Background

Reporting to the UNDP Administrator in her capacity as UNDG Chair, the Director has the overall responsibility to lead and manage the global UN Millennium Campaign in realizing its mandate from 2010-15.

The UN Millennium Campaign is an inter-agency initiative created by the UN Secretary-General in 2002.  The mandate of the Campaign is to create the political will required for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, within the broader remit of the Millennium Declaration, and to support citizens in holding their governments accountable for their millennium commitments.

The Campaign aims to enable citizens and their organisations to hold political leaders accountable at local, national and international levels on the achievement of the MDGs. As such, its basic premise is that bottom-up processes of citizen mobilisation and engagement hold the key to securing the political commitment of leaders for the anti-poverty agenda.  The Campaign has always promoted the MDGs within the context of the Millennium Declaration and the broader UN agenda of development, peace and human rights. The Goals have to be adapted and owned at the national level by all stakeholders.

Over the past several years, the Millennium Campaign has successfully demonstrated its capacity to engage a wide and diverse range of stakeholders by sending strong and powerful messages about public support for making poverty history. The Campaign's combination of broad-based national citizens' MDG coalitions, alliances with powerful constituencies like local authorities, faith-based and youth groups, implementation of effective communication strategies and employment of a small team of professional and committed people have together delivered unprecedented leverage and outreach.  The campaigns in developing countries work towards the alignment of national policies, plans and budgets with the MDGs, the campaigns strive to increase accountability to citizens, and ensure that MDG entitlements reach the poor and excluded, particularly women. The campaigns in developed countries are focused on increasing accountability for Goal 8 commitments, i.e. increasing aid quantity and quality, debt relief, and trade rules that will help poor people and countries to achieve the MDGs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Provides guidance and leadership with regards to the Millennium Campaign's strategy and policy positions;
• Represents the Millennium Campaign at key global and regional events in support of the MDGs;
• Provides a key role in partnership and constituency-building;
• Provides leadership for the Millennium Campaign's main flagship initiatives;
• Maintains overall responsibility for all Millennium Campaign management issues, i.e. human resources, resource mobilization, etc.
• Builds UN System relationships and linkages.

Provides guidance and leadership with regards to the Millennium Campaign's strategy and policy positions

• Closely monitor the external political and policy environment for the MDGs and determine the positioning and policy messaging of the Campaign;
• Continually update the Campaign's 2010-15 Strategy (policy, media/communications, mass mobilisation, citizen monitoring of MDGs, and regional strategies), based on the outcome of the 2010 MDG Review Summit in Sept. 2010 and on-going developments.

Represents the Millennium Campaign at key global and regional events in support of the MDGs:

• High-level Events and Processes:  The Director will serve as a high level spokesperson and representative at key MDG-related events and processes, providing a credible voice in advocating for  the achievement of the MDGs;
• Media:  The Director will represent the Millennium Campaign and provide print, radio, TV and on line interviews and write-ups, as required;

Provides a key role in partnership and constituency-building:

• The Director will build and nurture strategic partnerships with citizens groups and networks to advocate for the MDGs. Such groups include relevant NGOs, faith-based organisations, trade unions, women's organisations, youth groups, Rotary and other clubs, professional associations etc.
• The Director will facilitate partnerships with key media and communications  organisations  This includes forming partnerships with  print, electronic and new media, in addition to communications groups such as advertising and public relations firms, etc;
• The Director will lead the creation of  partnerships with key parliaments and Parliamentary Groups such as IPU etc.
• The Director will establish partnerships with major local governments and processes at the global level such as UCLG etc.
• The Director will maintain excellent relationships with existing and potential key donors, not only within the official (bilateral and multilateral) arena but also with major foundations (including Gates and the UN Foundation) and private donors.
• The Director will selectively establish partnerships with private sector organisations that subscribe to the values spelled out in the Millennium Declaration.

Provides leadership for the Millennium Campaign's main flagship initiatives:

• Provide overall leadership for the Campaign's major global citizens' mobilisation such as Stand Up and Take Action; Oversee the incubation and sustainability of the citizens' monitoring of MDGs initiative at the local level;
• Maintains overall responsibility for all Millennium Campaign management issues, i.e. human resources, resource mobilization, etc.
• Human Resources:  The Director will play a key role in attracting and retaining the best talent, - recruitment and on-going and bi-annual performance management
• Resource mobilisation:  The Director will work with the Chair of UNDG, the Administrator of UNDP to ensure adequate funding is available, including proposal writing.
• Planning, monitoring and reporting:  Oversee the production of high quality annual operational plans, on-going monitoring and quarterly and annual reports to donors and key stakeholders.
• Evaluation:  Follow-up on the recommendations from the 2009 Evaluation and ensure a robust final evaluation of the Campaign is completed in 2015.

