Job Description
Background
UNDP is a longstanding development institution in Timor-Leste. In the Democratic Governance and Institutional Frameworks area, UNPD supports democratic governance, human rights, meaningful participation and accountability. It focuses on improving decentralized access to basic services, enhancing digital service delivery, strengthening the justice system, increasing transparency in public financial management, and supporting fair electoral processes. UNDPโs Social Cohesion Project strengthened social cohesion and prevented conflict in Timor-Leste by empowering excluded groups, particularly youth and women to claim their rights through participation in inclusive community engagement, civic education, and dialogue-based activities. This approach has generated deeper insights into conflict dynamics and has promoted community resilience through inclusive governance and peacebuilding, contributing to a safer, more cohesive, and inclusive society.
UNDP recently completed a Social Cohesion pilot initiative in Dili, Vila Verde, where it provided joint problem-solving workshops that brought together state institutions and communities to enhance cooperation and reduce intra-community conflict. Additionally, the project empowered youth through capacity-building programs that provided specific economic and market-relevant skills, thereby reducing their likelihood of engaging in violence due to their new employable skills. Building on these important lessons learned, the next phase of UNDPโs Social Cohesion Project aims to refine and consolidate the tested methodology through its replication in selected rural communities. By adapting the approach to diverse local realities, the project will generate deeper insights into the social fabric and conflict dynamics of more remote communities, where exclusion and mistrust in institutions persist. Through inclusive community engagement, civic education, and dialogue-based activities, the initiative addresses the root causes of violence and weak state-community relations. It aims to strengthen trust between communities and government institutions, promote peace and social cohesion, and enhance youth participation in civic processes. These efforts will reinforce ongoing work by the Ministry of Interior and the g7+ to promote active citizenship and accountability and gender-responsive governance. The project will also validate a practical, context-specific toolkit that will streamline the implementation of a locally grounded methodology for peace consolidation. This will enable more effective, community-led approaches to conflict prevention and resilience building, while also providing a scalable framework for national use.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Project Manager will be under the direct supervision of the Head of the Democratic Governance Unit and Senior Management of UNDP Timor-Leste.
Under the guidance of the Project Management Board and UNDP Management, the Project Manager will be responsible for the following key functions:
Timely implementation of the project focusing on achievement of the following results:
Plan the timeline of the project activities, conduct daily implementation and monitoring of project activities, ensuring that the project produces the results to the required standards of quality within the specified constraints of time and cost described in the project document and work plan;ย Design and draft a Concept Note/Terms of Reference of project activities and related events per project document and work plan; Provide technical inputs to the project team and partners; Contribute to the development of a Monitoring and Evaluation framework for the project that reflects progress on the sector in general and conducting monitoring field visits as required;ย Establish systems for project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, in collaboration with partners;ย Gather and provide inputs and coordinate the preparation of work plans, periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports to UNDP and development partners.Effective project management from planning to reporting focusing on achievement of the following results:
Prepare annual and quarterly work plans and budget of the project per the project document in consultation with the Democratic Governance Unit and national counterpart;ย Day-to-day operational management of the project, including work planning, resource allocation, financial and staff supervision, general oversight and risk management;ย Ensure effective and accurate financial resource management, monitor expenditures, including the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners, in accordance with UNDP financial rules, donor agreements, and cost-recovery policies and implement adequate internal control Supervision of the projectโs overall administration and procurement management Track the project delivery and regularly report to the UNDP management and development partners on progress and achievement of results in consultation with the Democratic Governance Unit;ย Responsible for building an effective and efficient project team, drafting Terms of References for staff, consultants, and advisors, and involving in the recruitment process;ย Supervise and give constructive feedback of the work of all project support staff, provide overall direction of the project, motivate the project team, manage the workload of each staff, reflect and incorporate the feedback from staff into the project management, and provide performance assessment.Development of strategic partnership and coordination with national rule of law (i.e. security and justice) and human rights institutions, g7+, Civil Society Organizations, and Development Partners, focusing on achievement of the following results:
