Republic of Moldova

PROGRAMME COORDINATOR: JOINT INTEGRATED LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Vacancy Number: 001 /Pr-2010

Background:

UNDP and UNIFEM in partnership with the Government of Moldova (State Chancellery) are implementing the Joint Integrated Local Development Programme (JILDP). The JILDP was designed to improve the policy framework, as well as to support the administrative systems and procedures focused on efficient transfer of competencies to Local Public Administrations (LPAs), decentralization and promotion of LPAs’ role in decision making. It also helps in building the capacity of LPAs to plan, implement and monitor their strategic plans and improve local public service delivery, involving civil society and community efforts and participation.

Given the overall development context, related to the impact of the political and economic crisis, and considering the priorities of the Coalition for European Integration, new Government Programme, as well as the National Development Strategy, Decentralization, Sustainable Local Development and Democratic Local Governance represent key issues to be addressed in order to respond to existing country priorities and development challenges.

There are four types of issues to be addressed through the proposed Programme:

• The current policy framework does not respond to the need of local public authorities and does not provide sufficient clarity on their role, authority and responsibilities. Moreover, the legal framework regarding the local public finances is not approved and there is no clarity on the advancement of fiscal decentralisation. The specific needs of women and men, girls and boys, as well as the elderly, disabled, and other vulnerable population, individuals or groups, are not necessarily taken into account in national policies related to local sustainable local development and good local governance;
• Weak and underdeveloped capacity of LPA to address development challenges and to fulfil their responsibilities in front of citizens. Transparency and participation of CSOs and citizens, especially women in local decision making is limited. The association of LPA are highly politicised and weak in order to advocate for greater authority and resources for LPAs to better serve citizens needs. Management of services and utilities, which is one of the key responsibilities of LPA is week. Moreover, the most vulnerable communities and groups of population (elderly, disabled, women at risk) do not have access to basic public services, such as access to water, clean environment, and social services. The quality of services provided locally is low.
• Most deprived rural communities in Moldova do not have enough capacities to access resources and participate in local development programmes. The deprived thus face compound forces of exclusion and may have extreme difficulties in accessing essential goods and/or services. Considering the difficult operating climate of rural communities, provision of services and relevant support to most vulnerable, more often, is lacking or is of a poor quality, due to scarce resources and limited capacity of the local authorities. Human rights-based approach, including gender mainstreaming, is very rarely applied or taken into account.
• Communities in the Transnistrian region face a special development context given the unclear political status of the region. In addition to that, the communities from the security zone are struggling with additional barriers, including different violation of human rights from Transnistrian authorities (eg. freedom of movement).

Key components of the programme:

Policy Advisory and Advocacy Component:  Program will strengthen the capacity of the key ministries and partners (the Parliamentary Commission on Decentralization, State Chancellery, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Labour, Social protection and family, Ministry of Construction and Regional Development among others) in elaborating policies, legislation & implementation mechanisms taking into account  human rights and gender equality dimensions to advance the administrative and fiscal decentralization reform that shall accelerate human rights and gender  responsive development at the regional and local level. Broad participation and engagement will be the core for the design and implementation of the reform.

Local Self-Governance and Participation Component: The capacity of the rayons and municipalities to plan, budget, implement, monitor and evaluate local development as well as to manage efficiently service delivery in the targeted areas, as well as the capacity to provide services will be assessed and strengthened through applying human rights and gender equality approach.. Capacities of Associations of Local Authorities will be enhanced to advocate for better decentralisation and local development policies.

Community Empowerment Component: The JILDP will encourage and facilitate active participation of community members, especially women, youth, elderly and disabled, as the primary recipients of all local development initiatives, in the local development processes and decision-making. The Joint Programme will support local communities to have better access to improved services.

Transnistria and Security zone Component: The JILDP will be expanded to the Transnistria Region and will work more thoroughly in the security zone. It will cover all 5 rayons of the region and the areas from the security zone which are based on the left bank of Nistru River but are under Moldovan Government control. 20 communities from the Transnitria region will be supported and 9 from the security zone.

The Programme will be implemented and will advocate for using Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) and Gender equality mainstreaming (GE) which calls for greater participation, accountability, transparency and non-discrimination in all national and local development processes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Programme Coordinator, under the overall guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor and the State Minister and the direct supervision of the UNDP Assistant Resident Representative/Local and Regional Development Portfolio Manager, is responsible for the management and coordination of all Programme activities. The Programme Coordinator will maximize efforts to achieve expected Programme results, by ensuring the implementation of activities in accordance with the detailed outline in the Joint Programme document agreed upon between UNDP, UNIFEM and the State chancellery, as well as other relevant plans and decisions. The Programme Coordinator applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations.

The Programme Coordinator works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations, Communications and other project teams in the Country Office (CO) for effective achievement of results, anticipating and resolving complex project-related issues and information delivery.

