I. General information

Job Code Title:              Governance Specialist                      

Pre-classified Grade:     ICS-10 (National Officer level C)

Supervisor:                     Deputy Resident Representative

Time Commitment:        Full time

Duty Station:                 Maseru, Lesotho

II. Organizational Context

The Governance specialist is part of the Management team of the UNDP office and as such, heads and supervises the Governance Programme team. The Governance Specialist acts as an advisor to Senior Management on all aspects of Country Office programme, specifically on the Governance portfolio.

The Governance specialist provides advice on key governance programmes agreed between the Government and the UNDP within the framework of identified national priorities and corporate guidelines. A head of the Governance team s/he is responsible for the performance of the team and is accountable for its results. S/he interacts with Senior Government Officials on the planning and implementation of agreed projects. S/he works in close collaboration with the Management Support team and Operations team in the Country Office (CO), Programme staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs staff and Government officials, technical advisors and experts, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and civil society to successfully implement the UNDP programme.

As part of the senior staff of the office, s/he provides support to the management of the office in raising and maintaining the morale of staff in the office, supporting efforts to build a healthy team spirit, institutionalizing a culture of high performance, and safeguarding the good name and reputation of UNDP in the country.

The Governance specialist leads the programme team in strategic planning and identifies new programme areas while ensuring consistency with UNDAF/ CPD priorities and creative responses to emerging challenges and opportunities.

The Governance specialist is expected to have a strong knowledge and understanding of the political environment and is a key resource to the Country Office in this regards. S/he keeps a finger on the pulse of political developments to advise programmatic interventions the Country Office may need to make in the long term, and in the short term, consultative discussions with the Government, political leaders, other development partners as well as relevant civil society organizations to address the issues.

III. Functions / Key Results Expected

q     Ensuring the strategic direction of UNDP programme

q     Management of the CO programme and supervision of the Programme team

q     Strategic partnerships and support to resource mobilization

q    Provision of top quality policy advice services to the Government and facilitation of knowledge building and management 

Please refer to the detailed Terms of Reference available on www.undp.org.ls/jobs

IV. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:        Master’s Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics, Political Sciences, Social Sciences or related field.

Experience:       5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of development projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organization and national governments.

Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web based management systems.

Language:         Excellent written and spoken English

Nationality:        Vacancy only open for Lesotho nationals

Applications with comprehensive CVs and names and contact details of three referees should be submitted by email on or before 12 September 2009 to registry.ls@undp.org 

Alternatively, the same can be hand-delivered or posted to the following address:

Resident Representative

United Nations Development Programme

3rd Floor, UN House

P.O.Box 301

Maseru

Closing date for applications: 12  September 2009

Expected work start date:          1st October, 2009

Only short listed candidates will be responded to.

Salary negotiable and commensurate with work experience and qualifications.