Head of Re-prioritized National Development Plan / COVID- 19 Socio-economic and Recovery Secretariat

Job Description

Objectives and Rationale

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA) has the mandate for coordination of national development planning, resource mobilization including the collection, management and disbursement of revenue and development assistance for the operations and functions of the Government of The Gambia. MOFEA therefore coordinated the formulation of the NDP and led the preparations and conduct of the donor conference in Brussels. Given the the potential health and socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, the challenges that this poses to the attainment of the NDP and the SDGs there is a need to urgently coordinate a robust COVID-19 Response and Recovery Plan that will address the different facets of the pandemic and support the implementation of the NDP and attainment of the SDGs. Given the urgency of the situation, there is an immediate need for a Head of Secretariat dedicated solely to support the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs to develop a COVID-19 Response, Recovery Strategy and to resource mobilisation, while the capacity of MoFEA is being built for the medium and longer term.

The objective of the recruitment therefore is to strengthen the capacity of MoFEA in particular, and the Gambia Government in general, by establishing a secretariat to develop rapid response and Recovery plans/strategies, coordinate the implementation of the plan, and cultivate partnerships and secure resources for their implementation and the attainment of national development objectives. The Recovery plan will form as reprioritize NDP development interventions and will focus on prevail needs as a result of COVID-19 and other national welfare assessment. The Secretariat will also provide close support to the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs to accelerate the follow up on pledges made during the International Conference for The Gambia held in Brussels and putting mechanisms to enhance the tracking of aid inflows from various development partners. The Secretariat will support inter departmental linkages and synergy building e.g. planning and budgeting and resource mobilization to produce results. A Head of secretariat will be hired as the head of the Secretariat established to carry out the functions of the secretariat

Duties and Responsibilities

The recruitment of the Head of the Secretariat is expected to result in the following deliverables:

• Develop a detailed workplan for the Secretariat accompanied by the capacity needs for its role during the Response Phase within the Socioeconomic Pillar
• Development, coordination, and Resource Mobiliztion of the COVID 19 National Socioeconomic Recovery Plan
• Development and implementation of a partnership, resource mobilisation, and follow-up strategy to generate resources for the implementation of the re-prioritized NDP, including follow up on pledges from the roundtable conference of May 2018
• Provision of support and advice to the Minister of Finance to maximise the benefits of The Gambia’s Chairmanship of the ACP Council, through the development and implementation of a roadmap, in collaboration with the Gambia Embassy in Brussels, other government ministries (especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Embassies / Missions), the ACP Secretariat, the EU Delegation in Banjul and the European Commission
• Development of a donor profile of traditional as well as non-traditional development partners, indicating priority areas (thematic, and geographical), eligibility criteria, programming cycle (start date, duration) main disbursement channels (UN, NGOs, direct budget support, etc)
• Realisation of a significant percentage of the external resources pledged towards the implementation of the NDP
• Development of follow up, reporting and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that fund providers receive timely updates on resource utilization
• Provision of advice and support to the Minister of Finance on initiatives to enhance the capacity of MoFEA to implement its core mandate with greater efficacy
• Representation of the Ministry as and when required

Competencies

• Knowledge and experience of the national context, development trends, policy priorities and modus operandi of bilateral and multilateral development partners
• Experience working with development partners at a senior level
• Demonstrable experience in the work of the European Commission and the ACP Group
• Senior level experience with the Government of The Gambia is highly desirable
• Fully computer literate

Required Skills and Experience

• A Master’s degree in a field directly relevant to economic development, as well as diplomacy
• At least five years of progressive responsibility in economic diplomacy, and the development of partnerships, emergency planning and mobilisation of public resources.

DEADLINE: May 18, 2020