Jobs

The United Nations Development Program is the backbone of the UN development system. We support governments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We focus our global efforts on six signature solutions: eradication of poverty, accountable and inclusive governance, resilience, nature-based development solutions, clean and affordable energy, and gender equality. Read more here: www.undp.org and no.undp.org.

The UNDP Oslo Governance Centre (OGC) is UNDP’s Global Policy Centre for policy development and applied research on pressing governance issues. The centre provides advice to UNDP programs on the ground and to UN global leadership on core and emerging governance issues. We connect research, policy, and practice by leveraging key partnerships with leading research institutions and relevant communities of practice. The OGC has a particular focus on building such partnership in relevant development contexts, as well as with Nordic actors. 

As an intern at OGC you will earn an understanding of how international organisations function, gain knowledge on key and acute global governance challenges and be exposed to a group of dedicated international staff.

Application process:

Interested applicants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all documents in one file):

• Updated CV as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as suitable for the internship.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

1. In accordance with the UNDP Internship policy, UNDP interns are eligible to receive a monthly stipend, with a rate that varies depending on the duty location. The stipend will be paid monthly, and part-time internship arrangements are prorated accordingly.
2. Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.
3. Except for the stipend, all other expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring government or institutions.
4. Interns are not considered staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.
5. The purpose of the Internship Programme is not to lead to further employment with UNDP, but to complement an intern’s studies. Therefore, there should be no expectation of employment at the end of an internship.

Considering the above, UNDP is seeking an expert (National Individual Consultant) to support the development of the business development plan structured around the following components and associated tasks:

(1) The development of a rapid economic and social appraisal for the project to assess the benefits of the project versus its costs;

(2) The elaboration of detailed operation and maintenance financial plan for the renovated fire brigade building, old fleet, new fire trucks and equipment aiming to help the UCF senior management actively plan and budget for the Fire Brigade Department operation and maintenance costs in the coming five (5) to ten (10) years;

(3) The development of an asset management plan to complement the operation and maintenance financial plan, to help preserve the life of the concerned fire assets; and  

(4) The identification and design of needed solutions that will support the financial planning for the O&M and the implementation of the asset management plan.

The consultant is expected to closely work with the MERP field coordinator in the North and project manager for Al-Fayha'a, the MERP technical team, and the Chief Technical Adviser to agree on the methodology to be followed throughout the assignment of developing the “business plan”. Additionally, the consultant will have to coordinate, with the support of the field coordinator in the area, with the beneficiaries of the project, which is in this case UCF and the Fire Brigade, and when applicable conduct consultations with the various additional stakeholders as identified by UCF and MERP.

Nothing in this TOR should be interpreted as requiring the development of SOPs or plans for the usage of firefighting assets and equipment within the context of firefighting missions.

The main tasks expected from the consultant are as follows:

Task 1: Inception Phase of the Business Plan

1. Undertake a general desk review of existing documents related to the UCF Fire Brigade Department project (e.g., assessments, project reports, design, drawings, bill of quantities, trucks, and equipment O&M manuals if available, official firefighting SOPs (including legislation) if available etc.), the annual budgets and annual financial statements of the Union, and other key sources of information such as relevant academic and professional literature.
2. Organize and carry out initial round of interviews and meetings with key stakeholders to introduce the objective of the assignment, build contacts, and gather preliminary data and information.
3. Design the conceptual frameworks that will be followed for each component of the Business Plan including the rapid Economic and Social Appraisal, the detailed financial plan for O&M, the asset management plan, and the identification and design of the model(s) to provide the basis for O&M financial planning and asset management solutions.
4. Develop the methodology and the associated tools that will be deployed during the assignment: Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, Surveys, Needs Assessments etc. The methodology must include the type of needed data to be collected and details about the steps to be undertaken to gather the necessary information. Beneficiaries and stakeholders to be interviewed will be clearly identified in close coordination with MERP.
5. The consultant will develop a risk analysis and design the mitigation measures to be undertaken in case of gaps in the data or scarcity of information.
6. Based on the above, the consultant will develop and present the inception report including the detailed outline for the Business Plan and all the methodological tools to be deployed.

Task 2: The Development of the First Version of the Business Plan and Implementation of the Plan’s Associated Activities

Task 2.1 The Rapid Economic and Social Appraisal

2.1.1 Refine the conceptual framework whereby all the relevant indicators that will be used to appraise the public safety “not for profit” Fire Brigade project have been selected and approved.

2.1.2 Collect the remaining information and data needed through the deployment of methodological tools presented in the inception phase (KIIs, FGDs, surveys etc.)

2.1.3 Conduct sensitivity analysis based on different scopes of intervention. For example, “exclusively within UCF” versus “within and outside UCF”.   

2.1.4 Assess the extent to which the Fire Brigade project as designed will indeed benefit all socio-demographic groups within the UCF and make recommendations regarding how inclusivity could be improved going forward (if any).

Task 2.2 The Detailed Financial Plan for Operation and Maintenance

2.2.1 Develop the costing structure relevant to the O&M plan for the Fire Brigade project covering the following components: Fire Brigade Department facilities, existing fleet and equipment, and new fire trucks, equipment, and safety materials.

