Governance Program Manager

Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Start Date: February 2014 (negotiable)
Profession: Management, Policy
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Sector: Public Sector / Governance, Development
Salary: Competitive

Background

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of Switzerland is supporting the decentralization and democratization reform process in Mongolia. Together with key government counterparts, SDC has designed a comprehensive Governance and Decentralization Program (GDP) addressing the fiscal, political and administrative aspects of decentralization reform, underpinned by relevant policy support and research activities. The main activities of the program have been mandated to partner organizations, while SDC is self-implementing research, policy support and communication activities. The first phase of GDP implementation lasts from April 1, 2012 to 31 March, 2015. A second phase is envisaged from 2015-2018.

Role

Based in Ulaanbaatar, the Governance Program Manager leads a team of local governance specialists which is responsible for supporting and overseeing the implementation of GDP. GDP Components include:
1. Policy support and research activities, including in instruments of direct democracy;
2. Fiscal decentralization including participatory planning and budgeting, and competitive public procurement practices at sub-national level;
3. Political decentralization including civic education, participatory decision making, horizontal learning and social accountability at sub-national level; and
4. Administrative decentralization with a focus on public administrative service delivery through one window services and ICT means.

The Governance Program Manager holds the overall responsibility for the management, coordination and supervision of GDP implementation; its coherence with SDC’s global priorities, the SDC Mongolia Cooperation Strategy, and national development plans; policy dialogue with key government counterparts under the strategic direction of the SDC management in Mongolia; institutional relationships with development and implementing partners as required by the Program; and for active support of aid coordination in decentralization reform. S/he will also provide strategic and thematic advice to the SDC management in Mongolia in the area of decentralization reform. In addition, the Governance Program Manager may be requested to provide thematic and conceptual support to SDC Mongolia in developing new projects in the areas of local governance and civil society development, including the planning of GDP’s next phase.

Profile

• At least seven years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience (including overseas)
• Advanced university degree in Public Administration, Public Policy, Economics,
• Political Science, Law or a related field, from an internationally recognized university
• Proven expertise and knowledge in the theory and practice of decentralization reform
• Expertise in the area of citizens’ participation and (Swiss) direct democracy
• Experience in policy dialogue and with aid coordination mechanisms
• Knowledge of official Swiss development policy and/or the Mongolian development context would be a distinctive added advantage

Competencies

• Strong project management and project supervision skills
• Sound understanding of Project Cycle Management
• Coordination skills
• Strong results-orientation
• Ability to network, to communicate and to make contacts
• Ability to deal with criticism and conflict
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Advisory and coaching skills
• Cross-cultural competence

Application Instructions

Interested candidates who fulfill the above requirements are invited to submit their CV and a cover letter explaining their interest, all in one pdf file (size of which must not exceed 9.0 MB), to [email protected] no later than Friday, 6 December 2013. The subject line of the email should read ‘Application for Governance Program Manager’.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.