UN Jobs- National Consultants: Preparation of Project Document - Policy Dialogue on National and Local Development issues

Job Title: National Consultants: Preparation of Project Document - Policy Dialogue on National and Local Development issues.(Ugandan Nationals Only), Kampala, Uganda

Closing Date: Monday, 11 April 2011


Background

In April 2010 UNDP and the Government of Uganda (GoU) endorsed the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) 2010/11-2014/15, a five-year plan that guides the implementation of development interventions that respond to government priorities as stated in the National Development Plan (NDP). Aligning to national development priorities, the UN system in the country developed the United Nations Development Assistance framework (UNDAF 2010/11-2014/15) which aims to support the government in addressing challenges identified in the NDP. The CPAP therefore responds to the priorities as articulated in the UNDAF. The country programme has two main components which are Accountable Democratic Governance (ADG) and Growth and Poverty Reduction (GPR).

Under the GPR component, is the outcome area “National and local institutions capacitated to develop, implement and monitor pro-poor and MDG responsive polices/strategies”. The proposed project is to be developed for the delivery of the CPAP output which fall under the outcome: “Policy dialogue on national and local development issues is informed by analytical studies”

Emphasis will be to support policy dialogue and advocacy on national and local development issues and interventions aimed at identifying bottlenecks and providing programmable options for accelerating progress towards the achievement of MDGs in the run-up to and beyond the 2015 deadline.

It is envisaged that key policy makers and stakeholders, including the academia, civil society and the private sector will be engaged in dialogue on various key national and local development issues in order to translate the findings from analytical studies and the already existing policies into action. On this basis, recommendations for addressing the specific bottlenecks will be made.

In addition to policy dialogue, policy briefs will be developed to provide key information in a synthesized manner to policy makers. This would enable them to take appropriate action to address some of the development challenges in particular focusing on pro-poor policies.

Scope of Work:

The consultant is to prepare a project document with interventions to support and facilitate policy dialogue on national and local development issues based on well researched and informed evidence-based analytical studies. The consultancy will cover the key aspects below:

* Identification of a niche for UNDP support within the output area in line with the existing policies and regulations, and the ongoing interventions by government and development partners. Project scope should contribute to achieving the output by the end of the programming cycle and build synergies with other programme interventions (GPR and ADG).
* Selection of the appropriate implementing partners, responsible parties and collaborating partners to deliver the project.
* Develop annual work plans with outputs and activities, baselines, indicators and targets for the duration of the project with a view to ensure continuity over the 4-year CPAP period.
* Integrate cross cutting issues such as gender and environment and human rights-based approach to programming.
* Develop a monitoring and evaluation strategy in line with the CPAP and UNDAF M&E framework.
* Develop a clear partnership/collaboration strategy.
* Identify appropriate management arrangements with clear responsibilities for project management.
* Oversight/assurance; implementation and accountability for resources.
* Conduct an initial analysis of risks that will impact on the project formulation and implementation.
* Define a clear exit strategy for the project.

To ensure project quality, the consultant will consult closely with key stakeholders, –including EDPR in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Civil Society organisations such as NGO Forum, Uganda Debt Network, DENIVA and UNASO as well as private sector organisations and programmes such as Private Sector Foundation, and the CICS secretariat, as well as build on lessons learnt during the implementation of CPAP 2006-2010.

Key operational principles to be considered in the project design are:

* Relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of project activities
* Building national capacities and ownership
* Strengthening capacity development
* Promoting south-south cooperation
* Focus on key cross cutting themes of UNDP programming

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities

The consultant shall undertake the following activities:

* Attend detailed briefing on UNDP programming facilitated by the UNDP programme team
* Review critical documentation/literature related to the CPAP and UNDP/UN programming
* Present inception report and discussion guide for agreement with UNDP prior to consultations
* Undertake consultations with key stakeholders from UNDP, UN agencies, EDPR and other GoU MDAs, NGOs, development partners and the private sector to ascertain priorities areas, ongoing interventions etc.
* Identify areas of interventions that aim at achieving the stated output 2.1.2, identify target beneficiaries and establish the baselines
* Articulate conceptual linkages of the outputs and outcome while addressing cross cutting issues Identify opportunities for resource mobilization and partnership
* Present key findings and recommendations to stakeholders' validation workshop and incorporate relevant comments into the draft project document
* Make presentation at internal pre-Project Appraisal Committee(PAC) meeting with UNDP Senior Management and staff to review the revised draft project document
* Make presentation of final draft project document at PAC meeting with selected key stakeholders including Government, proposed IPs and collaborating partners and incorporate comments for the finalisation of the project document.

Key Deliverables

* Inception report detailing the understanding/interpretation of the TORs; the methodology of carrying out the assignment; work plan and implementation schedule as agreed upon with UNDP team.
* Draft project document.
* Presentations to stakeholder validation, Pre-PAC and PAC meetings.
* Final project document

The assignment is expected to take 30 working days from the signing of the contract and the consultants will be expected to be available on a full-time basis and deliver the outputs as per schedule proposed below:

Output:

* Inception report is due 7 days after signing of contract.
* Presentation of findings to stakeholder validation meeting is due 21 days after signing contract.
* Draft project document is due 23 days after signing.
* Presentation of draft project document to pre-PAC meeting is due 27 days after signing.
* Final Project document is due 30 days after signing.

Reporting Arrangements:

The consultant will report to the team leader of the Poverty Reduction Unit, who will take the lead in providing technical backstopping; they will work closely with the programme consultants, Strategy and Policy Unit. At the conclusion of the deliverable, there will be a presentation to the programme team leaders in UNDP for review. The consultants will work under the overall guidance and leadership of the Country Director and Resident Representative.

Competencies

Competencies

Technical Competencies:

* Strong leadership and task management competencies
* Strong analytical skills
* Good communication and writing skills in English

Personal Competencies:

* Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards
* Positive, constructive attitude to work
* Ability to act professionally and flexibility to engage with government officials, donor representatives, private sector and communities

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

* Postgraduate degree in Economics or related field

Experience:

* Minimum 7 years progressive work experience in micro and macroeconomic policy and research
* Extensive experience in project and programme formulation and management
* Experience in addressing MDGs and cross-cutting issues like Gender
* Good knowledge of UNDP and development context of Uganda
* Experience in strategic planning
* Knowledge of UN/UNDP programming is an added advantage

Language:

* Fluency in English.

Application Procedure - applicants are required to submit an application and proposals, which include the following:

Job Proposal:

* Letter of Interest.
* Explanation as to why you consider yourself suitable for the assignment.
* A brief methodology on the approach and implementation of the assignment.

Personal CV

* Highlighting past experience in similar projects.
* Work references - contact details (e-mail addresses) of referees.

Financial Proposal

* Please submit a financial proposal indicating consultancy fee in

Ugandan Shillings

, lump sum fee (with a breakdown) or unit price together with any other expenses related to the assignment.

Please note that the system will only allow you to upload one document, therefore all the job and financial proposals are to be attached to the CV and uploaded together at once.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

To apply
http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=22614