I. Background Information:

Millions of people continue experiencing untold misery and suffering, as the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelms health, education, and economic systems and takes human development gains back, for the first time since 1990. While the summer of 2020 brought some relief, and the international pharmaceutical scientific community has worked miracles by offering first COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year for (uneven) rollout worldwide, the pandemic is very far from over. As such, humanity is experiencing only the pandemic’s initial impacts, since the consequences of the measures we are taking in response will be far-reaching for years to come. Economies and social ties will face aftershocks for decades, as the world only begins to return to “normalcy” in 2021. The trajectory of that return is obscure, shadowed by slower-than-anticipated vaccine rollout, new virus strains, economic troubles and political turmoil worldwide.

Against this backdrop, Ukraine has benefitted from a holistic UN assistance package from spring to fall of 2020. Yet, with the numbers growing drastically in the autumn-winter season of 2020 – 2021 , on some days registering over 16 000 new cases , absence of robust forecasting , the growing threat of new COVID-19 strains (variants), widespread societal fatigue over quarantine measures, uncertainty over vaccination rollout plans, continued macroeconomic challenges and lack of significant progress with resolving the conflict in the east of the country or regaining control over the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine is still far from being on the trajectory for surfacing from the country-wide epidemic or stabilizing the environment in which the country’s governance machinery currently operates.

The RESURFACE Project is a mix of rapid response to the highly volatile situation and a longer-term resilience-driven transformation of Ukraine’s crisis decision-making and adaptation to extraordinary circumstances. The project will be implemented for 12 months starting from March 2021 and has incorporated lessons learned from its predecessor Crisis Coordination and Management in Ukraine (CCMU) Project. Apart from practical results achieved between April and October 2020 under the small-scale and agile CCMU intervention, UNDP has taken note of ideas and proposals mentioned throughout the high-level policy dialogue meeting between the UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba. As the CCMU initiative drew to a close, Ukrainian government counterparts reiterated to UNDP Ukraine their satisfaction with results of the smaller engagement and contributed to the design of the RESURFACE Project by proposing activities, areas for collaboration and making sure that the submission is fully aligned with national priorities and needs including those, based on Ukraine’s Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 Assessment (SEIA) and the resulting national COVID-recovery plans.

Given the above, the proposed RESURFACE Project takes catalytic assistance to Ukraine’s government authorities to a new level than CCMU by deploying a mechanism that aims at not only delivering on the urgent needs of today but programming for more resilient Ukraine’s governance systems in two aspects (1) coordination and (2) institutional adaptability, as the country starts to emerge from the COVID-related crisis.

In this context, the United Nations Development Programme is recruiting an Advisor on crises management to the Policy Advisory Unit under Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine with relevant experience and track record.

Advisor on crises management will be directly responsible for supporting the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine through the Policy Advisory Unit with technical advice and subject-matter expertise. The incumbent will promote UNDP’s mandate as a gender-responsive organization with zero tolerance to any kind of discriminatory and abusive behavior, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse

II. Duties and Responsibilities:
The incumbent will provide advice to Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine on intra-governmental and external coordination machinery for ongoing COVID-19 response with an eye towards being applied as other crises inevitably appear or intensify.

The incumbent will report primarily to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, with a reporting line to the UNDP Ukraine and the Project Manager as a part of a Democratic Governance team. The Strategic Advisor will work closely with the other members of the Policy Advisory Units.

S/he will provide support to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and its respective staffs through the following functions:

• Identify areas of MCIP’s strategy that have been affected by COVID the most, track emerging issues within the MCIP strategy that need external support
• Recommend and implements solutions based on analysis of issues and implications for the ministry
• Integrate information from multiple sources to enable more efficient implementation of COVID-related activities together with Development partners
• Identifies incidents of significance, determines impact, urgency and audience to whom external (donors) support and guidance would be most beneficial.
• Ensure digital transformation, gender equality and communication aspects are embedded into the partnership development with international partners
• Ensure SDGs are integrated into the joint plans between MCIP and Development partners
• Support enhancing coordination between MCIP, it’s agencies and other parties of the joint action plans on overcoming COVID impact as part of the creative industries, information policy, digital transformation, tourism initiatives
• Ensure efficient resources mobilization in the support of MCIP strategic priorities.
• Hold primary responsibility for efficient day-to-day functioning of the crisis unit and for the quality of services rendered.

III. Measurable outputs of the work assignment/deliverables:

• Policy briefs, analytical papers, reviews, assessments, guidance, developed in cooperation with the Minister’s Office representatives, with proper reference to the SDGs – based on number of certified worked days;
• Advisory service on the above-mentioned issues provided - based on number of certified worked days;
• Progress reports are provided to UNDP - based on number of certified worked days;
• Consolidating and nurturing partnerships with governments and other stakeholders - based on number of certified worked days;
• Progress reports on Action Plan implementation - based on number of certified worked days;

IV. Performance Indicators for evaluation of results:

• Analysis of MCIP’s plans, programs that have been affected by COVID and need additional support – Mapping of needs created;
• Stakeholder mapping developed;
• Donors map created: mapping of ongoing projects with partners, potentially scalable partnership, track of negotiation process;
• Joint action plan developed for 2021 and beyond;
• Map of donor organizations supports of the MCIP developed.

V.  Monitoring / reporting requirements:

Work-progress reporting/monitoring meetings will be held with the consultant on a weekly basis. UNDP will be the final authority to control the quality and evaluate the work. No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without approval of UNDP.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Project Manager as a part of Democratic Governance Team and will interact with UNDP to receive any clarifications and guidance that may be needed.

Monthly reports capturing the list of deliverables and progress made, timesheets and the plan for next month should be submitted at the end of each month in the format agreed with UNDP. The satisfactory completion of each of the deliverables shall be subject to endorsement of the Project Manager.

Final report covering the whole assignment, followed with recommendations and all relevant Annexes by the end of December 2021.

The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of assignment and take necessary steps to address them.

All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic format (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf or other formats accepted by UNDP).

VI. Experience and qualification requirements

Education

• Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Management, Law or another related field;

Experience

• At least at least 7 years of in policy analysis and/or drafting legal documents;
• At least at least 4 years’ experience in management, international cooperation;
• Proven experience of fundraising and donor coordination.

Languages

• Fluency in English and Ukrainian languages

Skills to be evaluated during validation interview stage with technically compliant candidates:

• Strong managerial and leadership skills, notably planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling, problem solving and decision-making;
• Mature judgment combined with a proactive, energetic approach to problem solving; excellent interpersonal skills;
• Integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent writing, proficient communication and organization skills.

Corporate competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;
• Gender mainstreaming.

VII. Documents to be included when submitting the proposals

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

Please apply via UNDP’s official web-site: https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=97975