Strategic coordination with national security, justice, g7+, and human rights institutions; Participate in meetings with the national authorities and other external institutions;ย In cooperation with the government institutions, support preparation and hosting of Project Management Board meetings, circulation of meeting minutes and work plans, and ensure follow-up on the implementation of decisions taken; Development of partnerships with UN Agencies, government institutions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors, private sector, civil society in the relevant thematic areas based on strategic goals of UNDP, country needs and donorsโ priorities; Analysis and research of information on donors, preparation of substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation, identification of opportunities for initiation of new projects, active contribution to the overall office effort in resource mobilization.Active knowledge management focusing on achievement of the following results:
Document the project implementation process and products; Identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues in the areas of concern and provision of analysis for more effective and strategic project implementation;ย Responsibility for bringing best practices and lessons learnt to help achieve the outputs of the project and facilitating the use of global knowledge networks in the field; Sharing of project results including through reviewing project publications and by taking responsibility for knowledge networking with national agencies and UNDPโs global community;ย Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice and provide inputs to the development of knowledge products internally and externally of the programme; Serve as an advocate for UN core values and UNDPโs policies on the rule of law, human rights, and gender justice in the dialogue with the relevant national institutions and facilitate the practical implementation of this dialogue through the project interventions.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
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: ย 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 makingยCross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Direction & Strategy
Effective Decision Making: Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with oneโs authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.ย 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.Business Management
Digitalย
Design thinking: Solving problems by putting people at the centre, visualising ideas and making them tangible in order to improve them through and iterative process of developing and testing. Strong empathy skills, being able to put yourself \"\"in someone else's shoes\"\", understand needs, abilities, preferences, motivations, (everyday) experiences from different perspectives as well as their cultural, social, economical and political contexts. Ability to identify and challenge assumptions, (cognitive and social) biases and dominant mental models by generating new perspectives and frames that help redefine the problem, solution and opportunity space. Being able to work with incomplete information, ambiguity and opposing views, needs and constraints and synthesise them into solutions that are viable, technically feasible and useful. Team design & management: Ability to create a clear sense of shared purpose while leveraging curiosity, expertise and agency at an individual level. Set up and manage team rituals and rhythms that create a safe space for learning and reflection. Foster a positive culture around failure, encourage exploration, experimentation. Set the conditions and structures for 'fluid' team modelling and distributed leadership enabling the team to continuously develop and renew itself. Ability to create synergy between team members with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds, being able to leverage their broad knowledge and skillsetsPartnership Management
Relationship management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understandingย
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Advanced university degree (masterโs degree or equivalent) in Law, Human Rights, Political Science, International Studies, Development Studies, or any other related field is required, or A first-level university degree (bachelorยดs degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of masterยดs degree.Experience:
Minimum of 7 years (with a masterโs degree) or 9 years (with a bachelorโs degree) of experience in the area of law and justice, rule of law, social cohesion, human rights, gender mainstreaming, institutional capacity development, project management and coordination.ยRequired Skills:
Knowledge in the area of administration of justice and rule of law, social cohesion, human rights, gender justice, and gender mainstreaming issues; Experience in organizing and performing a variety of specialized tasks simultaneously related to Results Management, including administrative support to design, planning and implementation of programme, managing data, reporting;Desired Skills:
Previous experience related to law and justice or gender justice; Knowledge of institutional capacity development, preferably within the rule of law sector; Knowledge in gender justice, gender mainstreaming, and GBV issues with high gender sensitivity Experience in the UN system and its procedures. Good computer skills are essential, especially proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point;Required Languages:
Fluency in English and Tetun are required.ย Fluency in Portuguese is highly desirableย
Equal opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.ย
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.ย
Right to select multiple candidates
UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.ย We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.
Scam alert
UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.
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