support required by the
government at the national and sub-national levels. The NIBP will focus on: (a)
Building the organizational capacity of leading Government ministries or
agencies at the national level and local authorities at the sub-national level;
and (b) Strengthening the capacity of the Afghanistan Civil Service Institute
(ACSI) and its centers at the national and sub-national level as well as the
newly established General Directorate of Projects Design and Management (GDPDM)
of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC)
to efficiently manage the programmes and projects of IARCSC.
The General Directorate of Programs’ Design and
Management (GDPDM) of the IARCSC is the Implementing Agency for the Project.
The GDPDM is responsible and accountable for managing the project, including
the monitoring and evaluation of project interventions, achieving project
outputs, and for effective use of Project resources.
The National Institution Building Project (NIBP),
to be implemented over a period of four years (2010-2013), follows an
integrated approach to CD. The primary objectives of the project would be to
enhance capacity within the ministries at all three levels, namely
institutional, organizational and individual which would ultimately result into
improved service delivery through an efficient, organized and trained civil
service. The visible impact would be better budget utilization, rationalized
organization structures and well trained civil servants.
A Capacity Development Specialist (CDS) will work as
the technical specialist and will lead, coordinate and manage the capacity
development activities of NIBP for the assignment component of the project.
Functions / Key Results Expected:
Under overall supervision and guidance of the NIBP
Project Manager, and in close collaboration with other international and
national staff of the project, the NIBP Capacity Development Specialist is
responsible for coordinating and managing the capacity development activities
of the project.
Summary of Key Functions:
- Organization and Management of CD activities
- Delivery of Project Results
- Institutional Capacity Development
- Stakeholders’ Consultation, Coordination and Monitoring
Evaluation - Advocacy, Networking and Marketing
Organization and Management of CD activities:
- Manage the day-to-day functioning of the Capacity Development Team for
provision of services of Capacity Development Advisors (CDAs) in select
government entities to provide coaching and advisory services for institutional
strengthening, organizational reforms and skill development. - Manage the day-to-day functioning of the Project Team for provision of
services for strengthening of Public Administration Reform (PAR) management and
coordination capacity of IARCSC including implementation of sub-national PAR. - Manage the human resources for achieving results in line with the
outputs and activities outlined in the project document and annual work plan
for the assigned component. - Support preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports
for the assigned component and correspondingly organization of monthly,
quarterly and annual progress reviews. - Facilitate provision of advisory services for specialized capacity
development under twinning arrangements with ministries / agencies of other
regional governments for institutional and organizational CD of ministries /
agencies of GIRA
Delivery of Project Results:
- Lead the project team in preparing component or output-based concept or
strategy papers and implementation manuals or guidelines. - Prepare results framework for the project for each output of the
assigned component including establishment of performance and impact assessment
indicators, and support implementation of work plans for delivery of results. - Manage delivery of results by using up-to-date best practices and
know-how in the subject area and accordingly plan delivery of resources at
25-20% for first, 50-70 % for second, 75-90% for third and 100% for final
quarters of the performance year. - Review professional performance and document implementation processes
and results through project-based professional reports.
Institutional Capacity Development:
- Ensure development and implementation of policies and strategies for
institutional strengthening and organizational reforms in select government
entities at both central and sub-national levels. - Support capacity assessments and preparation of capacity development
plans, taking into consideration the need of the government entities and other
development partners. - Support establishment of policies and working mechanisms for
implementing required training programmes for civil service in line with the
ANDS monitoring framework and PAR strategies. - Promote the comprehensive capacity development approach envisaged in
NIBP and, in consultation with the Government and UNDP, implement transfer of
know-how through a series of training and learning events. - Facilitate CD of select permanent civil servants in common function
areas through coaching and mentorring to improve service delivery at both
national and sub national levels. - Facilitate strengthening of Institutional and Organizational capacity
of select government entities by policy and strategy development and systems
improvement through coaching and advisory services to improve service delivery
and to support Public Administration Reform (PAR) objectives. - Facilitate strengthening of institutional capacity of GDPDM (General
Directorate of Programs’ Design and Management) of IARCSC. - Supervise the project’s capacity development efforts aimed at
government counterparts, local authorities and development organizations. - Ensure adequate technical support to state entities for mainstreaming
gender in key policy and strategic documents and development processes. - Facilitate preparation of a policy portfolio and programmatic portfolio
for select government entities. - Undertake documentation of the experience of capacity development
initiatives and preparation of policies and strategies.
