Portfolio Manager (Development Coordinator) – UN Volunteers

Duties and Responsibilities

Perform strategic planning and programming based on the UNV Strategic Framework:

• Keep abreast of development challenges and priorities in countries under portfolio to identify relevant entry points for UNV programming and mobilization of volunteers;
• Keep abreast of and provide substantive guidance or strategic direction on volunteerism in specific focused areas and appropriate programming approaches;
• Perform strategic planning for groups of country portfolios in regions with common development challenges and/or opportunities;
• Initiate, formulate and manage  projects and programmes contributing to the Strategic Framework in priority countries;
• Develop innovative programmes and projects to demonstrate the added value of volunteerism in specific thematic/focus areas; this includes the provision of guidance and support to other Portfolio Teams in further developing similar initiatives, all of which can be piloted and if successful replicated by other Portfolio Teams in other geographical settings;
• Forecast demand for UN Volunteer assignment in countries and programme within the portfolio;
• Maintain substantive documentation regarding country portfolio, including country profiles and statistics sheets.

Build and strengthen relationships with main partners within the UN system and external partners on the operational and programmatic issues:

• Build and strengthen relationships with the UN partners on programmatic matters relating to his/her portfolio and focus areas, as well as with VSOs, CSOs, NGOs, universities, community organizations and other partners at the regional and national level in support of programme operation in close cooperation with PCD;
• Assist the Chief in building partnerships with UN organizations including Peace Keeping mission offices, regional entities and field based organizations to identify programme opportunities and promote UNV;
• Plan, negotiate  and monitor Exchange of Letters (EOL) and budget in line with agreements with partners;
• Provide advisory support on UNV programme and mandate to different stakeholders;
• Identify potential sources of funding to support the programme approaches at the local and regional levels, and provide guidance and support to resource mobilization at the local level in close collaboration with PCD.

Ensure effective coordination between HQ  and Field Units for quality programming and volunteer management:

• Provide guidance and coordinate all aspects of volunteer management;
• Ensure strategic use and implementation of all UN Volunteers modalities as per prevailing relevant provisions;
• Review and approve terms of reference in line with corporate policies and parameters guiding the recruitment of volunteers;
• Provide guidance to Field Units on programme design and integration, and on results based management;
• Based on programmatic and operational requirements and priorities, organize capacity building events (e.g. regional, local meetings, conference and workshops, etc.);
• Ensure responses to critical incidents are processed in a timely and proper manner; support effective crisis management practice in the field; document lessons learned.

Monitor the implementation of programming and volunteer management at the field level: 

• Monitor compliance with periodic volunteer reporting (VRS) with view to extracting data for analysis and use in making improvements of portfolio operations and use in corporate documents, advocacy and learning;
• Monitor the implementation of joint and non UNV implemented projects, extracts and analyses financial reports and conduct regular reporting on expenditure and budget balance as required;
• Assess project progress and ensure quality of project reporting;
• Perform project management, including in Atlas, for UNV implemented projects, extract and analyse financial reports and conduct regular reporting on expenditure and budget balance as required.

Provide substantive focus area inputs and support to cross-unit and corporate initiatives related to programming and volunteer management activities:

• Act as focal point on assigned focus area; provide relevant inputs to project development, and coordinate and consolidate inputs from projects and programmes in the assigned focus area for corporate and other UN global reports;
• Support the development and implementation of UNV’s corporate policy and programme in assigned focus area;
• Represent UNV in global meetings and with main agencies working on assigned focus areas; build network and partnerships for substantive and operational cooperation on volunteerism in assigned focus area;
• Provide support to the implementation of corporate (global) projects in assigned focus area;
• Support knowledge management and UNV staff capacity building in assigned focus area.

Provide management and coordination support to the Section’s portfolios; while managing his/her own assigned portfolio:

• Establish annual workplan for the Portfolio Team to support group level and corporate planning targets;
• Manage portfolio staff including supervision and guidance of Portfolio Associates, as well as the Field Units, in a matrix arrangement with UNDP Country Offices and UN missions, including participating in Programme Managers, Programme Officers and Programme Assistants performance assessments and capacity development activities;
• Provide technical leadership and support to the portfolios within the Section;
• Provide managerial and functional backstopping support the Chief, DPS during her/his absence.

Background

The Portfolio Team within the Development Programming Section is responsible for the implementation of UNV’s programmes, including volunteer management, at global, regional and local levels.

Reporting to the Chief, Development Programming Section, the Portfolio Manager (Development Coordinator) is responsible for effective strategic planning and programming in the Section.  S/he undertakes effective coordination of the work of the portfolios, in addition to her/his own portfolio of countries based on the UNV’s Strategic Framework, building and maintaining relationships with main partners, effective coordination between HQ and Field Units, monitoring of the programme implementation and providing substantive inputs to corporate initiatives related to programming and volunteer management. The Portfolio Manager (Development Coordinator) supervises a Portfolio Team, consisting of Portfolio Associate(s) and Field Units and in the absence of the Chief Development Programming serves as Officer-in-Charge.

In addition, the Portfolio Manager (Development Coordinator) acts as a focal point for one of the thematic focus area for UNV providing substantive programme and policy advice on all matters related to that focus area. S/he is expected to have and/or develop the knowledge, competencies, skills and networks necessary to support UNV HQ and Field Units on all substantive issues and queries related to that focus area.

Location: Bonn, GERMANY

Application deadline: 29 October 2014

Read more and apply here.