Org. Setting and Reporting

The UN Secretary-General launched on 1 January 2019, a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an independent UN Resident Coordinator the representative of the UN Secretary-General and the highest-ranking official of the UN Development System at the country level supports countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDGs. The position is located in United Nations Resident Coordination Office in Abuja, Nigeria. The Development Coordination Officer will report to the Head of Resident Coordinator Office.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Development Coordination Officer, will be responsible of the following duties: 1. STRATEGIC AND ADVISORY SUPPORT TO THE RESIDENT COORDINATOR OFFICE TOWARDS THE EFFECTIVE UN JOINT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2030 AGENDA, AND UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION FRAMEWORK (CF) ALONG WITH LEADING OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS AS REQUIRED:

• Coordinates substantive support to the RC/UNCT in articulating and actively communicating a credible and convincing strategic vision for the UN, articulated through the CF, which is consistent with national development goals and priorities, UN values, aligned with the 2030 Agenda and committed to the principles of universality, equality and leaving no one behind.
• In line with CCA/CF, provides recommendations to facilitate decision-making by the RC/UNCT to reposition the UN in country to advance the objectives of UN development system reform, including relating to HDP cross pillar work.
• Develops recommendations to the RC/UNCT on the development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the new generation CCA/CF as the primary instrument for the planning and implementation of UN development activities in country.
• Provides substantive support to the design of UN’s policy and programmatic services, operational capabilities, and partnership mechanisms.
• Establishes and promotes close engagement across the humanitarian, development, and peace domains, as required by the country context.
• Provides substantive support to the identification, analysis, and prioritization of joint programmatic work of UN entities in response to national priorities and in line with the CF and the 2030 Agenda.
• Supports the coordination of the CF through the Joint Workplan and results groups, UNSDCF monitoring, evaluation, learning (MEL) and reporting through the UNINFO platform; and supports preparation of the annual UN Country Results Report to the Government and other stakeholders.
• Promotes the engagement of all relevant agencies with and without physical presence in country from across the UN system, in inter-agency fora and in discussions with external partners.
• Ensures coherence across the different intra-agency coordination bodies, including with Humanitarian Country Teams and the Security Management Team. 2. FACILITATES THE JOINT PROGRAMMING OF THE UN AGENCIES AND ASSIST IN COORDINATION OF EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS AND JOINT RESOURCE MOBILIZATION EFFORTS FOR THE NEW GENERATION CF AND HUMANITARIAN TRANSITION:
• Facilitates the initiation, establishment, and coordination of effective working relationships with national and international public and private partners to ensure knowledge sharing throughout the CF cycle including in relation to cross pillar HDP work.
• Provides substantive support for positioning the UN as a key provider of integrated services and as a platform in support of the SDGs, in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Based on the CF, and in close collaboration with the Development Partnerships Officer, supports the formulation and implementation of the partnership approach as well as the resource mobilization strategy, and other initiatives in support of SDG achievement through the CF.
• Supports the implementation of the SDG Country Fund/country-level pooled fund (where relevant) in support of the CF, and SDG acceleration.
• Supports communication initiatives by RC/UNCT. 3. CONTRIBUTES TO KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN AND OUTSIDE THE UN SYSTEM:
• Supports knowledge generation, sharing, collaboration, as well as usage of existing good practices and lessons learnt within the RCO, and in the UN Country Team including in the area of cross-pillar work.
• Coordinates effective communications within the RCO, in the UN Country Team and among other stakeholders.
• Coordinates the sharing of good practices and lessons learned on issues related to UN strategic planning frameworks, methodologies, and tools, among others, within the DCO (at regional and global levels), across the UN system and with external partners.
• Supports the analysis of UN experiences, lessons learned and knowledge networking to contribute to strategic planning processes.
• Keeps abreast of emerging innovative approaches and supports the RCO and UNCT to apply new ways of working, including in the area of cross-pillar work
• Collects and analyses data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Ensures that requirements, background information used for data analysis are documented.
• Performs other relevant duties as assigned on advice of by RCO Team Leader and the Resident Coordinator. Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Ability to apply sustainable development theories, concepts and approaches. Ability to conduct independent research and analysis on sustainable development topics, determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by different sources. The ability to analyse and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows skill in developing sources for data collection. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. Education An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, sociology, law, international relations, or a related field is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelors degree or equivalent) in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Job – Specific Qualification Not available. Work Experience A minimum of two years of progressively responsible experience in political science, sociology, law, international relations, or a related field is required A minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in the field preferably in complex emergency and inter-agency contexts particularly the North-East of Nigeria, dealing with relief and transitional issues is desirable. Experience with UN policies, rules, and procedures, particularly in relation to humanitarian response and coordination, and knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian assistance, especially the humanitarian reform agenda is desirable. Experience in research, analyzing, evaluate, and synthesize information is desirable. Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Power Point etc.) and experience in handling web-based management systems is desirable. Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. There are no additional desirable languages specified. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org for details). Required Languages Language Reading Writing Listening Speaking English UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II UN Level II Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a substantive assessment, such as a written test, which will be followed by a competency-based interview. Special Notice This position is temporarily available for six (6) months. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with…