Program Specialist

Background

UNDP’s Rule of Law Programme in Pakistan is working to strengthen the rule of law and to ensure equal access to justice and security services, particularly for women and marginalized groups across Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including the merged districts (MDs), Balochistan, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). In close collaboration with a range of government, rule of law and justice sector institutions, the overall Programme aims to enhance and sustain peace and stability for the longer-term in Pakistan.

The Programme activities and interventions therefore directly correspond with the Government of Pakistan’s strategies and commitments to rule of law and justice reforms, as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of institutions to deliver accountable and affordable security and justice services to the public.

The Rule of Law Programme implementation is guided by the following four strategic objectives:

• Policy, legal and regulatory frameworks strengthened to warrant people-centered, equitable, timely, affordable justice and security delivery to all people with an emphasis on women, marginalized and vulnerable groups, and digital technologies.
• Capacity of justice and security stakeholders (duty bearers) enhanced to deliver inclusive, timely, and accessible services to all people with an emphasis on women and digital technologies.
• Capacity of women, and the most vulnerable and marginalized (rights holders) strengthened to access referral pathways to justice and security.
• Justice and security sector institutional facilities enhanced to deliver inclusive, timely, and accessible justice and security services, through women friendly and gender-responsive infrastructure development support with an emphasis on flood resilience and green energy.

Against this backdrop, UNDP actions and interventions are aimed at restoring public confidence and service delivery in the formal justice and rule of law sectors through a range of initiatives i.e. policy development and reform, fostering justice and security sector governance, as well as oversight and accountability at an institutional level with emphasis on inclusive and gender-responsive programming. The overall engagement strategy, therefore, involves both federal and local levels. The Programme is implemented in partnership with the Judiciary, Police, Prosecution, Prisons, Probation and Reclamation, Bar Associations, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and academia both at federal and provincial levels.

The Team Lead /Programme Specialist will support the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) in the implementation and achievement of programme results, liaising closely with key government and rule of law counterparts at federal and provincial levels, donor agencies, UN agencies and other international organizations. The Team Lead /Programme Specialist will provide technical leadership and advisory support to government counterparts and rule of law, security and justice-sector institutions and will supervise designated Rule of Law Programme personnel in accordance with the approved organigramme.

The incumbent will support the CTA in the strategic positioning of UNDP Rule of Law activities and provide policy and programme-management advice on rule of law, security and justice-sector issues. S/he will support donor coordination and resource-mobilization efforts, contribute to programme formulation, strategic direction and evaluation, and serve as a key technical focal point for major national and international stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will report directly to the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). S/he will provide day-to-day technical leadership and coordination for the Rule of Law Programme, support programme management and oversight, and provide substantive advice on rule of law, law enforcement, security-sector and institutional reform.

The role entails supervision of designated programme personnel and short-term consultants, in accordance with the approved organigramme and applicable UNDP policies and procedures. The incumbent will support the CTA in programme development, implementation, quality assurance and achievement of results.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Law, International Peace and Conflict Resolution, Political Science or a related thematic area is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, 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 seven (7) years (with master’s degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience in rule of law, security, justice, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, governance or a related technical field, with demonstrated project/programme management experience, is required.

Desired Skills

• Specific experience facilitating multi-stakeholder consensus, preferably in post-crisis or complex settings, is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience providing policy advice and preparing high-quality technical, policy and programme reports at national and/or international level is desired.
• Demonstrated programme/project management experience in complex operating environments is desired.
• Experience providing technical leadership on rule of law, law enforcement, security-sector, criminal justice or institutional reform is desirable.
• Experience working with government institutions, justice and security-sector actors, development partners and other diverse stakeholders is desirable.
• Experience supervising multidisciplinary teams, consultants or technical experts is desired.
• Experience in gender-responsive institutional reform, survivor-centred approaches and women’s advancement within justice or security institutions is desired.
• Experience in results-based management, donor reporting, research/assessment oversight and knowledge management is desirable.
• Previous work experience with UNDP, UN agencies or international development organizations would be an advantage.
• Basic computer skills, including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, are required.

Language Requirements :

• Fluency in English and Urdu is required.