National Technical Advisor (Process Management And Unified Beneficiary Registry) – GIZ

Job Description

NATIONAL TECHNICAL ADVISOR – PROCESS MANAGEMENT AND UNIFIED BENEFICIARY REGISTRY (UBR)

A. Background

The Malawi National Social Support Programme (MNSSP II) adopted in 2018 reflects the Government of Malawi’s commitment towards reducing poverty and vulnerability through social protection. The Poverty Reduction and Social Protection (PRSP) Division under the Ministry of Finance is responsible for the overall coordination and monitoring of the MNSSP II and its follow-on programme the MNSPS will be endorsed by the GoM within the next few months. German Development Cooperation through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is committed to supporting the Malawian Government through the project “Support to the implementation of social protection for the ultra-poor people”. The project started in April 2022 and builds on previous GIZ projects supporting the Social Sector in Malawi and the steering unit the PRSP Division. From its start, a strong focus of the project is to work closely with the UBR unit. In general, the programme focuses on 1) Strengthening the policy framework as well as the coordination and political steering function of the PRSP Division 2) Supporting the institutionalization and decentralization of the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR), and 3) Supporting the district administration in coordination and steering of social protection measures at the district level as well as in supporting the use of the UBR at district level.

B. Tasks

The National Technical Advisor is a key member of the Social Protection Programme (SPP) with a focus on the Unified Beneficiary Management unit and the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR). Core processes to be supported are the further institutionalization and decentralization of the UBR, a more dynamic data updating process as well as the crucial area of data security and data protection. This refers to the second output of the project “The institutionalisation of the UBR as a key element of the social protection system has been strengthened.”

Responsibilities

The overall responsibility of the Technical Advisor is to support the strengthening, institutionalisation and decentralisation of the UBR. For these tasks strong process coordination experience as well as knowledge about the social protection sector in Malawi and especially the UBR in Malawi are crucial.

The main areas of responsibility of the Technical Advisor are:

– Together with PRSP and UBR unit design and follow up on core work packages and processes

– Work closely with the PRSP and UBR team to support the technical, administrative and managerial development of the UBR.

– Support the introduction and rollout of digital tools at central and district level

– Focus on capacities at national and district level with regard to digital, UBR and data protection knowledge and framework conditions

– Support and move the advocacy for the UBR

– Cooperate closely within the GIZ Team on strategic planning and monitoring of the output described above.

Tasks

The National Technical Advisor is expected to work closely with the other technical team members in the SPP team, and to report directly to the Team Leader. Task will be performed in close cooperation and agreement with PRSP and the UBR unit of GoM.:

– Together with partners (UBR unit and PRSP): Support the overall strategic development of the UBR systems as a core tool of identification of beneficiaries of social protection measures in Malawi.

– Support the institutionalization and decentralization of the UBR.

– Agree on, organize and monitor capacity building of the UBR management unit and relevant government stakeholders, especially in the three partner districts

– In close cooperation with another advisor in the SP team focus on awareness/advocacy campaigns for the UBR – focusing and knowledge transfer to promote the UBR among relevant key ministries, development partners and stakeholders at all levels

– Support the UBR team and the Government in the maintenance of IT systems of the UBR to keep the performance of all core processes of the UBR management unit at national and district level up

– Support and focus together with the PRSP and UBR on the development of a dynamic data updating process, to strengthen data quality and data recency of the database.

– Support and drive the development, roll-out and application of a standardized procedure for data requests (data sharing MIS), including trainings and awareness raising together with GoM towards different stakeholders including development partners

– Follow up on an assessment regarding data protection and data security and agree with the partners on the next steps that will be implemented. Also raise awareness about data protection in the social security sector in Malawi.

The National Technical Advisor professional is thus generally expected to work towards the strategic development of the UBR as a core instrument for social protection in Malawi, the institutionalization and decentralization of the database. As well as to work towards the development and rollout of digital solutions to make processes (data collection, update, storing and sharing) more standardized and more efficient. Also, a focus is on the implementation of information- and sensitization campaigns and capacity building on national and district level. Lastly protection of data is a core value of GIZ and shall be supported in all tasks.

Throughout the course of implementation, the Technical Advisor professional will:

– be cooperating closely within the GIZ team and the team leader, as well as the Malawian Government officials and other development partners. The advisor needs to maintain regular contact, communication and dialogue on the progress of the implementation towards the team leader of GIZ as well as other stakeholders and partners to establish good working relationships within the sector.

– give technical advice and support the joint reflection on challenges in the UBR, also taking into consideration international experiences

– drive and implement agreed work packages independently

– support the contracting and coordination of short-term and long-term assignments

– prepare and coordinate expert assignments with the consulting industry

C. Required qualifications, competences and experience (essential vs. desirable)

For this position, it is important to understand that not only digital experience and IT knowledge is required, but also strong cooperation and coordination skills to drive that important pillar if the project as the first focal person.

Required experience:

– Strong theoretical as well as practical knowledge and working experience with the existing UBR systems and the main stakeholders in Malawi

– Experience working in the field of international development cooperation

– University degree in relevant fields, e.g. business informatics; social protection, business management or comparable fields

– Five (5) years of professional experience in project management including procurement of goods and services as well as experiences in coordinating consultancies support

– Five (5) years of professional experience in the social protection sector, especially related to IT system and the UBR; experience in developing information systems for processing, storing and retrieving data

– Proven knowledge and experience in the field of data protection (please provide references)

– Good understanding of statistics and data presentations as well as digital technologies and solutions within the social protection sector (e.g. data bases, management information systems, data analytics).

– Excellent communication skills to transfer knowledge; Strong communication and facilitation skills in English and Chichewa, German will be an added advantage.

– Ability to work independently as well as in a team.

D. Application Process

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements should submit their electronic detailed curriculum vitae (CV), copies of certificates, and one-paged cover letter, demonstrating how they are meeting the above requirements to giz-malawi-hr@giz.de

The following reference code of the call for application is strictly to be indicated in the subject line of the applicant’s email: TA/UBR/2024/1/Name of applicant.

The deadline for receiving applications is 9th August 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals regardless of gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, age, or any other protected characteristic. We embrace diversity and believe that inclusivity in the workplace is essential to our success, and we are committed to creating a work environment where all employees are valued and respected.