UNDP : South-South Coordination and Project Support Analyst – Bangkok
JOB DETAIL
UNDP is the frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for actions at regional, national and local levels to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Across Asia and the Pacific, UNDP helps countries formulate and implement their own solutions to address urgent development challenges. It implements the UNDP Strategic Plan (2022-2025) in the region through the Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH), various Country Offices (COs) and the Global Policy Network (GPN) which provides policy and programme advice to ensure alignment of country programmes with regional and global and corporate priorities. Several integrated solutions are identified in the Strategic Plan which include the following:
- Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery for Building Resilience
- Environment and Energy
- Poverty and Inequality
In the ambit of the above signature solutions, UNDP launched a USD $37.53 million project, approved for funding by the Government of Japan in February 2023. It will support four Pacific Island Countries (Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu) with a ‘Green Transformation’ of their economies that will reduce reliance on fossil fuels, drive sustainable economic growth and help them cope with the impacts of climate change. The two-year project, titled Promoting Green Transformation in the Pacific Region towards Net-Zero Emissions and Climate-Resilient Development will support investments in clean energy, more efficient management of natural resources and strengthened coping capacity in the face of extreme weather events linked to climate change. UNDP’s multi-country implementation modality will be followed for this project. BRH, together with the four Country Offices in the Pacific region, lead the implementation of the project with strong engagement of the Environment team within the GPN based in BRH.
UNDP’s Environment team within the GPNs leading the implementation of the project. The Environment team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment, and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on the environment, climate change, and energy. This extensive body of work advances crosscutting themes on innovative finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning. The Environment team assists partner developing countries to develop and implement projects that combine and sequence resources from a wide range of global environment and climate funds and from bilateral funding windows.
BRH is seeking the support of a South-South Coordination (SSC) and Project Support Analyst to promote effective and meaningful south-south cooperation among the four participating countries as well as between the participating countries and other countries that fosters sharing of good practices, valuable lessons learned and accumulated knowledge and experiences related to green transformation.
Under the supervision of the Regional Project Manager, in close collaboration with the Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist, Energy Policy Specialist and Strategic Partnerships Specialist, the SSC and Project Support Analyst is expected to identify effective SSC opportunities, and topics to be discussed, develop concept notes for SSC events, identify suitable speakers and other key substantive as well as logistical details required to organize successful SSC events, ensure quality outputs from them, and enhance the communication, advocacy and knowledge management impacts from the south-south cooperation events supported by the project. The SSC and Project Support Analyst is expected to coordinate closely with Procurement Specialist of the project, four country offices, and all relevant stakeholders for timely procurement required to carry out SSC activities led or supported by the project successfully. As to project support, the SSC and Project Support Analyst supports the Regional Project Manager in coordination with the four country offices and national PMUs, daily oversight of the regional project activities and support country offices as required, including drafting complex TORs for procurement needs, quality assurance of project reports, period updates to the donor, and supporting the communications for the visibility of the project.
The following detailed functions need to be done by the SSC and Project Support Analyst.
Promoting South-South Cooperation
- Support the designing, planning and implementation of south-south exchanges, map and analyze the good practices and solutions to green trnasformation in the Pacific.
- Support the Identification of strategic regional and global events to promote UNDP’s ongoing interventions around green transformation and the Climate Promise, and work with Nature, Climate, Energy and Waste (NCW+E) and GPN teams to design and support UNDP’s effective participation with a focus on South-South Cooperation and innovative solutions to avance green transformation, especially just and green energy transition, in the Pacific.
- Coordinate the development of flagship events to increase awareness of the project to leverage and nurture partners both in the region and globally to support UNDP’s work on green transformation and the broader Climate Promise Offer.
- Support the capturing and sharing of lessons and stimulating the uptake of best practices and knowledge, leading to the development of knowledge materials.
- Co-create and support the Communication team to produce project communication pieces effectively showcasing impacts of green transitions in the four countries
- Undertaking virtual and/or physical missions (if required) to capture results of the project in the four countries, and support in ensuring managing quality assurance of all communications related to the project.
