Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

UNDP’s Rule of Law Programme in Pakistan is working to strengthen the rule of law and to ensure equal access to justice and security services, particularly for women and marginalized groups across Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including the merged districts (MDs), Balochistan, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). In close collaboration with a range of government, rule of law and justice sector institutions, the overall Programme aims to enhance and sustain peace and stability for the longer-term in Pakistan.

The Programme activities and interventions therefore directly correspond with the Government of Pakistan’s strategies and commitments to rule of law and justice reforms, as well as improving the efficiency and effectiveness of institutions to deliver accountable and affordable security and justice services to the public.

The Rule of Law Programme implementation is guided by the following four strategic objectives:

Policy, legal and regulatory frameworks strengthened to warrant people-centered, equitable, timely, affordable justice and security delivery to all people with an emphasis on women, marginalized and vulnerable groups, and digital technologies.
Capacity of justice and security stakeholders (duty bearers) enhanced to deliver inclusive, timely, and accessible services to all people with an emphasis on women and digital technologies.
Capacity of women, and the most vulnerable and marginalized (rights holders) strengthened to access referral pathways to justice and security.
Justice and security sector institutional facilities enhanced to deliver inclusive, timely, and accessible justice and security services, through women friendly and gender-responsive infrastructure development support with an emphasis on flood resilience and green energy.

Against this backdrop, UNDP actions and interventions are aimed at restoring public confidence and service delivery in the formal justice and rule of law sectors through a range of initiatives i.e. policy development and reform, fostering justice and security sector governance, as well as oversight and accountability at an institutional level with emphasis on inclusive and gender-responsive programming. The overall engagement strategy, therefore, involves both federal and local levels. The Programme is implemented in partnership with the Judiciary, Police, Prosecution, Prisons, Probation and Reclamation, Bar Associations, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and academia both at federal and provincial levels.

The Team Lead /Programme Specialist will support the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) in the implementation and achievement of programme results, liaising closely with key government and rule of law counterparts at federal and provincial levels, donor agencies, UN agencies and other international organizations. The Team Lead /Programme Specialist will provide technical leadership and advisory support to government counterparts and rule of law, security and justice-sector institutions and will supervise designated Rule of Law Programme personnel in accordance with the approved organigramme.

The incumbent will support the CTA in the strategic positioning of UNDP Rule of Law activities and provide policy and programme-management advice on rule of law, security and justice-sector issues. S/he will support donor coordination and resource-mobilization efforts, contribute to programme formulation, strategic direction and evaluation, and serve as a key technical focal point for major national and international stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will report directly to the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). S/he will provide day-to-day technical leadership and coordination for the Rule of Law Programme, support programme management and oversight, and provide substantive advice on rule of law, law enforcement, security-sector and institutional reform.

The role entails supervision of designated programme personnel and short-term consultants, in accordance with the approved organigramme and applicable UNDP policies and procedures. The incumbent will support the CTA in programme development, implementation, quality assurance and achievement of results.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership and advisory support on rule of law, law enforcement, security-sector and institutional reform.

Provide day-to-day technical leadership, coordination, and advisory support to ensure effective implementation of programme interventions relating to security-sector and criminal justice reform, access to justice, and institutional strengthening
Provide specialised technical advice to relevant institutions on institutional reform priorities affecting police, prosecution, prisons, probation and other security and criminal justice institutions, including institutional governance, operational effectiveness, accountability, coordination and service-delivery systems.
Lead and coordinate institutional assessments and diagnostics to identify systemic gaps and recommend tailored solutions.
Provide technical guidance on strengthening investigation and prosecution practices, institutional coordination, fair-trial safeguards, lawful and accountable service delivery, victim/survivor referral mechanisms and other priority criminal justice functions.
Guide technical interventions aimed at strengthening citizen-responsive, accessible, inclusive and gender-sensitive law-enforcement and security services, including institutional systems and practices that improve services for women and vulnerable populations.
Offer technical guidance to provincial and federal justice institutions on case management, investigation standards, and fair trial guarantees.
Assist in the rollout of case management systems, and integrated data platforms.
Provide substantive oversight and coordination for interventions involving law-enforcement and correctional institutions, ensuring coherence across institutional reform, capacity development, digital transformation, infrastructure and service-delivery initiatives.
Coordinate communication and sharing knowledge with other regional Rule of Law Programmes.
Provide advice to CTA on scaling up and sustainability of the Rule of Law Programme.