The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with UNDP programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

Summary of Key Functions:

The Programme Coordinator in close cooperation with UNIFEM team will ensure the provision of development services and products (commensurate with the scope of the Programme) of the highest quality and standards to national counterparts and clients through applying HRBA and GE approaches .  More specifically:

a) Ensure the timely and efficient delivery of Programme outputs and products leading to the achievement of expected results;
b) Within the strategic framework concerted with the national counterparts, prepare work-plans reflecting the scope of activities, timing, sequencing, cost and other inputs for the implementation of the Programme activities;
c) Be responsible for the implementation of the Programme work plan according to indicators for achieving planned results, as well as for the overall management of the Programme in accordance to prevailing UNDP rules, regulations and procedures;
d) Liaise with the national counterparts, donors and the UNDP office to ensure that Programme results are achieved and Programme resources are managed efficiently and effectively;
e) Present work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to the Programme steering committee and UNDP Country Office;
f) Work in coordination with the State Chancellery and other stakeholders to implement the activities as outlined in the Programme document and the Programme work plan;
g) Ensure the effective management of human resources pertaining to the Programme, including both staff, consultants and short-term experts; conduct periodic performance appraisals; build, lead and motivate a solid team of professionals; validate terms of reference for international and national consultants;
h) Manage efficiently the financial resources of the Programme, including budgeting and budget revisions, as well as expenditure tracking and reporting;
i) Continuously record and maintain relevant Programme activities, issues, risks, etc in the UNDP Atlas Project Management Module (software platform);
j) Contribute substantially to the development issues of local governance and policy dialogue within the Government as well as the UNDP Country Office.
k) Lead and coordinate the organization of meetings, workshops, conferences, trainings, study tours and related activities relevant to the implementation of Programme;
l) Identify key performance indicators as well as develop and maintain a monitoring system to ensure effective information sharing, provision of feedback and elaboration of top quality progress reports;
m) Coordinate, together with the national counterparts, UNDP, UNIFEM and donors, periodic meetings of the Programme Steering Committee and follow up on the recommendations made to evaluate achievements and to monitor the progress of the Programme towards its outputs and outcomes;
n) Ensure high quality information and visibility on Programme activities for mass media and stakeholders;
o) Perform any other duties connected directly with the implementation of the Programme as required;

Specific tasks:

1. Strategic visioning for  Joint Integrated Local Development Programme
a) Advice the State Chancellery on its legal, policy and advisory frameworks for decentralization and local/regional development
b) Conduct policy briefing and participate in  missions related to institution building
c) Conceptualize, plan, participate and coordinate periodic reviews and assessments of project implementation
d) Advise on national developments relevant to JILDP programmatic objectives in institution building
e) Participate in various policy and partnership forum including the State Chancellery and other key ministries, LPA, donors to ensure linkages of UNDP support to the decentralization and local/regional development policy agendas and facilitate coordination with relevant stakeholders
f) In institution building processes, encourage full participation of all the stakeholders in order to promote empowerment and ownership.
g) Promote information sharing with the relevant donors community by initiating and/or participating in consultative meetings with the donors and preparing briefs on decentralization and local/regional development progress and activities
h) Promote flow of information and resources between and among the various levels of governance from national to local and local to national to improve effectiveness and cost effective service delivery (create a feedback mechanisms top-down vice versa);

2. Support JILDP Resource Mobilization and Partnership Building:  Maintain and animate effective dialogue with partners and among stakeholders in close cooperation with UNIFEM.  Engage with relevant donors and contribute to the JILDP resource mobilization efforts.

3. Knowledge Management:  Ensure wide dissemination and visibility of project achievements.  Participate in national and international fora, making substantive contributions as appropriate.

Competencies:

Corporate Competencies:

The Programme Coordinator will be of such a calibre as to be able to work with high-level government officials and represent UNDP in national and regional fora, including the ability to provide strategic advice on policies and programming matters.  In addition, the incumbent will possess the following competencies:

• Capacity to implement the strategic vision and programmatic goals as laid down in the Programme Document;
•  Ability to engage with various partners and stakeholders at different levels; communicates effectively and shows tact and diplomatic skills;
• Proven performance in organizing and coordinating major initiatives, events or challenging inter-organizational activities; 
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team and to foster team spirit and synergy; Ability to inspire and influence action;
• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
• Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures.  Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to Results-Based Management, including support to design, planning and implementation of Programme, managing data, reporting.
• Ability to provide input to business processes, re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems.
• Ability to establish and maintain contacts with senior-level officials of the host government required. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential part of the job.  Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is required to obtain, evaluate and interpret factual data and to prepare accurate and complete reports and other documents.

Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Required skills and experience:

Education and Knowledge:

University Degree in public administration, economics, law or related areas. Additional training in project management would be an advantage

Knowledge and/or understanding of Human Rights and Gender Equality approaches and principles for the country’s development

Knowledge and understanding of local/regional governance and decentralization concept.

Experience and Skills:

The Programme Coordinator will have broad exposure to and experience in the management of local governance/decentralization/local and regional development projects.

At least seven years of progressive working experience in the design, management and implementation of local governance/decentralization/local and regional development projects and/or working in a relevant position to this post. Demonstrated experience in decentralization, local development planning processes, capacity building and project implementation is required.

Previous experience in development assistance or related work for a donor organization, governmental institutions, NGO or private sector / consulting firm is a very strong advantage.

Strong understanding of the challenges of decentralization, local/regional development and the local governance in the context of Moldova;

Good knowledge and experience in working with the national institutional, donors, civil society and other players in this area

Strong analytical, drafting and communication skills.

Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high quality standard throughout

Extensive experience in managing a multidisciplinary team - building and generating ideas and collaboration among staff

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in both oral and written English and Romanian is a must.  Knowledge of Russian desired.

Terms of Reference

Personal History Form (P11)

Interested persons should apply on-line at the following link http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=14293 (press the "Apply Now" button), or alternatively submit their application letters and Personal History form (P.11) with the mark "Programme Coordinator, Joint Integrated Local Development Programme" by 18 January 2010 to the following address: UNDP Office, 131, 31 August 1989 Street, MD-2012 Chisinau, Moldova.

Only those short listed will be contacted.

Failure of candidates to submit a duly completed P11 form, as well as false representations on this form, shall constitute sufficient grounds for withdrawal of further consideration of the application. All information provided in the P11 form will be treated as strictly confidential.