Capacity Building Officer for Local Self-governments (three retainer positions), Multiple positions

The Joint UN Programme "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature" contributes to improving the quality of life of citizens through the improvement of local governance, social inclusion and environmental protection in 110 cities and municipalities throughout Serbia. The Programme is jointly implemented by the United Nations Agencies in Serbia - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNEP, in cooperation with the Government of Serbia, and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland, in the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2026. 

To achieve the Programme’s Objective, the intervention will focus on three key Pillars and Outcomes: 

1. Pillar Good Governance, Outcome 1: Local self-governments LSGs improve capacities and apply good governance principles in practice;

2. Pillar Social Inclusion, Outcome 2: LSGs and other relevant local actors improve capacities and develop evidence-based local social protection policies;

3. Pillar Environmental Governance, Outcome 3: LSGs improve capacities and apply environmental governance processes in practice.

The key stakeholders at the local level are also direct users of support: local governments (cities and municipalities), including their administrations/staff, other relevant local organisations and institutions (Centres for Social Work - CSWs, Primary Health Centres - PHCs, pre-school institutions and schools), and local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The final users of support will be the citizens from participating LGs, especially those from left behind groups, with a focus on people with disabilities, Roma, children and families, youth and older people. The support will be provided to a certain number of informal waste pickers as well. 

All Programme activities will be undertaken in partnership with the Government of Serbia, especially the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Governments (MPALSG), the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (MLEVSA), the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).

The Programme will coordinate its activities with the key line national-level institutions while observing the national strategies, laws and relevant development documents, which will contribute to sustainability, ensure national ownership and develop national capacities.

Under the direct supervision of the Capacity Building Officer for Governance and overall guidance of the Senior Officer for Good Governance, the Capacity Building Officer for Local Self-governments (LSGs) is tasked with the provision of technical assistance (TA) to 15 LSGs that have been encompassed by the Programme’s Citizens Satisfaction Survey (CSS), conducted in December 2023, on a representative sample of 50 LSGs from the Programme Area of Responsibility (AoR). 

The list of the participating 15 LSGs will be produced by the Programme.

Capacity Building Officers for LSG will be responsible for planning and delivering the TA to the LSGs in question that will focus on supporting LSGs to develop new or upgrade existing local policies and normative/regulatory framework pertaining to public service delivery. This must be closely linked to and based on the specific CSS results and findings that each of the targeted LSGs have received from the PRO Programme at the end of the CSS process, in the form of the LSG CSS Report.

More specifically, Capacity Building Officer for LSG will undertake the following activities:  

Preparatory phase:

1. Liaise with relevant Programme personnel to acquire necessary understanding of the context and objectives of the CSS and post-CSS activity;
2. Get acquainted with the CSS Reports for his/her group of LSGs;
3. Analyse/assess the current local policies and/or normative framework; 
4. Visit the assigned LSGs and conduct discussions/consultations with the key local officials regarding the current status of local policies/regulations; 
5. Based on the above, prepare a detailed work plan for the whole TA intervention, present the plan to the Programme and agree on next steps;

Technical Assistance to the 15 LSGs may include but is not limited to:

1. Support LSGs to identify up to three low rated local public services, and/or represent a priority for the LSG in question for addressing. This will be comprised out of the following:

• The TA is to be delivered both through the in-the-field-work and provision of the on-the-job technical assistance, as well as through the distance consultations; 
• Develop, if need be, in collaboration with the LSG in question, additional/new local policies/regulations that would improve service delivery;

1. Support LSGs to develop, adopt and implement new or improve existing grievances and citizens’ case control and management systems. The new/improved systems should address at least the following:

• An established and clear structure of assigned public entities/functions/officials responsible and/or accountable to act upon grievances; 
• Support LSGs to develop and adopt a monitoring and evaluation system to track all interactions with the end-users of public services; 

Final Report

• Prepare and submit the final report, within the last month of engagement, with conclusions on overall findings and recommendations for improving public services delivery; 
• Prepare the presentation and present the TA intervention and results to relevant stakeholders.

• Bachelor’s degree preferably in Law, Public Administration, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or similar field is required. 
• Master Degree in relevant discipline will be considered an advantage

Work Experience 

• A minimum of two years of work experience related to provision of technical assistance to and/or capacity development of local self-governments is required.
• Knowledge of the government structures, links, processes and related legal and regulatory framework at the local level relevant to good governance is an asset.
• Experience in developing and writing policy and normative/regulatory level documents will be considered as an asset.
• Knowledge relevant to applying good governance principles in practice is an asset.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in Serbian and English is required

ALL CANDIDATES ARE REQUESTED TO SUBMIT A CV AND COVER LETTER INDICATING A PREFERENCE IN TERMS OF DUTY STATION ALONG WITH THEIR APPLICATION.

• Driving license and ability to travel independently is required

This is a local position, it is therefore open to nationals of Serbia and to individuals who have a valid residence/work permit.

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) - retainer
Contract level: Local ICA, Level 8
Contract duration: Up to 40 working days per position within one year

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

The UNOPS Republic of Serbia Multi Country Office (RSMCO) is implementing 16 projects in Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

In Serbia, where UNOPS has been active since 2000, and North Macedonia and Montenegro where UNOPS works since 2017, the organisation provides support in demanding socio-economic reforms and facilitating accession to the European Union. The projects focus on sustainable socio-economic development, good governance, social cohesion, environment and emergency response. The projects are implemented with the funding from the European Union (EU), Kingdom of Norway, Governments of Switzerland, Sweden and North Macedonia.

All projects have gender equality as a transversal theme, and have been contextualised within the broader Sustainable Development Goals frameworks and objectives.