Provide technical leadership for gender-responsive institutional reform and women’s advancement across law-enforcement, security and criminal justice institutions.

Provide technical leadership and advice on integrating gender equality, non-discrimination, accessibility and survivor-centred approaches into law-enforcement, security and criminal justice institutional reforms, policies, procedures and service-delivery systems.
Guide diagnostics and institutional analysis of barriers affecting the recruitment, retention, participation, leadership and career progression of women within police, prosecution, prisons, probation and other relevant institutions.
Support development and implementation of evidence-based institutional reform measures addressing gender-responsive human-resource policies, career progression pathways, safe and inclusive workplace standards and appropriate mechanisms for addressing harassment and discrimination.
Provide substantive technical guidance on gender-responsive and survivor-centred institutional responses to gender-based violence and other cases involving vulnerable groups, including victim identification, trauma-informed approaches, referral pathways, confidentiality, informed consent and inter-institutional coordination.
Guide the integration of gender-responsive approaches into law-enforcement and security-sector training systems, operational procedures, institutional policies, digital systems, facilities and service-delivery models.
Support professional development, mentorship, leadership and pipeline-development approaches aimed at increasing the participation and advancement of women within law-enforcement, prosecution, correctional and other relevant institutions.
Coordinate on reforms involving the judiciary, ADR, legal profession and access-to-justice institutions to ensure coherent gender-responsive programming while maintaining clear technical responsibilities.

Ensure programme management and oversight.

Prepare annual and quarterly workplans aligned with programme outcomes, ensuring sequencing of interventions and resource allocation.
Provide substantive and strategic support to the Rule of Law Programme, including supervision of programme team and several short- term consultants.
Facilitate and manage Rule of Law Programme activities, and measure performance and report on project results and outcomes for CTA to present to the Project Review Board (PRB) and other forums, ensure reporting to donors is timely and maintains required standards.
Support the establishment and functioning of the Rule of Law team and manage the recruitment of team and local consultants, as well as identifying short-term local experts as necessary.
Coordinate and supervise the activities of the Rule of Law personnel , experts and consultants working as part oof the technical assistance team.
Contribute toward Rule of Law work plans, progress reports, and terminal reports.
Be responsible for the timely preparation and quality control of all substantive technical outputs, briefs and required documents, ensuring timely production and submission of outputs and reports by all members of the Rule of Law, contractors and partners.
Support to organize PRB, donor coordination and project review meetings. Prepare background. documents, briefs, issues papers, and progress reports for the PRB meetings and for donor reporting. Follow-up on the implementation of PRB decisions and recommendations.
Support process for the selection of suppliers, contractors, and partners. Supervise procurement of goods and services including preparation of equipment specifications, Terms of Reference (TORs) and Request for Proposals (RFPs) according to approved UNDP procedures.
Conduct field visits to supervise, coordinate and monitor field-level activities of the Rule of Law Programme.
Supervise outsourced research and dissemination of research findings.
Provide support to the Rule of Law Programme’s infrastructure development projects.
Conduct day-to-day meetings with Rule of Law personnel , providing feedback on performance and advice on way forward.

Strengthen coordination, partnerships and institutional engagement.

