| Consultancy Opportunities |
Economic Commission for Africa Objectives The Executive Direction and Management of ECA comprises the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), the Office of Strategic Planning and Programme Management (OPM) and the Information and Communication Service (ICS). In this organizational setting, OPM is primarily responsible for assisting OES in providing leadership to the Commission's coherent programme planning and implementation process, the preparation of programme budget proposals and monitoring and evaluation for leveraging overall organizational performance and enhancing management accountability, programme impact and quality assurance. In addition to coordinating and monitoring the management of ECA's regular budget resources, the Office guides and supervises the Commission's extra-budgetary technical cooperation programme and its relevant fund-raising activities. A major initiative - ECA's Knowledge Management programme - which is currently being operationalized, could also be nested at OPM even if mainstreamed into the work of the various Divisions and SROs. To ensure effective implementation of legislative mandates and compliance with United Nations policies and procedures with respect to the management of the programme of work and of staff and financial resources, OPM is structured in four Sections. These are: (i.) Policy Planning and Coordination Section (PCS); (ii.) Monitoring and Evaluation Section (MES); (iii.) Technical Cooperation and Project Management Section (TPMS); and (iv.) Budget Unit (BU). Policy Planning and Coordination The core functions of OPM in the area of policy planning and coordination for ECA have revolved and will continue to revolve around: coordinating the articulation of ECA's strategic orientation; providing support to Divisions/SROs to translate the strategic vision into programme priorities and activities; coordinating ECA's contributions to major reports and events; participating and contributing to UN interagency coordination; and substantive servicing of the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and its subsidiary bodies. Duties and Responsibilities of Consultant • Assist in preparing training materials and delivering training programme on the preparation of the Commission's strategic frameworks/biennial programme plans, including its proposed programme budgets and related topics. • Review of all major reports emanating from statutory meetings to inform the preparation of ECA's strategic frameworks/ biennial programme plans as well as of ECA's Annual Reports to the sessions of the Commission. • Assist in clearing the content of major documents to be brought to the attention of the annual sessions of the Commission. • Conduct research on and analysis of all legislative decisions, resolutions and mandates of the Commission with a view to updating them in consultation with the relevant Divisions and sub-regional offices (SROs) and UN bodies, especially in the context of the preparation of ECA's strategic frameworks/biennial programme plans. • Assist ECA's sub-regional offices (SROs) with the development of their respective multi-year programmes with major partnering regional economic communities for harmonization purposes and tracking progress in implementation. • Assist with the preparation of major contributions of ECA to major UN reports and publications as well as to the work of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs (EC-ESA ) for enhanced UN programme coherence. • Prepare operational guidelines, as and when required, for enhanced programme planning and coordination at ECA. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) ECA's monitoring and evaluation function is aimed at improving the ability of Directors to conduct self-monitoring and reporting on implementation of planned programme activities and achievement of results. OPM continuously reviews the implementation of output delivery and the progress made in the achievement of the expected accomplishments through the Integrated Monitoring and Documentation Information System (IMDIS) of the United Nations. OPM also assists Divisions/SROs with the monitoring and evaluation exercise by providing leadership and guidance and technical support in translating and implementing instructions, guidelines and Results-Based Management (RBM) advisory notes emanating from the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) on better ways to monitor and report their performance. Duties and Responsibilities of Consultant • Develop an ECA's monitoring and evaluation policy, in line with ongoing reforms on management practices in the UN. • Participate in developing and/or revising guidelines, including operational guidelines, procedures and related operational tools to assist the Monitoring and Evaluation Section in all aspects of OPM work. • Assist Divisions/SROs with the preparation and implementation of their respective evaluation plans. • Develop training programmes and materials; and assist in delivering training programmes on Monitoring and Evaluation related topics such as IMDIS, RBM, evaluation frameworks, etc. • Develop a web-based training system on Intranet on Monitoring and Evaluation tools, RBM, evaluation frameworks, etc. • Work closely with the Secretary to the Commission on listing, classifying, indexing and posting all legislative decisions, resolutions and mandates for tracking their implementation and create a portal on real-time information. • Document and evaluate management systems and controls to determine their adequacy and effectiveness and ensuring compliance with OPM Monitoring and Evaluation Policy Framework. • Perform ad hoc Quality Assessment of selected outputs/Tasks, including mission travels to identify areas of strength and areas for improvements as well as systemic lessons for enhanced programme delivery and organizational effectiveness. • Assist in monitoring and evaluating ECA's regional advisory services to members States, RECs and other institutions. • Prepare relevant guidelines for regional advisory services and reporting mechanism based on RBM principles. • Develop and maintain a comprehensive planning, monitoring and management system for ECA extra-budgetary substantive and financial activities, with an early warning system to track timely activity and output delivery. • Participate in external reviews and evaluation of donor specific programmes/projects. Technical Cooperation and Project Management (Extra-Budgetary (XB) resources) The functions of OPM in the area of technical cooperation and project management are aimed at assisting the Executive Management in a number of areas: supporting ECA's resource mobilization efforts; managing donors/partners relations; managing XB resources; monitoring XB project implementation, review and evaluation; reporting to donors; managing ECA's Development Account; and