UNDP Jobs - 52890- Senior Project Officer:Democracy Programme/Electio

Senior Project Officer:Democracy Programme/Elections Project

Location :

Chisinau, MOLDOVA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

10-Feb-2015

Application Deadline :

20-Jan-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SB-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

11 months, with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 years

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.

Background

In 2012 UNDP launched a programme “Improving the Quality of Moldovan Democracy through Electoral and Parliamentary Development” (referred to as the “Democracy Programme”). The programme has two large components: parliamentary support and electoral support. The electoral component of the programme provides multi-year institutional development support for the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova. The programme originally had three areas of intervention: (1) embed gender and human rights in its policy processes, (2) improve the institutional environment for electoral management body and (3) improve the voter registration process.

During implementation of the first phase of Democracy Programme between 2012 and 2014 a number of new developments have taken place in the context of electoral administration and in the wider context of governance in the Republic of Moldova. The 2014 Parliamentary Elections were the first elections which utilized the State Register of Voters and allowed to gather sex-disaggregated data. At the same time elections clearly identified areas where further support is required.

The Programme will continue support in the areas of gender equality and human rights, CEC institutional development and voter registration process. The programme will also support strategic development of the Center for Continuous Electoral Training (CCET) to deliver professional training to local level electoral administrators, support CEC in strengthening its capacities on political party finance legislation implementation and will provide support to inclusive and transparent electoral reform process. Important new area of intervention is holistic approach on improving the quality of the source data required for the State Register of Voters (SRV), such as the population register, address register and other registers. In this regard the programme will support development of address register and ensuring interoperability among key state registers through Governments interoperability platform.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of Electoral Specialist and supervision of the Programme Manager, the incumbent provides effective and efficient contribution to the implementation of electoral component outputs through a range of actions contributing to the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of programme activities.

The Senior Project Officer applies and promotes the principles of results-based management (RBM), as well as a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules and regulations. He/she is responsible and accountable to the Electoral Component Steering Committee and the Programme Board for results.

Senior Project Officer 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 contributing to the resolution of complex programme/project-related issues and information delivery. Senior Project Officer also collaborates with other UN projects and other development partners in supporting the Central Electoral Commission, CCET, S.E. “Cadastru” and other national partners. 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 effective internal control systems.

Senior Project Officer will engage in continuous collaboration with other Democracy Programme colleagues on the delivery of joint initiatives and activities.

Senior Project Officer under guidance of the Electoral Specialist and supervision of Programme Manager as well as in close cooperation with all members of the project team, will ensure the provision of high quality development services and products, as outlined in the Programme Document for the Central Electoral Commission, Agency for Land Registration and Cadastre (ALRC), SE “Cadastru”, SE “Registru” and other stakeholders. All work will be based on an appreciation of human rights and gender equality. In particular, the Senior Project Officer will:

Contribute to the timely and efficient delivery of outputs and products leading to the achievement of expected results;
Ensure all actions are fully compliant with UNDP policies and procedures;
Within the Programme framework agreed with the national counterparts, and working closely with other Electoral Component colleagues, contribute to the preparation and implementation of joint work plans that reflect the scope of activities, timing, sequencing, cost and other inputs for the implementation of activities;
Liaise with the CEC, cadaster, civil registration and e-government authorities, donors and the UNDP country office to ensure that results are achieved and resources are managed efficiently and effectively;
Work with the Programme team to present work-plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditure status reports to the Programme Board, Electoral Component Steering Committee and UNDP Country Office;
Support the Electoral Specialist in ensuring the effective management of human resources pertaining to the Project, including consultants and short-term experts; conduct periodic performance appraisals and validate terms of reference for international and national consultants;
Guide the work of administrative project personnel and project individual consultants as applicable;
In collaboration with the relevant administrative project personnel contribute to efficient utilization of the financial resources of the Project, including budgeting and budget revisions, as well as expenditure tracking and reporting;
Along with other team members, develop and maintain a monitoring system to ensure effective information sharing, provision of feedback and elaboration of top quality progress reports;
Ensure appropriate visibility of activities in mass media and with stakeholders; and
Perform any other duties connected directly with the implementation of the Programme as required.

Project specific tasks:

Support the National Coordinator to convene the Elections Component Steering Committee as required;
Support increasing collaboration among the Central Electoral Commission, the Parliament, relevant Government authorities , the cadaster and civil registration authorities and other stakeholders;
Support the development of a shared approach to human rights and gender equality in all institutions;
Design and lead activities in a designated area(s) of the project’s intervention.

The key results have a direct impact on the overall successful achievement of the Moldovan UNDAF outcome 1.1: Institutional strengthening which is to increase the transparency, accountability and efficiency of central and local public authorities.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

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
Ensures that programmes and projects are consistent with UN/UNDP values
Treats peers fairly by maintaining consistent values inspiring trust and confidence through personal credibility
Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

Shares knowledge and experience
Focuses on tasks/activities which have a strategic impact on programme and capacity development activities
Promotes a supportive environment to enhance partnerships, leverages resources and build support for UNDP’s strategic initiatives
Collaborates with regional, national and local partners to create and apply knowledge and concepts that will help partners achieve UNDP’s development objectives within the country and regional context
Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
Knowledge of the Moldovan legal and political system would be a strong advantage.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise / In-depth knowledge of the Subject-matter

Understands more advanced aspects of primary area of specialization as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines
Serves as internal consultant in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff
Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for accomplishing the work of the unit
Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself professionally
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

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 engage with various partners and stakeholders at different levels, to establish and maintain contacts with senior-level officials of the host government and represent UNDP in national and regional fora.
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.
Capacity to implement the strategic vision and programmatic goals as laid down in the Project Document;
Proven performance in organizing and coordinating major initiatives, events or challenging inter-organizational activities;
Adapts flexibly to changing situations, overcomes obstacles and recovers quickly from set-backs

Leadership and Self-Management

Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Ability to achieve results and meet strict deadlines in an effective manner, maintaining a high quality standard throughout
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively
Demonstrated ability to manage a team and to foster team spirit and synergy
Experience in managing a team is a very strong advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree or equivalent in public administration, economics, law or related areas. Additional training or certification in project or financial management would be an advantage.

Experience:

At least five years of progressive working experience in the design, management and implementation of project based activities, preferably related to democratic governance, strategic advice and/or working in a relevant position to this post.
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.
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc), experience in handling of web based management systems.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in spoken and written English, Romanian and Russian.
Working knowledge of one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauzian, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language would be an asset.

Disqualifications: This position requires working closely with the independent Central Electoral Commission. This post is therefore only available to applicants who are, and are seen to be, politically neutral.

Applications should be submitted on line and include fully completed Personal History Form (P11) as attachment instead of CV/resume.
Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.