Background
II. Organizational Context |
Objective: Ensure the implementation of the Collaboration Framework Agreement (CFA) between Mexico and UNDP and the coordination of UNDP Mexico’s South-South cooperation work. Supervision: The Policy and Research Analyst works under the supervision of the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative as part of the UNDP Strategic Planning Unit. Under the guidance of the UNDP Resident Representative and Deputy Resident Representative, the Policy and Research Analyst will proactively support the Senior Management in the implementation of the Collaboration Framework Agreement between UNDP and Mexico, signed in 2011. As such she/he will collaborate closely with senior policy staff from the UNDP Regional Bureaux and Headquarters, other UN agencies, national counterparts and international partners. The supervisor will provide real time feedback on performance, as well as more structured feedback on a quarterly basis, or more often if required. Organizational Context: On the ground in 177 countries and territories, UNDP is the most universal actor in the area of technical development assistance and capacity development. The activity that is facilitated, executed, or encouraged through UNDP’s global network generates not only direct development outputs, but also a rich base of collective knowledge. Over the last years, South-South cooperation activities have become an increasingly important aspect of UNDP’s interventions, both in programme areas and regarding UNDP’s policy work. With a new UNDP Strategic Plan 2014-2017 put in place, South-South cooperation is becoming an even more central part of the organization’s core activities. As a cross-cutting modality, the increased focus on non-traditional development partnerships has a potential impact on all ongoing and planned activities and requires a strengthened capacity of UNDP country offices in this area. Non-traditional development actors already have a profound impact on global development issues and achievement of the MDGs. Mexico is an increasingly important non-traditional development actor, particularly on a regional level. In that line, the Mexican government’s National Development Plan (2013-2018) deals in detail with Mexico’s responsibility on the global level as one out of five focus areas. The rationale behind UNDP Mexico’s objective to expand the South-South capacity of the Strategic Planning Unit is thus the growing importance of Mexico in global development and UNDP’s global commitment to shaping and supporting new forms of development cooperation. The UNDAF (2014-2019), outlining the cooperation framework between Mexico and the UN, refers to the establishment of a global partnership for development cooperation as a central aim, explicitly referring to South-South activities as crucial component of such a process. UNDP’s Country Programme Document (CPD) takes up this commitment. In addition, the UN Country Team in Mexico identified UNDP Mexico as the leading agency in facilitating the process of defining the UN System’s stance on South-South cooperation. UNDP will support and accompany Mexico in its development cooperation endeavours and both parties will draw upon their complementary comparative advantages. Mexico’s experience in undertaking South-South cooperation with other middle-income/developing countries and its experience and expertise in practical technology development and capacity building will match UNDP Mexico’s experience and knowledge, neutrality, and global network of country and regional offices. In this line, the Policy and Research Analyst in UNDP Mexico’s Strategic Planning Unit will focus on South-South cooperation and global issues. She/he will contribute to strategy development and relationship building, support substantive policy developments, and help to design, implement and monitor South-South cooperation initiatives. In particular, the Policy and Research Analyst will be responsible for the implementation of the action plan under the UNDP Fund for Country-level Emerging Priorities and Innovation (FCEPI) that focuses on the following three objectives: (1) South-South and triangular cooperation: To help maximize Mexico´s potential as an international development partner, by building synergies between programmes implemented abroad and those implemented at home (CFA, I, b); (2) Global development processes: To encourage the involvement of Mexico in the creation and consolidation of international development partnerships (CFA, I, d); and (3) New partnerships: To encourage the involvement of the private sector and foundations in development processes (see CFA, II, f). |
Duties and Responsibilities
III. Functions / Key Results Expected |
Functions and Expected Results Strategic work for South-South cooperation and global issues requires a Policy and Research Analyst with high-level partnership, negotiation and technical skills; the ability to source relevant high-level technical expertise; relevant substantive knowledge and professional experience; and the ability to provide timely and accurate policy research analysis and advice. The Policy and Research Analyst will be expected to focus on the implementation of the Collaboration Framework Agreement – in particular the implementation of the action plan under the Fund for Country-level Emerging Priorities and Innovation (FCEPI) – and contribute to all aspects of UNDP Mexico’s work on global issues and South-South cooperation as required. Notably, she/he is supposed to:
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IV. Impact of Results |
The key results will have a strong impact on the ability of UNDP to deliver on expectations of further re-profiling itself as a trusted development partner in Mexico which will result in increased opportunities for partnerships with a wide range of partners. It will allow for the effective implementation of the strategic partnership agenda in Mexico on matters of global importance to development and the achievement of the MDGs, in alignment with the UNDAF (2014-2019) and the UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-2017). The overall goal is to support the positioning of Mexico as an actor with global responsibility and further enhance the benefits that other countries derive from Mexico’s development cooperation. The Policy and Research Analyst will provide the relevant skills and abilities to help UNDP make a relevant contribution to development both in Mexico as well as in other countries in the region and beyond through supporting Mexico’s South-South cooperation efforts. |
Competencies
V. Competencies and Criutical Success Factors
Corporate Competencies
- Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP.
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
- Treats all people fairly without favouritism.
Functional Competencies
Knowledge Management and Learning
Development and Operational Effectiveness
Management and Leadership
Other Skills
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Required Skills and Experience
VI. Recruitment Qualifications | |
Education: | Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Political Sciences, International Relations or related field. |
Experience: | A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in providing policy analysis and/or advice on international development and global governance. Experience and expertise regarding global development issues (particularly South-South cooperation) based on previous work in Mexico and/or other middle-income/developing countries. Experience in establishing relationships among international organization, national governments and other stakeholders. Knowledge of relevant UN and UNDP corporate processes would be an advantage. |
Language Requirements: | Strong written and spoken skills in English and working language of the duty station. |