Job Title: Coordination Specialist, Secretariat of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund In Chad

Type of contract:  FTA International

Grade:  P3

Recruiting organization :  World Food Programme (WFP)

Workplace:   Office of the UN Resident Coordinator, N’Djamena, Chad

Languages: French, English

Duration of initial contract: 1 year Renewable

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide.  The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes.  Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

Organizational Context :

The United Nations Peace-building Fund (PBF) is the UN’s principal financial instrument for consolidating peace in countries affected by violent conflict.  From 2006 to 2017, the PBF allocated USD 772 million to 41 countries. Since its creation, 58 member States have contributed to its financing, including 33 in the framework of its 2017-2019 strategic Plan. The PBF works in a cross-sectional manner and supports integrated responses to meet the most urgent needs.  It responds quickly and flexibly to political opportunities and catalyzes processes and resources by demonstrating greater risk tolerance.

The Sahel :

is a priority region for the PBF, which Invested USD 65 million in the region in 2018 for national and cross-border peacebuilding projects.  This large financial support will play an important catalytic role in efforts to mobilize resources for the United Nations system as part of the operationalization of the UN support Plan for the Sahel.  It will also provide a strong programmatic response to requests by States in the region and by the secretariat of the G5 Sahel.

Chad :

was declared eligible to access the PBF In 2017 for a period of five years. Since then, the United Nations system in Chad has been working closely with the Government to develop project proposals that could be financed by this fund.  The PBF financed the following 6 projects in Chad in 2017-18 with a total funding envelope of just under 12 million:

1. Support for peace-building mechanisms at the community level and for the inclusion of young people in the border area between Chad and Cameroon.
2. Restoration of peace and dialogue between communities affected by transboundary transhumance between Chad and CAR.
3. Support for the development of resilient pastoralism and peace-building in the Sahelian border area between Niger and Chad.
4. Strengthening the participation and representation of youth in the mechanisms of conflict prevention and management at community level.
5. Supporting resilience in adaptation to climate change in the Lake Chad region.
6. Supporting the participation of young people and women in local governance and peacebuilding.

Based on the results that these projects can achieve, it may be possible to attract additional PBF investments in Chad over the next three years.

In view of these important investments by the PBF in Chad, the need to ensure coherence and complementarity between PBF projects and the need to maintain good relations with the Government of Chad and the implementing partners, A PBF Secretariat will be established in the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system in Chad, led by a Coordination Specialist.

The Coordination Specialist of the PBF secretariat In Chad will be supervised on a daily basis by the Peace and Development Adviser (PDA) under the direction of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system.  She/he will work closely with the PDA and with the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) in New York.  For administrative purposes, the Coordination Specialist will be a Staff member of the World Food Programme (WFP).

Expected key functions/results :

Summary of key functions :

• Support the operation of the PBF Joint Steering Committee in Chad
• Support the Peace and Development adviser In the elaboration of a peacebuilding priority plan and in the preparation of projects to be submitted to the PBF Steering Committee
• Support the mobilization of resources for peacebuilding In Chad and the coordination of technical and financial partners
• Supervise the staff of the PBF Secretariat in Chad and ensure quality follow-up on peacebuilding projects and reports

Support the operation of the PBF Joint Steering Committee in Chad :

• Support the Joint Steering Committee with secretarial tasks, including the organization of meetings, preparation of working papers, drafting of reports and sharing of relevant documents ;
• Prepare briefing notes, regularly update the Joint Steering Committee of progress in order to facilitate decision-making ;
• Monitor and disseminate decisions and recommendations made by the Joint Steering Committee ;
• Ensure early warning to the Joint Steering Committee, the Resident Coordinator, the implementing agencies and the PBF of risks, delays and problems related to the implementation of PBF projects.
• Contribute to harmonizing and improving project documents and project reports before submitting them to the Joint Steering Committee (quality assurance mainly on the peacebuilding aspect in accordance with PBF guidelines).

 Support the Peace and Development adviser In the elaboration of a peacebuilding priority plan and in the preparation of projects to be submitted to the PBF Steering Committee :

• Finalize, with the peace and development adviser, and in the light of the consultative analysis already carried out, the inclusive and strategic development of the Peacebuilding Priority Plan (PPP) ;
• Ensure the quality and clarity of the PPP, its targets, indicators, and expected results and facilitate its official validation ;
• Support the implementation of the PPP by proposing to the Steering Committee, in consultation with the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO), project selection criteria and selection steps (support for project prioritization exercises, support for technical writing of concept notes, support for drafting of project documents) ;
• Support the implementation of the PPP by providing the necessary technical assistance to the institutions or agencies involved in the development and implementation of peacebuilding projects, including support for coordination between agencies, expertise in peacebuilding and monitoring and evaluation and support in finding solutions to problems that might delay the process; support for quality control of reports to PBSO prepared by implementing agencies;
• Organize trainings and information sessions on PBF programming in the area of peacebuilding, including the implementation and monitoring evaluation of peacebuilding projects.