2.2.2 Develop a detailed assumption table identifying all the factors impacting the operations and maintenance cost (e.g., price of oil, inflation, public sector salaries and wages and related indemnities and allowances etc.) and provide justifications for the choice of assumptions made.

2.2.3 Develop a range of estimates over a five-year period and ten-year period for each component of the project based on the assumptions made as per 2.2.2 and the recommended maintenance strategy for each asset type (corrective or preventive).

2.2.4 Assess the net impact over Union Finances.

Task 2.3 The Asset Management Plan

2.3.1 Prepare the Asset inventory.

2.3.2 Calculate life cycle of each asset.

2.3.3 Identify feasible options for pro-active asset management in the UCF context. This would include among other things:

i. Developing a plan and schedule for main maintenance tasks to be undertaken in the facility on a regular basis.

ii. Developing a plan and schedule for main maintenance tasks to be undertaken for the existing and new fleet and specify responsibilities on a regular basis.

iii.  Identify all parties and staff responsible for and skills set needed and linked to the O&M and asset management.

2.3.4 Identify and customize to UCF context any additional asset management measures to be implemented based on relevant literature.

Task 2.4: The identification and design of solution(s) allowing UCF senior management better financial planning for O&M and Asset Management

In close coordination with the Director of the Union and the Head of the Fire Brigade Department, the consultant is expected to identify and design solution(s) that can facilitate better financial planning for the O&M and asset management. This shall be an opportunity to explore eventual user-friendly management tool(s) that will help collect and monitor information and data systematically and calculate indicators facilitating the processes of operation and maintenance financial planning and asset management.  

2.4.1 Review the management modalities relevant to the Fire Brigade Department and available capacities and tools within the UCF. This would include institutional capacity, human resources, as well as available IT/MIS’S infrastructure and capacity.

2.4.2 Based on the capacity assessment of the Union, including IT/MIS’S infrastructure and human capacity, come up with recommendations to the O&M financial planning as well as the asset management needs of the Fire Brigade Department in terms of potential tool(s)/automated solution(s).

2.4.3 Design and build the financial model for the Fire Brigade operation and maintenance as well as the asset management model that will be at the heart of the proposed tool(s)/automated solutions.

2.4.4 Identify the optimal type of software and operating system in which the proposed solutions should be embedded considering the existing IT/MIS and explore and advice whether the two could be eventually linked.

Task 2 will conclude with the submission of the first version of the “business plan”.

Task 3: The Development of the Second Version of the Business Plan

3.1 First version of the Business Plan to be presented to UCF and partners (UN-Habitat, UNDP etc.) for validation. A power-point presentation is required.

3.2 Gaps and additional data/information and research still needed to be identified.

3.3 Refinement to the economic and social appraisal and additional sensitivity analysis conducted based on second round of consultations.

3.4 Refinement of the detailed O&M financial plan and additional sensitivity analysis conducted based on second- round of consultations.

3.5 Refinement of the asset management plan based on additional round of consultations.

3.6 Refinement of the model(s) proposed to serve as the basis for O&M financial planning and asset management solutions.

Task 3 will conclude with the submission of the second version of the “business plan”.

Task 4: Finalization of the Business Plan

4.1 Final validation process of the second version of the “business plan” in all its four (4) components and presentations to UCF. Given that the business plan is made up of four components, up to four (4) presentations might be required.

4.2 Update of all data and information as needed to feed into economic and social appraisal, financial plan for O&M, and the asset management plan.

4.3 Finalize the business plan.

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP, the global development network for the United Nations system, is on the ground in 177 countries and is uniquely equipped to help developing countries build the requisite policies, capacity, and supportive environment that are needed to accelerate and sustain human development.   UNDP is an operational backbone to the UN system: providing human resources, payroll, financial transactions, common premises, treasury investments, procurement, legal services to UN agencies. UNDP provides IT support for 13 UN entities with 40,000 United Nations and external users of the UNDP’s ERP system, as well as information and communication technology (ICT) and application solutions for the United Nations field presence. To support the UNDP Digital Strategy 2020-2023 and enable the digital transformation of the organization, the Information and Technology Management (ITM) Office is tasked with developing and operating the enabling corporate technology platforms and providing related services that power the digital transformation including: (1) advice, administration and acceleration services to promote delivery of maximum business value of each platform; (2) a global service desk operation; (3) and outreach services to promote knowledge sharing and effective, agile planning and governance of technology development and utilization.

Within the Information and Technology Management (ITM) Office is the Global Support and Capacity Building that has the basic mandate of providing a single point of contact to manage client support, service requests and incidents related to the organization’s corporate applications including Enterprise Resource Planning systems, Content Management systems, Microsoft collaboration tools among others. The unit is currently operating on a follow-the-sun method providing support to UNDP country offices in the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North and South America time zones. In addition, it provides extended support to various units within the Information and Technology Management (ITM) Office; and, to various offices and work streams within the Bureau of Management Services (BMS) and UNDP partners across the globe.