Project Implementation Support
- Provide support to the project teams to ensure that targets and deadlines are met, and work closely with the Regional Project Manager and other members of the Regional Project Management Unit to support the four countries in the timely implementation of the project activities.
- Support the development of necessary terms of references (TORs) for the projects’ experts/ consultants, including procurement of goods, as needed for conducting the project activities.
- Support the Project Manager and the country teams on timely donor reporting and the overall dissemination of the progress through different communications channels
- Support in addressing project queries, progress, impacts and lessons.
- Peer reviewing, commenting on, and seeking to improve the technical quality of project documents and best practices.
- Support the four countries and regional teams, ensuring the country office project teams’ understanding of technical and operational aspects of South to South/triangular cooperation
Implementation of relevant knowledge management activities
- Work proactively with the project team, NCW & E team and GPN to ensure regular exchange of information on the results and lessons learned from the project are fed into the South-South Exchanges through UNDP’s regional and global networks.
- Develop and maintain the calendar of events to ensure knowledge flow to major regional and global events, and work with the project communications specialist to co-create knowledge content for wider dissemination.
- Work closely with the regional team to ensure optimum visibility of the project activities by promoting the project activities through various South-South communications channels and promoting the project on high-level events targeting the partner governments and donors.
Provision of support to partnership management for the project
- Support and document of meetings with the donor and/or UNDP senior management in conjunction with project (including preparing briefing notes, presentations, and other relevant documents)
- Support the development and implementation of project’s donor recognition and visibility; produce and contribute to visibility materials as needed (factsheets, human-interest stories, newsletter, briefs, social media publications, reports, brochures, multimedia assets) and ensure dissemination to highlight impact of project in the four countries.
- Achieve Results: Level 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
- Think Innovatively: Level 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
- Learn Continuously: Level 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
- Adapt with Agility: Level 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
- Act with Determination: Level 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
- Engage and Partner: Level 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Level 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Development
- Knowledge Generation. Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
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
Business Management
- Working with Evidence and Data. Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making
- Communication. Ability to 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
- Customer Satisfaction/Client Management. Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs. Provide inputs to the development of
customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
Communications
- Writing and editing. Ability to create and/or edit written content in different UN languages.
Partnership management
- Strategic Engagement. Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in development studies, natural resource management, economics, international relations, or other closely related field is required.
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in development studies, natural resource management, economics, international relations, or other closely related field in in combination with two years of qualifying work experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of 2 years of experience working on development issues, development program management, or other closely related fields.
- Experience working on development issues related to Small Island Development States is an asset.
- Demonstrated professional experience in successfully designing, planning and managing the implementation of cross-country knowledge exchange activities, study tours and workshops involving multiple countries;
- Proven experience leading or facilitating SSC initiatives, with a track record of successful exchanges, partnerships, and knowledge-sharing activities.
- Experience in planning, coordinating and executing high-profile events, workshops, and forums at both country and regional levels.
- Experience working across the Asia and/or Pacific region is required.
- Experience working on projects in SIDS countries, coordinating with multiple teams and stakeholders will be highly desirable
- Working experience in an international organization is an advantage, as is knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures, and practices
- Professional experience in designing, planning and coordinating south-south cooperation activities in and among countries in Asia and the Pacific region especially with the Pacific island countries is a strong advantage;
- Familiarity with and research and/or working experience on issues related to energy transition is an asset;
- Demonstrated experience in coordinating and implementation of projects in geographically challenging setting (preferably in SIDs countries), and working with SIDS government artners and private sector partners is an asset.
Required languages:
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in the English language.
Travel:
- UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station and their return to their home upon completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only if the function will be undertaken physically in the duty station and excludes working from home arrangements.
- The Project will provide full support concerning logistics, IT, and required services (including travel, workshops, etc.) to ensure the Project’s successful implementation. Office space will be provided
Level of Education: Bachelor Degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: No requirements
