UNDP Jobs - 52113- Director, Strategy and Analysis Unit

Director, Strategy and Analysis Unit

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

01-Mar-2015

Application Deadline :

17-Dec-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

D-1

Duration of Initial Contract :

One year with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

One year with possibility of extension

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. 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.

Background

he Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) is responsible for UNDP’s external relations and advocacy functions. The Bureau leads and supports the organization in cultivating, building and nurturing strategic relationships and alliances that are essential for advancing and successfully achieving the mission of UNDP. These relationships encompass a wide range and number of key constituencies and development partners, that includes programme countries, existing and prospective donor countries/emerging economic powers, multilateral institutions such as the IFIs, the European Commission, civil society, the private sector, foundations, academia and think tanks, the wider UN system, various UN inter-governmental bodies, as well as global, regional and national media.

The Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy consists of the Directorate where the Strategy and Analysis Unit is located, and the following groups: Communications Group; Resource Partnerships Group and UN System Affairs. In addition, BERA has Representation Offices in 5 major donor cities.

BERA’s Strategy & Analysis Unit constitutes the ‘nerve centre’ responsible for providing forward looking strategic analysis and advice to the Director on overall strategy and tactical positioning of the Bureau. The Strategy & Analysis Director leads the group and is part of the BERA Management Team.

The primary responsibilities of the Strategy & Analysis group are:

Analyze global economic and political trends and provide strategic and forward looking analysis of UNDP’s positioning vis a vis its key partners and advise on how best to leverage its external relations opportunities and minimize risks to the organization;
Closely monitor UNDP’s partnerships especially on issues of strategic importance to the organization and provide timely intelligence and strategic advice on UNDP’s tactical positioning with key external stakeholders;
Generate new and innovative ideas, advise Director on the development of innovative partnerships and support the strategic management of key partnerships, including with programme countries; and
Contribute to BERA Management Team as well as manage and supervise staff.

The Strategy & Analysis Director reports to the BERA Director.

Duties and Responsibilities

Analyze global economic and political trends and provide strategic forward-looking analysis of UNDP’s positioning vis a vis its key partners and advise on how best to leverage its external relations opportunities and minimize risks for the organization:

Scan the horizon, particularly from a political and economic perspective, and assess implications for UNDP’s role as a major multilateral development partner;
Monitor the strategic positioning of UNDP vis a vis critical bilateral, UN and other multilateral institutions, to identify key risks and opportunities;
Identify and develop ways of integrating and analysing data and intelligence from both internal and external sources that connect UNDP’s partnership performance with larger political, economic and development cooperation trends.

Closely monitor UNDP’s partnerships especially on issues of strategic importance to the organization and provide timely intelligence and strategic advice on UNDP’s tactical positioning with key external stakeholders:

Lead integrated initiatives/guidance across BERA groups to ensure coherence and strategic application of BERA’s vision/value proposition for UNDP;
Develop, test and institutionalise metrics and systems for monitoring UNDP’s partnership performance (as a cross-BERA platform);
Monitor the overall health of UNDP’s relationship with developing countries in coordination with the UN System Affairs group;
Support strategic management of relationships by identifying critical issues for senior management action, both immediately or in the near term and over the medium-term;
Coordinate rapid response (i.e. surge support) for mission critical issues through joined-up action across BERA and other corporate units;
Advance the substantive integration of partnership dimensions into all phases of the programme and project cycle, from formulation through implementation to M&E (including improved assessments through ADRs).

Generate new and innovative ideas, advise Director on the development of innovative partnerships , including with programme countries:

Identify and spearhead opportunities for large scale innovation in UNDP's partnership strategies, especially communication partnership mechanisms, including innovative partnerships;
Manage/coordinate cross-BERA arrangements and contributions to systematically advance UNDP’s work on South-South and Triangular Cooperation, working closely with BPPS and RBx.

Contribute to BERA Management Team as well as manage and supervise staff:

Actively participate as a member of the BERA Management Team
Ensure that Strategy & Analysis Unit plans and activities support the UNDP Strategic Plan and the strategic objectives of BERA
Provide guidance, leadership, and overall management for Strategy & Analysis team
Ensure financial and administrative integrity of all Strategy & Analysis group operations.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

Ability to get things done.

Technical/Functional Competencies:

Primary:

Priority Setting

Ability to scan and synthesize diverse sets of information to arrive at strategic priorities and positioning recommendations.

Strategic Planning

Ability to make decisions that align with strategy, vision, and mission.

Marketplace Analysis

Ability to research, discover trends, and make recommendations pertaining to a particular market.

Risk Assessment

Knowledge of risk assessment methodologies and ability to determine degree of risk and apply to strategic and/or practical situation.

Risk Management

Ability to identify and prioritize risks, and organize action around mitigating them.

Secondary:

Innovator support

Ability to manage organisational resources and deployment in pursuit of innovative approaches and initiatives.

Partnerships

Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships.

Substantive positioning of UNDP

Knowledge of global institutions (such as the UN, IFIs), processes (such as G20 and various UN initiatives), good grasp of UNDP’s niche, and ability to engage and foster strong networks with those institutions.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University Degree (Master’s) in Development Studies, Economics, Public Affairs or a related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 15 years of experience in international development or related fields including progressively high level responsibilities working at the international and national level;
Specific proven and solid knowledge and experience of political and economic forecasting, strategic planning and analysis, partnership building and external relations;
Knowledge of the UN system and UNDP will be an asset.

Language:

Excellent written and oral knowledge of English required;
Working knowledge of at least one other UN working languages is highly desirable.