Application Deadline :16-May-11
Additional CategoryPoverty Reduction
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :
English Portuguese
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)01-Jul-2011
Duration of Initial Contract :12 Months
Expected Duration of Assignment :12 Months
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Background
A Joint Programme (JP) “Supporting Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in Timor-Leste” was developed with the overall goal to strengthen institutional capacity and service mechanisms to protect women and girls against poverty and gender-based violence. The Programme aims to improve the conditions of women and girls in Timor-Leste through the protection of their rights, their empowerment and offering them fair access to social and economic resources..The JP brings together 5 UN agencies (UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and IOM) with funding from the MDG Trust Fund, working under a common framework with Government agencies and structures at national and district levels and in partnership with relevant civil society organizations and individuals to achieve the following outcomes:
Outcome 1: Improved protection of women and girls through the establishment of legal frameworks and mechanisms to uphold their rights.
Outcome 2: Reduced vulnerability of women and girls through improved outreach mechanisms and services and the establishment of a social protection mechanism to support woman.
Outcome 3: Improved social and economic situation of women and girls through a fair allocation of resources using gender-responsive budgeting.
Outcome 2 aims to provide technical support to the Ministry of Social Solidarity to strengthen the design, targeting, ground implementation, baselines, monitoring and evaluation framework with measurement indicators of conditional cash transfers. The support aims at building sustainable capacity of government at national and local levels to design and administer such schemes. There will be complementary activities to this outcome (to be delivered by other UN agencies) where technical and financial support packages will be offered to women and girls: information sessions, skills development including sustainable livelihood for victims/survivors of exploitation and violence, counselling services and safe space, among others. .
UNDP is accountable for delivering the following output under Outcome 2:
Output 2.1: Technical support provided for improving the design and implementation of ongoing conditional cash transfer (CCT) schemes of the Ministry of Social Solidarity.
The technical support under Output 2.1 will address the following issues:
- Development of a database of beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries enabling cross checks with information on families benefiting from other schemes to reduce misuse.
- Development of participatory methods for identification of the target women (including those heading households).
- Putting in place a system of monitoring and evaluation and impact analysis and link to feedback mechanism.
- Supporting drafting a legal framework for social protection schemes to make them more sustainable and legally enforceable.
- Improving implementation of existing Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) through innovative means of cash payment, coordinated delivery of social services (health and education) and simple but reliable means of verification of conditions having being met.
In the first two and a half years of implementation, UNDP has successfully facilitated the drafting of a Technical Note which incorporates international and national lessons learnt in order to shift the focus of the CCT scheme toward vulnerable families as a whole (vis a visa a single child within the family). These changes allow for a clear definition of vulnerability in relation to the Government’s social protection programme, and as a result provide a means for accountable and transparent eligibility assessments for potential beneficiaries. This technical note and recommendations for policy changes have been presented and endorsed by the Minster of Social Solidarity and now require the expertise of a Social Protection Specialist to assist the Ministry in the implementation of these policy changes. In addition, a draft social protection law is currently being written, with UNDP ensuring the CCT scheme is accurately reflected within the document.
To achieve the mandate as described above, UNDP is seeking to recruit one International Consultant for Social Protection with a focus on Conditional Cash Transfers. This person will function as a Social Protection Specialist for the CCT project, which will be based in the Minister of Social Solidarity (MSS) Timor-Leste.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Social Protection Specialist (SPS) will work under the supervision of the Programme Officer of the Poverty Reduction and Environment Unit, UNDP Timor-Leste, with guidance from the Director of Social Reinsertion, Ministry of Social Solidarity. He/she is expected to accomplish the following:A) Specifics:
- Develop the operational manual of the program in line with Government policy;
- Develop the manual of instructions for data collection with the specifications of procedures and variable definitions per Government policy;
- Lead the training process of relevant Ministry staff in data collection and data entry;
- Lead the implementation of the data collection process through the new data collection instrument;
- Support the ICT consultants for the CCT Program in the development of the data entry manual;
- Support the ICT consultants through specifying policy requirements for the development of the system (user interface and programming logic) and database for the new computer-based Social Registration of vulnerable families (to be used in the selection of beneficiaries of the CCT program and, potentially, other social assistance and social protection programs);
- Coordinate, with the support of the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG), the National Directorate of Statistics (DNS) and other relevant stakeholders, for the improvement and implementation of the newly endorsed Government definition of vulnerability to ensure consistently across Government;
- With the support of IPC-IG and other relevant stakeholders, assist the Government in the development of an evaluation framework of the CCT program;
- Provide training on monitoring and evaluation and other technical areas to the CCT Ministry staff at the national and district levels;
- With the support of the National Consultant, develop and implement the monitoring framework of the program in accordance with Government policy and the direction of the Ministry of Social Solidarity staff;
- Liaise and consult with domestic financial institutions (such as the micro finance institutions, World Bank Country Team, formal banking institutions) with a view to make the cash payments to beneficiaries a more efficient and safe process; and
- Other functions as may be required.
B) Other:
- Provide clear and effective advice to the Ministry of Social Solidarity with regards to the harmonisation of Timor-Leste’s social protection schemes;
- Provide progress reports (in English) on the respective areas of responsibility to UNDP in a timely manner;
- Assist the National Consultant in their duties as required; and
- Provide policy advisory support to the ICT consultants with regards to the new database system to support the CCT scheme.
Deliverables - at the end of the assignment the consultant is expected to achieve the following deliverables:
- Policy papers reflecting the new CCT programme are drafted and published by the Ministry of Social Solidarity;
- Development of the operational manual of the program;
- Development of the manual of instructions for data collection with the specifications of procedures and variable definitions;
- Development of the monitoring and evaluation manual of the program, (process and procedures);
- Trainings conducted on monitoring and evaluation and other technical areas to the CCT Ministry staff at the national and district levels.
Competencies
- Plans, prioritizes, and delivers tasks on time
- Participates effectively in a team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others
- Responds flexibly and positively to change through active involvement
- Promotes a learning environment; facilitates the development of individual and team competencies
- Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
- Generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations
- Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UNDP
- Strong networking capabilities and ability to associate him/herself with a range of actors with a view to building relations and facilitating links.
Core Competencies
- Conceptualizes and analyses problems to identify key issues, underlying problems and how they relate
- Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge in Cash Transfers Programme so as to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence
- Uses ICT and web-based management systems effectively as a tool and resource
- Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills
Required Skills and Experience
Education:- Master’s Degree in social sciences with a focus on Social Protection is desirable.
Experience:
- Minimum of 7 years relevant working experience in design, implementation and monitoring of Social Protection Programs, particularly Social Cash Transfer (or Conditional Cash Transfers).
- Minimum 4 to 5 years working with an International Organization
Language Requirement:
- Fluency is written and spoken Portuguese is required.
- Knowledge of Tetun is a distinct advantage.
- Fluency in written and spoken English is desirable.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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