project conception and formulation. With the establishment of the ECA Business Plan for 2007-2009, the Commission's resource mobilization and its new partnership strategy has witnessed a major shift in donor support from support of fragmented activities and projects to programmatic support as well as budget support for the Commission's reformed strategic strategy. Duties and Responsibilities of Consultant • Review and analyze ECA's resource mobilization strategy so as to market the Commission, including contacts with traditional and prospective donors as well as selected think tanks and lobby groups, and liaison with African institutions such as the African Union (AU) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) so as to study their fund raising strategy. • Compile and produce an exhaustive list of priority areas of Action Plan to enhance and inform ECA resource mobilization strategy based on individual donor's policies, areas of interest and priorities, as well as resource availability for regional and sub-regional developments. • Participate in fund raising and negotiation missions with bilateral and multilateral partners/donors, including Addis Ababa-held partners' meetings. • Develop and update a database of ECA donor profile on current and potential partners as input to resource mobilization effort. • Develop an e-Technical Cooperation (e-TC) to help the planning, monitoring and management of XB funds and projects. • Assist with the development of ECA's Trust Fund Learning and Accreditation programme (TFLAP). • Assist with the standardization of ECA Grants Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs). • Review and update the joint reporting format for ECA's donors to ensure conformity with partners' requirements and UN reporting laid down procedures, including standard reporting format for project progress and final reports as well as financial reports to donors and ECA's management. • Assist with the preparation of ECA Annual Trust Fund activity reports and ECA's Business Plans. • Develop guidelines for preparation of programme/project proposals (taking into consideration the partners' requirements) as well as for carrying out internal/external reviews of donor programmes/projects, including tracking trust funds and grants disbursement, and call for funds. • Prepare training materials and provide training programme to ECA staff on preparation of programme/project proposals, project management and reporting, etc. Budget management (RB) The Regular Budget is carried out as part of a Planning, Programming, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation cycle. The core functions of OPM in this regard cover the coordination of the following main areas: Regular Budget (RB) preparation; processing of un-liquidated obligations; analysis of expenditures; preparation of budget performance submission; and overhead budget preparation and management. Duties and Responsibilities of Consultant • Conduct expenditures forecasting and budget/costing analysis of the resource requirements to ensure effective and efficient management, monitoring and control of budgetary allotments according to regulations and rules and develop internal budgetary controls accordingly to monitor the expenditure utilized in carrying out programmed activities. • Review, analyze and revise data with respect to the preparation and finalization of cost estimates and programme budget proposals in terms of staff and non-staff requirements submitted by Divisions/SROs. • Assist with the preparation of ECA's financial performance reports and coordination of clarifications/justifications with Divisions/SROs for variances between original apportionment and actual expenditures. • Develop guidelines for budget preparation, continuing review of outstanding obligations and distribution and use of overhead budget to ensure more effective and systematic review of outstanding obligations by programme managers/account holders aim at improving the efficiency of the budget process. • Develop training materials on budget preparation, expenditures forecasting, budget/costing analysis, certification, accountability, etc and deliver training programme to concerned staff members at ECA. Qualifications Education Work Experience Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in programme/project planning/formulation, resource mobilization and management or related areas such as monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, of which at least two years experience from working in the United Nations system or in an international development organization. Familiarity with the United Nations system and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in particular is an advantage. Competencies Professionalism - Proven conceptual, analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and analysis, identifying issues, formulating options and making conclusions and recommendations, sound problem-solving skills; ability to determine suitability, validity and accuracy of data provided by others; experience in the use of various research methodologies and sources, including electronic sources on the internet and other databases. Teamwork - Strong interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds internally as well as with clients and partners. Communication - Demonstrates openness to sharing information and keeping people informed; strong communications skills, both oral and written, especially ability to draft/edit a variety of written reports and studies in a clear, concise style. Planning and Organizing - Proven ability to prioritize, plan and organize own work and ability to integrate work into the work of OPM; ability to monitor and adjust plan and priorities as necessary and to work according to deadlines. Languages Fluency in spoken and written English or French; knowledge of the other language is an advantage and sometimes a requirement. Other desirable/required skills Solid computer skills including proficiency in word processing, Excel, spreadsheets and other database applications as well as in complex management systems. HOW TO APPLY Interested persons who wish to be considered for the roster are requested to complete the Personal History Form (Form P-11) and send it before 31 May 2008 by e-mail to: ecarecruitment@uneca.org . Kindly note that only applications submitted on Form P-11 will be reviewed. The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). After the initial screening process, persons found to meet the eligibility requirements indicated in the TORs will be contacted for verification of their academic and professional credentials. On completion of the verification process, those retained for roster will be advised accordingly. They will subsequently be contacted to undertake consultancy assignments whenever the need arises. The duration of such assignments ranges from one to six months. |