Support CTA in coordination with UNDP country office, donors, government, and all other partners including other UN agencies for successful implementation of the Rule of Law Programme.
Organize and document regular Criminal Justice Coordination Committee sessions at provincial and district levels to align police, prosecution, judiciary, and corrections.
Develop and update SOPs for case referrals, evidence sharing, and victim/survivor support across institutions
Link judicial academies, police training schools, and prosecution departments to harmonize curricula and embed reforms
Facilitate structured dialogue with CSOs, bar associations, and academia to strengthen accountability and inclusion.
Assist the CTA in building relationships with key government counterparts for achievement of results consistent with government priorities.
Support in the delivery of the communications and visibility strategy, making use of a variety of technologies and information platforms;

Contribute to the results-based management, monitoring, reporting and knowledge management.

Work closely with the designated team members to ensure that technical implementation is aligned with the programme results framework, indicators, baselines, targets and reporting requirements.
Provide substantive inputs to progress reports, donor reports, programme reviews, briefing notes and other results-based documentation, ensuring that reported achievements accurately reflect implementation progress and institutional change.
Support systematic use of evidence, monitoring findings, assessments and evaluation results to inform technical decision-making and programme adaptation.
Capture lessons learned, promising practices and knowledge generated through programme implementation and support their dissemination and application across relevant institutions and programme locations.
Contribute to quality assurance of research, assessments, diagnostics and knowledge products commissioned under the programme.
Document programme achievements, challenges, and corrective actions, aligned with EU reporting requirements.

Facilitate Cross Cutting initiatives

Mainstream gender equality, disability inclusion, and survivor-centred approaches across programme activities.
Track participation of women and persons with disabilities in justice institutions and measure accessibility improvements.
Integrate gender-sensitive approaches into all programme outputs, including survivor-centred justice for GBV cases and recruitment of women into justice institutions.
Support ADR mechanism tailored to ethnic and religious minorities in remote areas.
Expand digital case management systems with user-friendly interfaces for marginalized groups.
Incorporate environmental crime awareness and enforcement into justice sector training, linking to SDG 16.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The incumbent will be based in the UNDP Pakistan Country Office in Islamabad, with travel to programme implementation locations, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, as required.

The incumbent will report directly to the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and will support the CTA in the overall technical leadership, programme management, strategic positioning, quality assurance and achievement of results of the Rule of Law Programme.

The incumbent will supervise designated programme personnel and consultants in accordance with the approved organigramme and will maintain effective working relationships with relevant government institutions, justice and security-sector stakeholders, development partners, UN entities, civil society and other partners. S/he will coordinate with designated other team members and relevant Country Office colleagues to ensure coherent and effective programme implementation.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Management

Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.
Partnerships Management: Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
Communication: Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. . Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Business Direction & Strategy

System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

2030 Agenda: Peace

Rule of Law, Security and Human Rights
- Access to Justice
- Rule of Law

2030 Agenda: People

Gender
- Gender Equality and Institutional Transformation

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Law, International Peace and Conflict Resolution, Political Science or a related thematic area is required. Or
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum of seven (7) years (with master’s degree) or nine (9) years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience in rule of law, security, justice, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, governance or a related technical field, with demonstrated project/programme management experience, is required.

Desired Skills

Specific experience facilitating multi-stakeholder consensus, preferably in post-crisis or complex settings, is an asset.
Demonstrated experience providing policy advice and preparing high-quality technical, policy and programme reports at national and/or international level is desired.
Demonstrated programme/project management experience in complex operating environments is desired.
Experience providing technical leadership on rule of law, law enforcement, security-sector, criminal justice or institutional reform is desirable.
Experience working with government institutions, justice and security-sector actors, development partners and other diverse stakeholders is desirable.
Experience supervising multidisciplinary teams, consultants or technical experts is desired.
Experience in gender-responsive institutional reform, survivor-centred approaches and women’s advancement within justice or security institutions is desired.
Experience in results-based management, donor reporting, research/assessment oversight and knowledge management is desirable.
Previous work experience with UNDP, UN agencies or international development organizations would be an advantage.
Basic computer skills, including MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, are required.

Language Requirements :

Fluency in English and Urdu is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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Team Lead - Programme Specialist (Open to Internal and External Applicants)