The UNV Regional Offices (RO) provide oversight and strategic guidance to the UNV Field Units in their respective geographical assignments and are mainly accountable for the placement of UN Volunteers mobilized for UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes focused on peace, development and humanitarian needs. Furthermore, the Regional Offices represent, and strategically position, UNV and bring UNV’s services and solutions closer to its partners from governments, UN entities, civil society and private sector. The Regional Offices also lead in scoping and delivering UNV’s advisory service offer on volunteer infrastructure.

Reporting to the Manager of the Regional Office (RM), the Regional Portfolio Manager is responsible for the effective management and monitoring of select portfolio countries in the region as defined by the RM.   She/he is the technical lead for business development and intelligence, relationship management and volunteer mobilization for portfolio countries under his/her supervision. In doing so, she/he remotely manages Field Units (FU) and supports the identification of entry points for UNV’s support and showcasing the value added of volunteers and volunteerism based on UNV’s Strategic Framework.  She/he builds and nurtures relationships with UN partners, government counterparts and other key stakeholders to enhance UNV’s role in key programmatic interventions and supports the RM in overseeing field units for quality performance and the achievement volunteer mobilization targets.

 

Business development and portfolio management for volunteer mobilization and placement

  • Keep abreast of development challenges and priorities in countries under portfolio to identify relevant entry points for UNV’s mobilization of volunteers;
  • Provide strategic guidance on volunteerism in specific focused areas and lead on UNV’s integration into appropriate programming approaches, including technical guidance to UNV Field Units in their engagement with UN Agencies and their applicable planning tools, as well as UNDP focal points in countries that do not have field units;
  • Facilitate and, where applicable and required, lead UNV positioning in relevant strategic forums, United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCF) planning processes, regional response strategies, UN thematic task forces and assessments to identify opportunities for volunteers and volunteer placement;
  • Leverage the value added of UNV’s impact on development through its products and services, with special emphasis on priority countries as defined by the RM, to identify niches for UNV’s positioning, particularly  in countries with no field presence;
  • Oversee performance of the assigned regional country portfolio with special attention to compliance with volunteer mobilization targets, timely and quality delivery of outputs and accuracy and quality of reporting;
  • Advise the RM and senior management as requested, on critical and emerging issues including progress/response to evaluations and audit interventions relevant to the region, as well as coordinate, consolidate and substantively review country and regional inputs for developing briefing documents for senior management meetings and missions;
  • Ensure quality and accuracy of comprehensive UN Volunteer data, including analysis of political and socio-economic issues and trends;
  • In partnership with the Programme Specialist/Analyst, Volunteer Advisory Services, support the negotiations of volunteer infrastructure engagements with relevant counterparts and the delivery of volunteer advisory services;
  • Supervise the assigned UNV Field Units, in accurate forecasting and demand generation, monitoring of assignments and contract extension negotiation (securing funding), mediation in complex volunteer management cases  and compliance with workplans and delegated authority.

Partnerships building, external relations and coordination

  • Support Programme Analysts, UNV to develop, strengthen and monitor relationships with the UN partners  as well as with VSOs, CSOs, NGOs, universities, community organizations and other partners;
  • Develop and sustain ways of working in countries without UNV Field Units to support volunteer mobilization;
  • Facilitate the mainstreaming of on-line volunteers by setting regional and country level targets, monitoring and reporting on results achieved;
  • Support Programme Analysts, UNV or otherwise to initiate new resource mobilization opportunities and strengthening positioning with donors, private sector and foundations;
  • In coordination with the New York Office, assist the Manager of the Regional Office in building partnerships with UN organizations including peace keeping mission offices, regional entities and field based organizations to identify opportunities and promote UNV and volunteer mobilization;
  • Represent UNV, upon delegation, in relevant fora and inter-agency meetings and events including in countries with no field representation to seize opportunities for volunteer mobilization;
  • Participate in the development and inclusion of volunteer solutions in crisis response coordination mechanisms with UN partners and other  stakeholders;
  • Plan, negotiate, and monitor partnership and financing agreements and action plans and  budgets with existing or new partners;
  • In coordination with relevant headquarters  units, provide advisory support for the dissemination of UNV ‘s global agenda and mandate to stakeholders of special relevance in the region.

Management and quality assurance, including knowledge and innovation

  • Provide support to the Regional Manager in the establishment in the RO workplan and RO budget especially in the decision making process in case a change of course if required;
  • Supervise assigned country portfolio team, establish workplans and monitor performance, including the portfolio Field Units, as well as the UNV Programme Managers in the UN Missions;
  • Provide guidance on all aspects of volunteer management;
  • Ensure strategic use and implementation of all UN Volunteer modalities, including on-line volunteering;
  • Ensure quality of Descriptions of Assignments in line with corporate policies and parameters guiding the recruitment of volunteers;
  • Demonstrate leadership in embracing and implementing Digital Transformation processes that will be introduced in the organization in 2020 and beyond;
  • Provide guidance to Field Units on volunteer solutions; communication, advocacy and outreach to UN partners and other stakeholders, and on results based management;
  • Maintain regional oversight of the recruitment process for efficient volunteer management that meets established recruitment performance indicators, including identification of challenges;
  • Ensure responses to critical incidents are processed in a timely and proper manner; support effective crisis management practice in the field; document lessons learned;
  • Contribute to the review of knowledge products development in close coordination with the Volunteer Advisory Services Section through information and data retrieved from country and regional  analysis,  targeted interventions in crisis countries and lessons learned exercises;
  • Ensure knowledge is documented, systematized and fed back into volunteer opportunities through contributing to knowledge networks;
  • Based on UNV requirements and priorities, organize learning plans and capacity building events (e.g. regional and local meetings, conferences, workshops, etc.);
  • Design new and innovative volunteer solutions to support UN partners in response to contexts of protracted crisis;
  • Serve as the RO focal point for Volunteer Services Centre in ensuring lessons are drawn from the implementation of (new) Conditions of Service and SOPs, (new) Volunteer Management systems and other experiences to make the business model as efficient as possible.

 

Core Competencies:

Innovation

  • Ability to make new and useful ideas work

Leadership

  • Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management

  • Ability to improve performance and satisfaction

Communication

  • Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform

Delivery

  • Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

 

Functional Competencies:

Sustainable Development

  • Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, covering the economic, social and environmental dimensions

Peacebuilding and Reconciliation

  • Ability to support peace processes to facilitate recovery and development

Development Planning and Monitoring

  • Ability to develop business and planning processes at the national and local level and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations

Relationship Management

  • Ability to engage and foster strategic partnerships with other parties, inter-agency coordination and forge productive working relationships

Results-based Management

  • Ability to manage programmes and projects with a strategy aimed at improved performance and demonstrable results

Project Management

  • Ability to plan, organize, motivate, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals

Knowledge Management

  • Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge

 

Education:

  • Master’s degree in social sciences, political science, public or business administration, economics or related fields.

Experience:

  • 7 years of relevant professional experience in managing and implementing development programmes at headquarters and/or in the field, of which 3-4 years of experience should be in an international organization, preferably in the UN;
  • Experience in managing volunteer programmes and/or in a development context involving volunteers is highly desirable;
  • Familiarity with the UN peace-keeping and political missions operating environment is an asset.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English.

Other:

  • Openness to embrace Digital Transformation.

 

Note:

  • Only short-listed applicants will be contacted;
  • The successful candidate will hold a UNDP letter of appointment;

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

UNDP/UNV 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/UNV at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP/UNV is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

UNDP/UNV 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.

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.

Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

This vacancy is archived.

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