Financial management:  Oversee the preparation of annual income and expenditure budgets, resource allocation, variance analysis, and timely completion of audits, as required.

• Builds UN System relationships and linkages
• UNDP:  Work in close coordination with the Office of the Administrator, Regional Bureaux, BDP (particularly MDG, Poverty, Gender, and Governance teams),  Partnership Bureau (Office of Communications, CSO unit, and Geneva and Washington offices) and contribute actively to the MDG Acceleration Group and other key fora.
• UN:  Build on strong collaboration with the Office of the SG (Chief of Staff, Head of Communications, ASG-Dev), the office of DSG, DPI-USG, NGLS, DESA, DOCO, UN Office of Partnerships, PGA, Office of the High Rep for LDCs and Special Advisor for Africa and contribute actively to the UNCG, the UNDG MDG Policy Task Force and other relevant fora.
• Link up with UNIFEM, UNICEF and UNFPA on processes and events of mutual interest.
• Collaborate with key UN bodies based outside New York on MDG-related issues including UNAIDS, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNEP,UN Habitat, ILO, UNESCAP and UNECA.
• RCs/UNCTs:  Particularly in the Campaign's priority countries/regions, work in close collaboration with the RCs/UNCTs, UNICs and UNDP Regional Centres

Competencies

Functional:

• Strong skills in MDG campaigning and advocacy initiatives;
• Capacity to interact with senior officials and credibly influence senior decision makers in UN Millennium Campaign  priority  countries and other international development organizations;
• Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products;
• Represent the organization and present global policies, norms and tools; Professional and/or academic experience in one or more of the areas of practice/thematic area.

Leadership:

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to provide credible leadership;
• Innovative approaches/experience on global development issues;
• Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic overview and corporate vision;
• Demonstrated flexibility in leadership by performing and/or overseeing the analysis/resolution of complex issues;
• Strong managerial/leadership experience and decision-making skills with proven track record of mature judgments;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience;
• Knowledge and expertise/recognized expert in MDG advocacy;
• Proven ability to lead a practice area and drive for results;

Managing Relationships:

• Demonstrated well developed people management and organizational skills;
• Strong ability to manage teams; creating an enabling environment, mentoring and developing staff;
• Excellent negotiating and networking skills with strong partnerships in academia, technical organizations and as a recognized expert in the MDGs area;
• Strong resource mobilization and partnering skills.

Managing Complexity:

• Ability to address global development issues;
• Substantive knowledge and understanding of development cooperation;
• Demonstrated substantive leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives;
• A sound global network of institutional and individual contacts;

Provides constructive coaching and feedback.

• Judgment/Decision-Making
• Mature judgment and initiative;
• Proven ability to provide strategic direction in the area of MDGs;
• Independent judgment and discretion in advising on handling major policy issues and challenges.

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Ability to strongly promote knowledge sharing and build knowledge products and services;
• Demonstrated ability to understand partners' needs and concerns; respond promptly and effectively to partners' needs and customize services and products as appropriate;
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with others in own unit and across boundaries; acknowledge others' contributions; promote collaboration and facilitate teamwork across organizational boundaries;
• Open to new ideas; shares own knowledge; applies knowledge in daily work; builds partnerships for learning and knowledge sharing;
• Promotes knowledge management and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example;
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information and best practices from within and outside the UN system;
• Provides constructive coaching and feedback;
• Familiarity with current Knowledge Management technologies.

Required Skills and Experience

• A Masters degree or higher in the social sciences, such as political science, sociology, economics or a related discipline.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of relevant experience in reputable organizations
• Well known and respected figure in the anti-poverty advocacy and campaigning arena at the global level
• Experience of having lived and worked in the developing and developed world
• Deep knowledge of poverty/MDG issues particularly in Africa and Asia  - regions where the biggest MDG challenges are
• Excellent credibility within civil society, media and key governments
• Strong track record of leadership and managing an international entity and multi-cultural teams
• Strong understanding of the UN system and processes is desirable

Language Requirements:

• Fluency both written and verbal in English
• Knowledge of languages in priority countries in Africa and Asia is an advantage

Women and nationals from developing countries are encouraged to apply

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.