To meet increasing end-user requirements, the Global Support and Capacity Building team is seeking to retain the services of four (4) Global Support Analysts (1 Panama, 1 Kuala Lumpur, 2 Copenhagen) with a focus on ERP Services support as well as Global Customer support, for an initial period of one year. The successful candidates  will join the unit in supporting the global user community as well as identifying evolving user support needs for the corporate applications and tools identified above. The incumbents will also work closely with UNDP Business streams and various units in support of the applications/tools and functions, as well as user education and adaption.

The Global Support Analysts are expected to make informed decisions on specific-trouble-shooting details following careful analysis of cases using our official ticketing system and ensure timely coordination with other members of the team, as well as with partners should a business decision is required. As members of the Global Support and Capacity Support team, the incumbents are responsible for providing logical recommendations based on standard operating procedures (SOP), UNDP guidelines and corporate applications that have direct impact on the operational effectiveness of the service desk in carrying out client/user support and other corporate functions.

Institutional Arrangement

The Global Service Desk Agent will report to the Customer Management Center Lead in Panama.  

Over a period of four years (2019-2022), UNDP has successfully carried out the Sida-funded “Building Municipal Capacity for Projects Implementation” Project (hereinafter BMCPI or the Project) which was set to address some of the most pressing issues faced by the local government institutions in their efforts to improve the living conditions for their citizens.

To address the underlying causes behind the sub-optimal performance of the country’s local self-government system and development performance, the previous Project design comprised three separate, yet interrelated lines of intervention. These included:

• The Municipal Development Index (MDI) – an objective system for tracking the performance and overall development progress of municipalities based on a series of parameters and indicators
• A comprehensive Functional Analysis (FA) of the country’s local self-government system at more general or systemic level, and through piloting of the approach among selected municipalities and regional centers, and
• The Technical Documentation Fund (TDF) which has been introduced to showcase a model financial instrument for preparation of comprehensive technical documentation for the highest priority infrastructure development projects in a local context.

By building upon the achievements of its first phase, the Project has recently entered its second phase (2022-2026) that aims at:

• Strengthening capacities of national institutions to provide and institutionalize adequate tools for targeting regional and local development policies and initiatives (primarily MDI)
• Strengthening local level capacities to identify, select and prepare more complex development projects (through TDF)
• Introducing and integrate the elements of European Green deal and global environmental challenges into local development planning; and
• Empowering civil society organizations, media, and citizens to participate in local development planning.

One of the Project’s key objectives is to catalyze an up-to-date unified integrated local development planning system that will encompass the elements of the European Green Deal and the most pressing environmental challenges[1]. The planning capacities would be enhanced in way to consider the negative implications of these global challenges on and the corresponding development opportunities for women and vulnerable groups[2].  The Project will seek to include these elements in the in the decision-making targeting local development priorities, in particular in designing and developing business, social and environmental infrastructure.

The expected results of this work will be reflected in the methodologies applied under the TDF to ensure prioritization of (infrastructure/development) projects that will address the above challenges.

These TORs describe the objectives, the scope and expected results of an international consultancy aiming at updating the existing local development planning methodology in line with the objectives the European Green Deal and the global response to the main environmental challenges[3]. Enhanced stakeholder participation (models, and approaches) needs to be an integral part of the updated planning methodology. The international expert will be supported by a local expert with complementary qualifications, and in line with the requirements of the assignment.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The overall assignment includes a combination of consultancy work, educational/training and awareness raising activities targeting local self-government representatives, the civil society, and other stakeholders at local/municipal level. The core of the assignment is the necessary updating the existing UNDP Methodology on inclusive and integrated local development planning in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and an improved sensitivity on the gender and social inclusion dimension of local development.

Moreover, it involves design and implementation of training programmes on the ‘improved’ local development planning that will bring about the necessary national-level expertise that will be instrumental in the future updating of the existing local development plans.

Besides this, the expert will take part in awareness raising and networking events aimed at reaching out to diverse stakeholders about the objectives, and the expected benefits of the green transition, inter-municipal and regional cooperation, preparing gender sensitive projects and addressing the needs of the vulnerable groups.

[1] For example, disaster risk reduction, more efficient use of resources, pollution reduction and biodiversity conservation and restoration.

[2] The project activities related to local development planning will be focused on vulnerability in broader terms than climate change alone, especially given the fact that vulnerability and exposure arise also from non-climatic factors and from multidimensional inequalities often produced by uneven development processes. Special emphasis will be placed on the economically disadvantaged, people with disabilities, the elderly, ethnic minorities, children etc.

[3] The existing (baseline) methodology that needs to be updated has been developed by UNDP as part of the EU-funded Improving Municipal Governance project and by building upon the experiences of the UN Women’s “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets” project.

UNDP works in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

UNDP is working to strengthen new frameworks for development, disaster risk reduction and climate change. We support countries' efforts to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide global development priorities through 2030. The key 2030 Agenda principle of leaving no one behind and stamping out inequality is at the core of everything we do.

UNDP focuses on helping countries build and share solutions in three main areas:

• Sustainable development
• Democratic governance and peacebuilding
• Climate and disaster resilience

In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women, minorities and the poorest and most vulnerable.