UNDP Armenia Office

Job description:

The EU in partnership with UNDP, promotes inclusive economic growth and innovation in the municipalities of the EaP countries. To that end, on January 1, 2021 the new phase of “Mayors for Economic Growth Facility” commenced. The project will run for 48 months. The project will support local authorities in Eastern Partnership countries to use innovative methods towards just and green development.

During project implementation the M4EG network will increase to 350 local authorities, and 12 local authorities will go through a process of portfolio development. Three funding facilities will be available to the local authorities in the network: the EU Project Fund (2021), Annual Portfolio Call (2021-2023) and M4EG Innovation Project Call (2021-2023).

The overall objective of this project is to enhance economic inclusive growth and job creation in the region by supporting local authorities in the EaP countries to design and implement innovative interventions to address complex challenges, as well as built municipal capacity. The specific objectives are to:

• Support local authorities in their participation to the M4EG initiative.
• Support the preparation and implementation of municipal projects building on systems approach methodologies.

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Job responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the UNDP Armenia Innovation and SDG Finance Programme Analyst and Regional Project Manager, and overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Armenia, the Project Coordinator will oversee the project implementation for the EU funded Mayors for Economic Growth Facility. The incumbent will specifically focus on managing the project, overseeing, connecting and building on the work at the country level and ensuring that project is implemented in line with RBM.

The Project Coordinator will be responsible for implementation of in-country activities in accordance with the project document and approved work plan. The Project Coordinator for Armenia is expected to closely cooperate with the EU Delegation in Armenia, project counterparts, local authorities, partners, line ministries and regional authorities, and other relevant parties.

Duties and responsibilities:

Overall coordination of in-country Project activities:

• Ensure effective communication with national and local partners;
• Ensure timely preparation, update and implementation of project annual and detailed work plans, and other related documents for timely commencement of planned in-country activities and expected outputs;
• Organize and/or coordinate Project events;
• Supervise research activities and elaboration of joint knowledge products at the national level;
• Build partnerships with local authorities, relevant ministries, private sector and local actors;
• Coordinate implementation of the national component of the project in close cooperation with local authorities and other relevant parties;
• Ensure smooth implementation of in-country project activities and attainment of the overall project objectives as stated in the project document at the national level;
• Coordinate all project in-country activities with the activities of national counterparts and other UNDP projects;
• Build, manage, and support relationships with national partners, provide partners with advanced technical assistance;
• Organize and conduct Technical Working Groups and support organization of Steering Committees;
• Set-up and organize national steering mechanisms;
• Act as an advocate of the UNDP Portfolio Policy within the UNDP CO and stakeholders at local level to mainstream innovative and systemic thinking and strategic planning in Armenia;
• Maintain close liaison with national project partners, ensuring optimum participation and promoting ownership of the Government in the implementation of the project; as well as ensure coordination of the project activities with other stakeholders at the national level;
• Ensure compliance of project business processes with UNDP Project Operational Policies and Procedures and UNDP Standard Operating Procedures;
• Perform other duties as required, in consultation with and under supervision of the Innovation & SDG Finance Programme Analyst and Regional Project Manager.

Project and Financial Management:

• Develop Terms of Reference for project consultants/potential service providers and ensure proper management, delivery and processes;
• Draft annual project work plan in consultation with major national project stakeholders;
• Comply with security and safety requirements and regulations and ensure the same are respected by all local consultants;
• Prepare and update country level work plans and budgets;
• Manage financial allocations, ensure timely payments in accordance with UNDP rules, regulations and procedures; generate Atlas reports, including combined delivery reports at the national level;
• Prepare procurement plans and oversee procurement and logistics for project implementation of in-country activities;
• At the national level feed into the progress reports, produce periodical annual project progress reports and financial reports;
• Provide regular updates on the project progress to the Regional Project Manager and relevant Programme Analyst at the CO;
• Work closely with other UNDP initiatives.

Support to resource mobilization:

• Establish and maintain contacts and cooperation with the relevant UN Agencies, government institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, private sector, civil society engaged in urbanization and innovation;
• Undertake horizon scanning and explore opportunities for resource mobilization in consultation with the Regional Project Manager and Programme Analyst;
• Support development of new initiatives and proposals to donors at the national level;
• Play an active advisory role on governance issues within the UNDP Governance team and in other settings as required.

Advocacy and Communication:

• Design and implement a communication strategy of the project at the national level;
• Ensure regular communication and coordination with national partners and develop and maintain effective mechanisms for integrating and responding to their feedback and insights;
• Ensure careful selection of communication tools and tailoring the messages taking into account overall socio-political and development context in the country.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

Working under the direct supervision of the UNDP Armenia Innovation and SDG Finance Team Lead and Regional Project Manager and overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Armenia, the Project Coordinator will be responsible for leading the Project Team in the day-to-day implementation of the country-level project activities and managing financial resources effectively and efficiently so as to achieve the Project Objective and Outcomes within the set timescale and available budget. S/he will ensure effective implementation of daily activities of the Project at the national level in compliance with appropriate UNDP policies and procedures.

Required qualifications

Education:

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economic, Social Sciences, or related field is required
• Bachelor’s degree in the areas mentioned above in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master's degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in project management, at national or international level.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Armenian is required.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in applying innovative methods and models to development challenges is an asset;
• Proven experience in working with local authorities, partners and communities, and collaboration with multiple actors including government representatives, donors and other stakeholders is an asset;
• Proven experience in working in multi-stakeholder initiatives is an asset;
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts and recommendations, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences;
• Ability to interact, establish and maintain effective working relations with a culturally diverse team, as a team member, to build trust, and to manage in a deliberate, transparent and predictable way;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in project coordination, design and implementation;
• Experience in development of analytical documents, briefs and project proposals;
• Experience in establishing and maintaining productive partnerships with national partners and stakeholders and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs and matching them to appropriate solutions.
• Ability to foresee risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Prior experience with the UN/UNDP is an asset.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making
  

People Management Competencies:

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies:

• Project Management:
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Effective Decision Making:
  • Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources
• Financial planning and budgeting:
  • Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP’s long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analysig and reporting
• Relationship Management:
  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relatinons, trust and mutual understanding
• SDG Finance:
  • Social impact investments
• System Thinking:
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• Knowledge Generation :
  • Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need

Required candidate level: Senior

Additional information