UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
JOB DESCRIPTION

I. Post Information

Post Title:   Director, Country Office Support Unit (COSU)
Grade:   Assignment of Limited Duration (ALD4)
Duration:   One Year (renewable)
Supervisor:  Deputy Team Leader, Energy & Environment Team
Duty Station:  Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), Beijing, China

II. Organizational Context

The EU-China Biodiversity Porgramme (ECBP) is a $65 million joint initiative of the European Commission (EC), UNDP China and the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) to enhance China’s implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity through improved environmental governance at the national and local levels, To take charge of contractual, financial and technical management and monitoring of local field projects under ECBP, UNDP will recruit a team of experts to form UNDP Country Office Support Unit (COSU).

The COSU Director will be responsible for overall management of COSU under the guidance and direct supervision of UNDP’s Deputy Team Leader of Energy and Environment. The COSU Director will take on full responsibility for the management of 20 local field projects valued at Euro 30million to be financed under ECBP including management of:

 Technical monitoring and supervision of 19 local field projects valued at $50million,
 Contractual and financial monitoring and supervision of Field Projects,
 Coordination and overall technical guidance for effective Field Project implementation.

III. Functions / Key Results Expected

a) As head of COSU the COSU Director will be responsible for the strategic direction and management of the unit and will supervise four staff - a Programme Officer, a Contracts Officer, a Monitoring & Evaluation Officer and a Programme Assistant.
b) The COSU Director will cooperate closely with the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) to ensure good technical coordination between Field Projects and other elements of the Programme at all stages of the project cycle.
c) The COSU Director will co-operate closely with other elements of the Programme, particularly the Programme Management Office (PMO) and the Visibility and Awareness Component (VAC).
d) The COSU Director will manage all Annual Workplan, advance requests, contractual and financial aspects of the 19 selected Field Projects in line with UNDP National Execution Rules. The COSU Director will be accountable to UNDP for effective use of funds under all Field Projects towards agreed results.
e) The COSU Director will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of Field Projects in order to ensure they reach their intended objectives in line with all requirements for accountability and transparency under UNDP rules and will provide advice and assistance to Field Project toward achieving agreed results.
f) The COSU Director will lead all monitoring and evaluation missions to the 20 project sites and lead and manage all audit preparation and execution activities.
g) The COSU Director will prepare all background materials for Project Steering Committee Meetings between UNDP, EU, MOFCOM and MEP
h) The COSU Director will lead all knowledge management functions of the COSU team, leading the process of consolidating lessons learned from all field projects for lessons learning and up-scaling through other means.
i) The COSU Director will facilitate communications between UNDP, EU, MOFCOM and MEP regarding review of field project implementation.
j) The COSU Director will prepare logistics arrangements and background materials for all EU and related monitoring missions to field project sites.
k) The COSU Director will ensure effective communications with UNDP China Country Office to ensure alignment with rules and procedures and to ensure alignment with UNDP media processes.

IV. Competencies

Corporate Responsibility & Direction:
i. Serves and promotes the vision, mission, values, and strategic goals of UNDP
ii. Translates strategic aims into achievable plans, with established priorities; manages them, making periodic adjustments as required
People Skills:
iii. Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others; gives credit to the contributions of others
iv. Promotes a learning environment; facilities the development of individual and team competencies
 
Managing for Results:
□ Plans and prioritizes work activities to meet Organizational goals
Partnering & Networking:
□  Builds and sustains relationships with key constituents (internal/external/bilateral/multilateral/public/private; civil society)
□  Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP
Innovation & Judgment:
□ Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate
□ Generates creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
□ Devises new systems and processes, and modifies existing ones, to support innovative behaviors
Communications:
□ Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills
Job Knowledge & Expertise:
□ Applies the required depth and breadth of knowledge and expertise to meet job demands
□ Uses information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

V. Recruitment Qualifications

Education: - Advanced university degree in public management or environmental management or a related field

Experience: 
- At least 10 years of post Master relevant experience in the filed of natural resource management or biodiversity conservation; including working experience in developing counties.
- Knowledge of EU programme management is a strong asset.
- Knowledge of UNDP programme management is a strong asset.
- Proven track record of technical and financial management of donor funded projects;
- Ability to coordinate a multidisciplinary team of experts and consultants;
- Experience with capacity and institutional development in an intercultural environment in Asia, In China and asset;
- Experience in supervision, and co-ordination of technical, administrative, procurement and financial aspects of EC or UNDP funded projects an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English, Knowledge of Chinese an asset.

VII. Signatures – Job Description Certification

Incumbent (if applicable):

Name         Signature     Date
Supervisor:

Kishan Khoday, Team Leader for
Energy & Environment
Name         Signature     Date
Chief Division/Section:

Alessandra Tisot, Country Director a.i.
Name         Signature     Date 

The closing date will be 5 Aug 2008. The application letter and CV should through the link below:

http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?job_id=5828