Experts for Support to Peacebuilding Fund Programming, Multiple positions

The UN Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund is the organization’s financial instrument of first resort to sustain peace in countries or situations at risk of being affected by violent conflict. It addresses critical gaps for sustaining peace before, during and after conflict.

The PBF’s Strategy for the period 2020-24, sets a higher level of ambition than previous strategic plans. The aim is to invest $ 1.5 billion  million in 40 countries over this period.

This new objective is driven by increased demand and the context of the Secretary-General’s reform efforts, in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Financing will retain a critical role to improve coherence across the Development, Peace and Human Rights Pillars. The PBF will build on its unique role as a timely, catalytic and risk-tolerant financing instrument to reinforce the reforms in three ways: i) driving cohesion of UN strategies in conflict situations in support of nationally-led efforts, through joint analysis, planning and implementation; ii) enabling strong integrated support from the broad set of organizational tools at HQ and in the field; and iii) strengthening partnerships, particularly with the Peacebuilding Commission the World Bank, the European Union, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) and other (sub-)regional organizations.

In order to provide the best quality and most timely support to UN teams in PBF focus countries, in 2019 the PBF set up a surge mechanism. As demands increase and objectives become more ambitious; and in order to achieve the objectives of the 2020-2024 Strategy, the PBF is hiring additional experts to its surge mechanism to broaden the mechanism’s deployable expertise. In support of the PST Mechanism, UNOPS will recruit experts under retainer contracts based on their expertise and experience in peacebuilding, for example: monitoring and evaluation, programme development experience, knowledge of PBF and thematic expertise. The experts are the backbone of the PBF PST Mechanism and are deployed to the field upon needs and/or demand from the field.

The team of experts contributes to ensuring that the following four attributes of the PBF are continued:

1. PBF support is timely and flexible. The experts will provide timely programme development support in selected priority countries by providing additional capacities in conflict analysis, priority setting, project developments and overall thematic expertise.

1. PBF support is catalytic. The experts will help ensure that the Fund will further expand its role as investor of first resort ensuring all its investments are catalytic. This means supporting programmes that enable peace processes to become unblocked, accelerate existing efforts, or kick-start longer-term change.

1. PBF is willing to be risk-tolerant. The experts will support the project development teams and in close coordination with the relevant Resident Coordinator work to strengthen the national risk-management system.

1. PBF support is adequately monitored and evaluated, ensuring downward accountability of entities implementing projects and programs; and results-based evaluability assessments of PRF packages and PBF evaluations

The experts will be tasked and deployed for assignments based on their skills, capacities, experience and thematic expertise. Experts may work in teams of two or more, where a senior PST expert leads and guides the team.

The peacebuilding experts will support programming capacities of the Office of the Resident Coordinators and UNCTs in the different phases of project development.  The support also includes developing guidance notes, assisting Resident Coordinators with ensuring balance of RUNOs implementing the PBF-funded projects; well-developed results framework and M&E strategies; support conducting evaluations of PBF-projects as well as providing advice in specific thematic areas linked to peacebuilding. 

Specific terms of Reference will be developed before each assignment.

the main duties and responsibilities of the Programme Specialist include:

●      Support the design and implementation of M&E policies and strategies;

●      Provide advisory and programming support on conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

●      Support the design and implementation of M&E policies and strategies for the Joint Programme:

●      Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the areas of conflict prevention and peacebuilding:

●      Provides advisory and programming support on conflict prevention and peacebuilding:

In this round of recruitment, PBF is specifically looking for French speaking candidates who have a background in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning as well as candidates with expertise and experience in one or more of the following thematic areas and their link to peacebuilding: Gender, Women, Peace and Security; Youth, PVE, Reintegration, Human Rights and Climate Change.

Supervision

The project is managed by the Chief, Financing for Peacebuilding Branch, Peacebuilding Support Office. The experts on the retainer roster are reporting on all technical issues directly to the relevant PBF programme officer, delegated by the Chief, Financing for Peacebuilding Branch, Peacebuilding Support Office.  The experts will also require clearance for any travel by the Chief, Financing for Peacebuilding Branch, Peacebuilding Support Office.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The consultants, based on the specificities of PBF portfolio in each country and needs of PBF, will be required to support some the following processes:

1. Support conflict analysis. Support UNCT and partners to develop conflict analysis relevant to PBF engagement in-country.
2. Support the identification and consultations on peacebuilding priorities for UN and for PBF more specifically.
3. Support to PBF UNCT in project development on the basis of priorities identified ensuring quality and timeliness of project documents.
4. Support to Monitoring and Evaluation of PBF projects by ensuring projects developed have quality results framework and M&E strategies.
5. Support to training and capacity development of UN staff and of PBF Secretariats (where applicable).
6. Advice and drafting of guidance documents on thematic areas linked to peacebuilding

Education:

●       A master’s degree in relevant discipline from a recognized university is required.

●       A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field with additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

●       A minimum of five years of experience in peacebuilding or related relevant field is required;

●       Experience in peacebuilding approaches and programming is required;

●       Knowledge of PBF modalities, guidance, approaches and projects is an asset.

Proven areas of expertise

●       Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in peacebuilding

And/or one or more of the following:

●       Gender, Women, Peace and Security and peacebuilding

●       Youth and peacebuilding

●       PVE and reintegration (DDR) in peacebuilding

●       Human Rights and peacebuilding

●       Climate change and peacebuilding

Languages

●       Excellent writing and speaking knowledge of English. Excellent writing and speaking knowledge of French required for monitoring and evaluation profiles.

●       Excellent writing and speaking knowledge of French, Spanish and other languages is a strong asset.

Contract type: ICA, retainer modality
Contract level: IICA-2 ICSC-10
Contract duration: ASAP - 31 December 2020 with the possibility of extension

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.