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Background and Organizational Context
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) together launched the South Sudan Reconciliation, Stabilization, and Resilience Trust Fund (RSRTF) in December 2018. The Fund provides strategic financing to integrated programs that together lessen the destructive drivers of conflict and create more stable conditions in which development and resilience objectives may be realized. Drawing on the comparative advantages across UNMISS, UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the RSRTF promotes integrated programming across the ‘Triple Nexus’ of the humanitarian, development, and peace fields.
The RSRTF intends to reduce violence and conflict in hotspot and marginalized areas of the country. Through its Area Based Programs (ABP). RSRTF partners deliver comprehensive interventions that reduce social acceptance of violence and simultaneously nurture a conducive environment where peace can be sustained. Often building on existing efforts to bridge political divides and reconcile community divisions, the approach ensures hard won political agreements and community reconciliation initiatives are reinforced through tangible actions that shift incentives and raise the cost of resorting to violence.
The Strategic Planning Specialist reports to the RSRT Fund Manager.
Position Purpose
The Strategic Planning Specialist (SPS) will be based in Juba, South Sudan and will play a key role in ensuring the strategic and operational planning work to guarantee that the RSRTF objectives are met and will monitor wider developments of relevance to the effective and efficient functioning of RSRTF Office operations and activities. SPS will contribute actively to strategic thinking and planning, formulate and implement the strategic plan, evaluate the progress, and adjust as necessary to stay on track. S/he will prepare research papers and reports and will interact with officers at all levels within the RSRTF Office.
Duties and Responsibilities
Within the relevant delegated authority, the Strategic Planning Specialist will be responsible for the following duties:
- Prepare research papers and reports, strategic considerations, and draft recommendations to facilitate decision-making by the (SC) ensuring the Fund’s approach and priorities remain relevant to wider developments.
- Supports the Fund Manager to translate and disseminate SC guidance and decision making that set out overall parameters for funding ensuring the strategic directives and relevant planning expectations are adhered to across the Fund’s operations.
- Participate in the review and analysis of concepts, strategies and program/project proposals and advise applicants on recommended revisions, assisting partners in revision drafting if required as well as ensuring timely feedback to failed applicants.
- Provides advice and support to the SC on risk management, compliance, and oversight matters and ensures considerations are integrated into decision making, planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and contingency activities.
- Ensures robust strategic communications for the RSRTF on all relevant platforms and in support of resource mobilization efforts.
- Closely works with the RSRTF team.
Planning and organizing
- Plan, organize and manage the work of the Strategic Planning process of the Fund.
- Lead the coordination of activities and processes related to strategic planning and result-based management including coordination with Secretariat staff, steering committee, and partners.
Program Management
- Work with Fund Manager on Fund policy development on behalf of the SC, including the review and analysis of peace building, stabilization, and resilience issues at the country level, ensuring the Fund stays relevant.
- Provide a strong result-based management and information/guidance to RSRTF Manager on issues, including analyses of options for possible improvement of RSRTF in emerging issues of key importance.
Knowledge management, Evaluations and documentation of lesson learned
- Lead knowledge management, draft documents TORs, and reports for donors, Steering Committee, and other stakeholders on the status of Area Based Programs (ABPs).
- Coordinates and supports Results Based Management (RBM) and M&E functions of the Fund specifically evaluating progress of the Fund’s strategic direction and objectives, making recommendations to the SC for adjustments as necessary.
- Leads the sharing of best practices, trends, knowledge, and lessons learned across the Fund’s stakeholders, ensuring inclusion to strategic planning processes.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: No staff supervision is required now, but it may be required in future as the Program is expanding. Experience in high-capacity multidisciplinary and multi-cultural teamwork is necessary.
Competencies
Core Competencies
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.
Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results. - Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
Business Direction and Strategy
- Strategic Thinking
- Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP is objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground and creating tangible solutions.
- Ability to leverage learning from a variety\ of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends: to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP
Business Management
- Risk Management
- Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
- Communication
- Ability to communicate in a clear, concise, and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience.
- Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.
- Results-based Management
- Ability to manage programs and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.
2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness
- Crisis management / Country Management Support
- Resilience based programming.
- Effectiveness
- Programmatic Risk Management and Analysis
- Project Quality Assurance
Education:
- Master’s degree or equivalent in International Relations, Public Administration, Peacebuilding, Conflict Studies, International Development, Business Administration, or related field. Or
- Bachelor’s degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be given due consideration in lieu of master’s degree.
Experience, Knowledge and skills
Required
- A minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible international experience in strategic planning, risk management and/or results-based delivery at senior level preferably within UN or international organization.
- Ability to conduct Area Analysis and translate it into strategy is required.
- Strategic vision and strong technical and analytical capabilities, as well as good political acumen is required.
- Ability to improve processes and approaches, integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objective.
- Knowledge of UN system, operational procedures as well as Financial and grants literacy is required.
- Strong knowledge on IT as an instrument to improve business processes and to provide new services.
- Experience working in INGO, UN or other organizations on development and peace building is required.
Desirable-
- Experience on research and publication experience on political and conflict analysis in the region or South Sudan desirable.
- Experience of South Sudan or Horn of Africa is desirable.
Language Requirements
- Fluency in oral and written English is required.
- Proficiency in Arabic is desirable.