Support the mobilization of resources for peacebuilding In Chad and the coordination of technical and financial partners :

• Advocate with the government for the internal mobilization of financial, human and material resources for peacebuilding purposes ;
• Advocate and coordinate with technical and financial partners In support of peacebuilding ;
• Monitor additional sources of available funding;
• Support coordination and ensure coherence of funding for peacebuilding ;
• Communicate progress on the PPP to national authorities and technical and financial partners in order to encourage additional funding and to ensure sustainability of the results ;
• Ensure the visibility of PBF in communications on projects funded by PBF.

 Supervise the staff of the PBF Secretariat in Chad and ensure quality follow-up on peacebuilding projects and reports :

• Supervise the work of the Secretariat team (PBF Monitoring & Evaluation officer and Driver) and strengthen their expertise in the field of peace-building ;
• Manage the funds of the PBF Secretariat and ensure submission of reports on the Secretariat’s work to the Peacebuilding Support Office, in accordance with the deadlines ;
• Ensure interface with the Peacebuilding Support Office through regular exchanges and report implementation of the Fund’s projects to the Joint Steering Committee and the Parties involved ;
• Liaise between the Government, the United Nations recipient agencies and civil society for inclusive and coordinated development and implementation of PBF projects ;
• Ensure the quality of the reports developed by the agencies of the United Nations on the status of progress in the implementation of PBF-funded projects and results achieved, in accordance with deadlines ;
• Set up, together with the Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, a system for monitoring the achievement of PBF project results, including data collection and analysis ;
• Support and coordinate the preparation of the Joint Steering Committee’s annual report on the progress of the PPP ;
• Ensure compliance with PBF guidelines on project development and reporting ;
• Contribute to relevant reports of the Office of the Resident Coordinator related to peacebuilding (Annual Strategic Report to PBF, UNDAF report, etc.).

Impact of results :

• The level of performance of PBF projects and the quality of their results are high ;
• A project monitoring framework is available, which results in greater impact on target groups.

Organizational skills :

• Integrity in accordance with United Nations values and ethical standards ;
• Advocacy for the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the United Nations ;
• Flexibility and adaptability to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age aspects.

Functional skills :

• Demonstrates knowledge of the coordination of projects and activities
• Ability to support identification, formulation and implementation of development projects ;
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral), both in teams and with the various partners, UN agencies, NGOs, government and technical and financial partners on development policies and strategies.

Management and Leadership :

• Focused on results ;
• Responds constructively to appraisals and criticism;
• Constantly tackles work with energy and punctuality, as well as with a positive and constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills ;
• Demonstrates openness to change and the ability to manage complex situations ;
• Good resistance to stress and pressure from work ;
• Team spirit;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Very Good editorial capacity and French and English

Qualifications Required :

Education:Master’s degree in social sciences, international relations, human sciences, law, journalism or a related field.

Experience:

• At least five years of experience in coordinating projects and/or activities at the national or regional levels, preferably in the area of peacebuilding, governance and/or conflict prevention;
• Excellent knowledge of the national and sub-regional socio-political environment and context;
• Strong capacity for analysis and synthesis;
• Experience of working in networks and with numerous partners
• Proven leadership in the coordination of inter-agency activities in the United Nations system ;
• Proven capacity in the areas of financial management and resource mobilization Is an asset ;
• Knowledge of the United Nations and its working practices, as well as its ongoing reforms will constitute a advantage
• Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).

Language :

Fluency (level C) in English and French language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of an additional second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese will be considered an asset.

Terms and conditions :

Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP. However, this position is for the specific assignment outlined in this VA and the selected candidate will be offered a fixed-term appointment locked specifically to the position and related funding,  which means the incumbent shall not be subject to some WFP’s policies including that regarding mobility. Furthermore, the appointment will bear no entitlement to extension or renewal.

WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package, including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, pension plan and medical insurance. For more details please visit icsc.un.org

Deadline for applications: 30 May 2019

Ref.: VA No. 105338