Policy Specialist (Home-Based) - [Open to Tier 1, 2 & 3 applicants]

Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below: 

• Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates) 

• Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and personnel on regular PSA contracts 

• Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Background

Office/Unit/Project Description 

Present in 166 countries and territories, UNDP supports governments in developing strong policies, institutions and partnerships to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on UNDP’s country presence and in close collaboration with UNDP’s Global Policy Network and the Development Coordination Office (DCO) in the UN Secretariat, the Effective Development Cooperation Team, located in the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), provides policy and technical support to partner countries and UN Country Teams on development effectiveness, and supports the work of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation. 

Established through the Busan Partnership Agreement in 2011, the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (Global Partnership or GPEDC) is a multi-stakeholder initiative for driving development effectiveness, to \"maximize the effectiveness of all forms of co-operation for development for the shared benefits of people, planet, prosperity and peace.\" It brings together governments, bilateral and multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and representatives from parliaments and trade unions among others, who are committed to strengthening the effectiveness of their partnerships for development. The 2023-2026 Global Partnership Work Programme aims to strengthen the effectiveness of development cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and ensure that no one is left behind.  The Work Programme outlines three strategic priorities; generating evidence through the GPEDC monitoring exercise; driving informed policy dialogue and action through country dialogues and strategic partnerships; and fostering political awareness behaviour change and update through targeted outreach and advocacy. 

Since its inception, the Global Partnership has benefitted from institutional support from UNDP together with OECD, which together constitute the OECD-UNDP Joint Support Team. Annex 3 of the 2022 Geneva Outcome Document sets out the core functions of the Joint Support Team, which include: a) Management of the GPEDC Monitoring Framework and Process; b) Secretariat services and Advisory Services to Co-Chairs and Steering Committee; and c) Advocacy, Strategic Communications, Learning, and Knowledge Management support. 

Among other things, the UNDP side of the JST provides country-level guidance to strengthen capacities for more effective development co-operation management, supports and tracks progress toward development effectiveness commitments through the monitoring exercise, provides substantive support to DCO in their role on the GPEDC Steering Committee as the UNDS representative, as well as facilitates knowledge sharing, communications and advocacy support to anchor development effectiveness and the work of the Global Partnership to spur implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

Scope of Work 

The Policy Specialist will serve as an integral member of the OECD/UNDP Joint Support Team (JST), providing strategic policy guidance and technical leadership to advance the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) monitoring agenda.

In particular, the Policy Specialist will provide:

A) Strategic guidance and execution on effective development cooperation research, analysis and reporting:

• Oversee the design and implementation of data analysis, ensuring methodological rigor and policy relevance for the GPEDC monitoring exercise
• Lead on the UNDP side the interpretation of data sets and the development of policy briefs and analytical reports that inform strategic decision-making and global policy dialogue;
• Identify, filter, analyze, and interpret trends or patterns in complex data sets;
• Convert GPEDC data into analysis and insights, in particular to report on UNDS disaggregated results and to find and highlight useful insights from various data disaggregation
• Create charts, graphs and other visuals that show accurate and relevant stories from GPEDC data
• Draft and edit substantive material on effective development cooperation and GPEDC monitoring result.

  B) Lead the development of substantive material on effective development cooperation utilizing GPEDC and external data: 

  • Draft policy briefs, reports and analysis on effective development cooperation and GPEDC monitoring results utilizing GPEDC and external data, in particular for the 2026 GPEDC Global Report
  • Interpret qualitative and quantitative data, analyze results and provide ongoing reports (policy briefs and reports reviewing literature, explaining analytical methods and presenting the results) that enable tracking various development trends over time (and in close to real time);
  • Draft and edit success stories and blogs on effective development co-operation based on latest monitoring results

    C) Implement roll-out of the GPEDC monitoring exercise, including advisory services to UNDP country offices and partner country government focal points:

    • Provide strategic guidance and technical support to partner countries during the 'Reflection, Dialogue and Action Phase' of the monitoring process, ensuring alignment with national development priorities and global effectiveness standards.
    • Coordinate with senior government officials and UN Country Teams to ensure timely and effective implementation of the monitoring process and facilitate high-level policy engagement.
    • Synthesize and disseminate qualitative insights from the monitoring process to inform global policy discussions and strategic planning.

      Institutional Arrangement

      The Policy Specialist will report to the Programme & Policy Specialist, under the overall supervision of the Team Lead, Effective Development Cooperation, and work closely with members of OECD/UNDP Joint Support Team. 

      Competencies         Core 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

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

      Cross-Functional & Technical competencies  Thematic Area Name Definition 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 Data Data Analysis Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data to form meaningful insights and aid effective business decision making

      Digital 

      Data storytelling and communications

      Skilled in building a narrative around a set of data and its accompanying visualizations to help convey the meaning of that data in a powerful and compelling fashion

      External Relations & Advocacy Public Relations Ability to build and maintain an overall positive public image for the organisation, its mandate and its brand, while ensuring that individual campaigns and other communications and advocacy initiatives are supported in reaching the public Partnership management Multi-stakeholder engagement and funding Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding

      Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

      Min. Education requirements          

      • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree o equivalent) in Statistics, Economics, Public Policy or related disciplines 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. 

        Min. years of relevant work experience   

        • Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in international development cooperation. 

          Required  skills          

          • Experience in producing research and analysis as well as report drafting relating to development cooperation and partnerships 
          • Experience working with analysis and reporting of results

            Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

            • Experience working in the area of aid effectiveness and/or development cooperation management 
            • Prior exposure to work of UNDP or other UN organizations is an advantage; 
            • Knowledge of and experience supporting development partnerships coordination at country level is desired. 
            • Proven records of strong service and team-work orientation; evident cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a fast-paced multi-national environment is an asset. 

              Required Language(s)            

              • Fluency in English is required. 
              • Working knowledge of another UN language(s), especially French, is a strong asset.

                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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