Background
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Job Purpose and Organizational Context
The
Joint SDG Fund supports countries as they accelerate their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It operates through joint programmes (JPs) that provide the mechanism for transformative solutions implemented by governments and national stakeholders and supported by the UN Country Team led by Resident Coordinators (RCs). Strategic direction for the Fund is provided by the Strategic Advisory Group chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General as the chair of UN Sustainable Development Group. The Fund is managed by the Operational Steering Committee, comprised of representatives of UN entities, and with the support from the Secretariat of the Fund. The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) hosts the Fund and provides for the alignment with the broader UN Development System reforms. The Administrative Agent of the Fund, in charge of financial management, is the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF-O). Official documents (e.g. Terms of Reference and Operational Guidance) of the Fund and information on funding can be found on the Gateway portal.
To advance the dual mandate of supercharging the UN Development System reform to be fit for purpose and, in turn, supporting the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Fund incentivizes coherent and coordinated joint UN action, anchored in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks at country level under the leadership of Resident Coordinator (RC). Serving as the catalytic funding to piece together emerging policy priorities and financing strategies, the Fund aims to galvanize the UN Country Teams around integrated policies and identify the fiscal space to overcome the political and financial hurdles to scale and accelerate progress towards the SDGs.
The key objective of this position is to lead the design and implementation of the new generation of transformative joint programmes (High Impact Track – HIT) in alignment with new Fund Strategy based on key SDG transitions.
Duties and Responsibilities
Lead design and implementation of High Impact Track (HIT) joint programmes
- Develops, organizes, coordinates and leads a structured and systematic approach to implementation of new transformative HIT joint programmes across funding rounds / portfolios and SDG transitions, with the primary focus on digitalization, food systems, and jobs/social protection.
- Promotes strategic and technical collaboration with inter-agency coordination mechanisms, including ITU-UNDP Joint Facility / Digital Technical Support Group, Food Systems Coordination Hub, and Technical Support Facility of the Global Accelerator.
- Contributes to programmatic partnerships at the country level to increase the impact and financing of joint programmes, to facilitate activation of country-level eco-systems and their links with regional and global initiatives, and to increase the visibility of catalytic results and impact.
- Leads further incubation of new HIT joint programmes, including from the seed funding initiatives, depending on new funding and strategic direction to ensure continuity and growth of portfolios and the Fund impact.
- Develops new funding rounds / additional funding and financing mechanisms across SDG transitions and leads the design of new HIT joint programmes.
Innovate and elevate the programme approach and provide strategic support to programmatic cross-fertilization of SDG transitions
- Provides strategic advice and guidance on innovation, improved efficiencies, and elevated impact of joint programmes through improvements of the overall programme cycle, policies, templates, and procedures.
- Develops and leads learning and knowledge management initiatives for joint programmes across funding rounds/portfolios and facilitates collaboration with global and regional initiatives to increase the capabilities and skills of joint programmes teams for innovation, systems change, integrated policy, and transformative impact.
- Ensures cross-fertilization of funding rounds/portfolios on SDG transitions to break down the silos and ensure integrated, catalytic results.
- Provides strategic advice and guidance on elevating the systems change and integrated approach of the Fund through programmatic actions.
- In close collaboration with the Reporting and Evaluation Manager, supports the enhancement of monitoring and reporting of joint programmes and demonstration of the impact at the Fund level in relation to the Fund Strategy.
- In close collaboration with the Senior Policy Advisor, provides programmatic input and guidance on the alignment between funding rounds/portfolios, SDG transitions, and global policy agendas.
Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships and communications from the programmatic perspective
- In close collaboration with the partnership team of the Fund, provides advice, guidance and support on existing and new global partnerships in the context of funding rounds/portfolios.
- Manages programmatic and technical coordination with key strategic partners (for example, the European Union on digitalization) and provides strategic advice and input for updates and reports to donors and other partners.
- In close collaboration with the communication team of the Fund, provides advice, guidance and support to strategic communications and visibility of joint programmes.
- Provides strategic advice and input to Fund-level briefs, updates, analyses, and reports, integrating programmatic progress and results across funding rounds/portfolios.
- Provides programmatic briefings and updates for the Fund governance, and for engagements with donors and other strategic partners.
- Performs other related duties, as required.
Lead knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relative to the assigned thematic area(s) and UNDP.
- Provide substantive advice and technical support to the development and implementation of a capacity development/ learning plan on thematic area of the joint programme and participate in global/regional learning initiatives.
- Lead the process of knowledge capture of national and international know-how in relevant hematic areas and document project lessons, experiences, and best practices that may be useful in design and implementation of similar programmes for organizational and external sharing and learning. Produce materials with lessons learned and best practices and other knowledge-based tools.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization
Institutional arrangements
The Senior Programme Adviser will report to the Head, Joint SDG Fund Secretariat.
Core
Core Competencies |
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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: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems |
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 |
People management
UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.
Cross-functional and technical competencies
Thematic Area |
Name |
Definition |
Business Direction and 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 Development |
Knowledge Facilitation |
Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally. |
Business management |
Portfolio Management |
Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance. |
Business management |
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 fulfill 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 clients’ upcoming needs and concerns. |
2030 Agenda: Engagement and Effectiveness |
Effectiveness |
Programming principles and standards and development effectiveness principles
RBM standard and practices for programming. |
Digital and Innovation |
Portfolio design & management |
Ability to identify leverage points in systems and design interventions that address them. The value of the interventions is determined not in isolation, but as part of the overall portfolio and their coherence.
Ability to design processes that extract learning on an ongoing basis from existing portfolios, so that learning accrues over time and new options for action are continuously generated.
Build a learning ecosystem around a complex development challenge: being able to mobilise a variety of stakeholders and help them learn and work together. |
Partnership management |
Relationship management |
Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding. |
Minimum requirements
Min. Academic Education |
- Advanced University Degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Development, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Social Sciences, Management Science or related field is required. OR
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
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Min. years of relevant work experience |
- Minimum of 10 years (with master’s degree) or 12 years (with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in programme/project design and implementation, and portfolio management for international/regional organizations, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in joint programmes in the context of pooled funding and inter-agency collaboration for SDGs acceleration.
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Required skills |
- Demonstrated experience in sustainable development programmes and pooled funding, with the emphasis on development and management of portfolios of multi-sectoral, inter-agency programmes is required.
- Experience in integrated policy initiatives and strategic collaborations across country contexts producing catalytic, transformative change is required.
- Strong writing skills and the ability to synthesize information is required.
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Desired additional skills |
- Professional experience engaging with multiple UN entities in the context of the SDGs and joint programming.
- Experience and knowledge in management of UN joint programmes at regional and/or global level.
- Professional experience in systems innovation and change management in the development context.
- Expertise in Result-Based Management, programme design and implementation, and partnership development in for multi-stakeholder engagement.
- Knowledge and understanding of the UN system and the mandates of constituent agencies, including global pooled funds and inter-agency collaboration mechanisms.
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Required Language(s) |
- Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
- Knowledge of another UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is desirable.
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Disclaimer
Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.
UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: 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.
Non-discrimination
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.
UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.
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