Stakeholders’ Consultation, Coordination and Monitoring Evaluation:
- Provide intellectual or substantive leadership in the subject area
through identification of key policy issues and formulation of best possible
and alternative policy and programme options at national and sub-national
levels. - Stimulate strategic thinking in the subject area, taking into account
the needs of Government, local authorities, non-government and development
partners and map on a consistent basis the capacity development issues,
covering the situation and strategic opportunities. - Support the process of demand assessment for Coaching and Advisory
services of the project within the partner institutions of GIRA at both
national and sub-national levels. - Undertake promotion of outreach activities for project services.
- Coordinate the activities of CDAs in ministries / agencies of the
Government. - Ensure timely production of work plans by CDAs, regular submission of
progress reports by the CDAs and that outputs are produced according to set
work plan. - Ensure that a performance appraisal system for the CDAs is in place.
Establish performance management system, based on UNDP’s results and competency
assessment system, to monitor staff performance. - Monitor, evaluate and supervise the day-to-day implementation of the
project within the partner institutions of GIRA and ensure that CD activities
of the project are in line with the Project Document and Annual Work Plans for
the project. - Ensure monitoring of CD activities of the project, so as to keep track
of its inputs and impact. - Identify opportunities to enhance team-work within the project and with
other UNDP assisted projects to capitalize on the specific advantages of
multi-disciplinary support.
Advocacy, Networking and Marketing:
- Create or establish a positive and appreciative atmosphere for
team-based work in the project and be an advocate for the work of UNDP in the
practice area. - Disseminate the information on best practices and be active member of
the UNDP global and regional networks.
Expand outreach of the UNDP to national government, local authorities, non-government and
international development organizations.
Competencies:
Corporate Competencies:
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical
standards - Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age
sensitivity and adaptability - Treats all people fairly without favoritism
Functional
Competencies:
Knowledge Management and Learning:
- Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the
office through leadership and personal example - In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues
- Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in
one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired
skills - Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from
within and outside of UNDP
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
- Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based
management and reporting - Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of development projects - Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to
identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
Management and Leadership:
- Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result
for the client and responds positively to feedback - Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive
attitude - Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
- Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution
skills - Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
- Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
- Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication
skills - UNDP Certification programme Prince2
Recruitment Qualifications:
Education and Experience:
- Master degree in international development or public administration or
management or other relevant social sciences or equivalent.
Experience:
- 7 years of relevant work experience in development in a governmental or
multilateral organization. - Experience of working in a multi-cultural setting as well as in post
conflict reconstruction situation. Experience of Afghanistan is desirable. - Proven experience in partnership building and networking.
- Experience of providing advisory services in the area of capacity
development - Experience of governance and public sector management in general and
public sector capacity development in particular, at both national and
sub-national level in developing countries. - Sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity
of national counterparts - Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS
Word, Excel, etc.)
Language:
Strong written and
spoken skill of English language.
Submission of Applications :
Interested and qualified international candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm
and please ensure that to fill up and upload Personal History Form-P.11 which is available at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm in the relevant field of the on-line application. Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date (21 April 2012) will not be given consideration. Please note that only applications who are
short-listed will be contacted.For more detailed information about UNDP Afghanistan please visit our website at www.undp.org.af
Successful candidates must be prepared to start work within 3 weeks of the offer ofappointment.
Internal candidates who have served a minimum of 12 months in the current assignment are invited to apply.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply