Private Sector Coordination Specialist (Kenya) - UNDP

job Description

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The Connecting Business initiative (CBi) project was created by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2016. CBi is dedicated to helping businesses around the world prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters by effectively engaging with the United Nations and the broader international humanitarian and development systems. CBi is a network of independent chambers of commerce, trade federations, business associations and private foundations that are ready, willing, and able to lead private sector disaster management in their countries. CBi empowers local businesses to work hand-in-hand with governments, civil society, humanitarian organizations and affected people to alleviate human suffering while building more resilient societies. CBi is jointly managed by OCHA and UNDP.
UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs. UNDP's policy work carried out at headquarters, regional hubs and country offices, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy.

OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. With its partners, OCHA contributes to principled and effective humanitarian response through coordination, advocacy, policy, information management and humanitarian financing tools and services.

Duties and Responsibilities

CBi consists of a Secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland and Istanbul, Turkey, plus seventeen affiliated Member Networks around the world. The Private Sector Coordination Specialist – Southern and Eastern Africa plays a critical role supporting and building the capacity of existing CBi Member Networks, working to establish relationships with new prospective Member Networks, and supporting the mobilization and coordination of the private sector during humanitarian emergencies in the region.
OCHA has launched a new private sector pilot strategy that is designed to (1) mobilize and coordinate the private sector during humanitarian emergencies; (2) increase private sector contributions to system-wide pooled funds; (3) position OCHA as a thought leader on private sector engagement in humanitarian emergencies; (4) provide internal advice and support to OCHA leadership and staff on private sector engagement; and (5) develop and maintain key partnerships to maintain and grow the private sector portfolio.

The Private Sector Coordination Specialist – Southern and Eastern Africa is expected to play a critical role in designing and implementing the new private sector strategy across sub-Saharan Africa and in particular in Southern and Eastern Africa. Under the overall supervision of the CBi Deputy Programme Coordinator, based in Istanbul, Turkey, the Private Sector Coordination Specialist – Southern and Eastern Africa will be responsible for:

a) Development, planning, and implementation of national and regional projects to support private sector engagement in disaster management:
Lead the development and delivery of national and regional solutions, programmes and workplans for local CBi Member Networks on private sector engagement in disaster risk management and humanitarian response.
Identify learning needs and solutions, and plan and implement capacity development activities for existing and prospective CBi Member Networks in the Southern and Eastern Africa region.
Collect and consolidate relevant information on local private sector engagement in disaster risk reduction, crisis preparedness and response, and early recovery at country and regional levels.
Facilitate landscape assessment and scoping activities to identify and/or partner with prospective Member Networks and other private sector partners in the Southern and Eastern Africa region.

b) Coordination of private sector initiatives during emergency situations:
As needed, deploy to countries in the Southern and Eastern Africa region experiencing ongoing disasters to support the coordination of private sector contributions before, during and after emergencies.

c) Development of national and regional partnerships and external advocacy:
Coordinate and work with UNDP and OCHA regional bureaux and country offices, government counterparts, international organizations, and other partners in the Southern and Eastern Africa region on private sector engagement.
Promote advocacy for private sector engagement in disaster risk management and humanitarian programming.
Identify specific needs for private sector engagement in disaster risk reduction, crisis preparedness and response, and early recovery, and support partnerships at the national and regional levels to address those needs.

d) Strategy development and operational support:
Facilitate knowledge development and management efforts through the development of case studies and collection and sharing of information on good practices.
Ensure documentation and timely monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all CBi-related activities implemented by existing and prospective CBi Member Networks in the Southern and Eastern Africa region.
Support the CBi Secretariat and contribute to the periodic progress reporting requirements and other UNDP and OCHA reporting requirements.

e) The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Institutional Arrangement:
The Private Sector Coordination Specialist will work full-time from the OCHA Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa (ROSEA) based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Private Sector Coordination Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the CBi Deputy Programme Coordinator with “dotted-line” secondary reporting to the OCHA Regional Office for Southern and Eastern Africa (ROSEA), based in Nairobi, Kenya. An annual workplan will be developed jointly by CBi and OCHA ROSEA to ensure coherence with regional priorities. The Private Sector Coordination Officer will also participate in all relevant ROSEA unit meetings to update on relevant activities and to link these to OCHA’s ongoing preparedness and response work in the region.

Qualifications and Experience

Education:
Advanced university degree (Masters degree or equivalent) in business, political or social sciences, disaster risk management, development studies or other related field of studies is required. Or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above mentioned field of study, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:
Minimum of five (5) years (with Master degree) or seven (7) years (with Bachelors degree) of professional work experience in disaster risk reduction / disaster management, humanitarian affairs, or international development, preferably in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Required skills:
Experience and technical knowledge of disaster risk reduction / disaster management.
Experience writing briefings, reports, policies, and guidance notes.