UNDP Jobs - 59239- Re-advertisement - Internship

Re-advertisement - Internship - Quality Assurance and Social and Environmental Standards

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Internship

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

26-Nov-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

Intern

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 Months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 Months

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

Candidates who previously applied need not re-apply.

UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan prioritizes the achievement of higher quality projects through improved planning, design, monitoring and evaluation, underpinned by stronger results-based management. The Project Quality Assurance (QA) system is the primary corporate monitoring tool that will deliver on this Strategic Plan commitment. Seven quality criteria form the basis of UNDP’s project-level quality assurance. The quality criteria are as follows:

Strategic;
Relevant;
Social and Environmental Standards;
Management and Monitoring;
Efficient;
Effective;
Sustainability and National Ownership.

The value of improved project quality assurance includes the ability for UNDP to assess, measure, and report on the quality of its projects across the project cycle, to:

Scope of Work:

UNDP is seeking an intern to provide support to the Results and Quality Programming team within our Development Impact Group. The intern will support analysis of quality assurance (QA) data as well as support the roll-out and implementation of the SES.

Support continuous improvement and results based management through improved project performance information for managers;
Strengthen accountabilities for effective project and programme management;
Strengthen organizational learning and knowledge sharing; and
Develop a more rigorous project assessment base from which to demonstrate and report on programme quality to stakeholders.

The measure of success for improved project quality assurance will be the ability to objectively capture and analyze the quality of UNDP projects, address identified areas for improvement, and in time, see improvements in project quality levels. Given that currently there is no consistent capture of qualitative or quantitative information on quality of UNDP projects, the basic value of regular, consistent, and standardised project quality assurance information will be a significant improvement for the organization.

One of the key components of the Quality Assurance system that will be supported by the intern is UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES). The SES underpin our commitment to mainstream social and environmental sustainability in our Programmes and Projects to support sustainable development. The objectives of the SES are to:

Strengthen the social and environmental outcomes of Programmes and Projects;
Avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment;
Minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible;
Strengthen UNDP and partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks;
Ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people.

The challenge now is to ensure successful implementation and strengthened capacities of staff to apply the standards.

Duties and Responsibilities

Review and analysis of quality assurance (QA) data;
Support the presentation of analysis including graphs, infographics and Power Point Presentations;
Support planning and arrangements for events, meetings and webinars;
Contribute to research and writing for various knowledge products;
Attend relevant meetings and events in the NYC area;
Assist in translation efforts as necessary;
Support updates to Teamworks, Sharepoint and public website;
Provide contributions to the development of relevant guidance and tools;
Support updates to the online SES toolkit, including elaboration of case studies;
Manage Roster of Experts;
Administrative support and other duties as necessary.

Institutional Arrangement:

The intern will support the Results and Quality Programming team of the Development Impact Group (DIG) within the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS).

Competencies

Strong data analysis skills and a strategic thinker;
Excellent organizational, time management and strong interpersonal skills;
Strong oral and written communication skills in English;
Good team work skills;
Tactful and responsible.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Current enrollment in a graduate degree programme (Master);
Focus or demonstrated interest in international development.

Experience:

Ability to collect, analyze data and present it in a clear format
Ability to gather information quickly, and prepare in various formats;
Computer literate in standard software applications.

Language:

Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required;
Proficiency in French and/or Spanish is a significant asset.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer:

Only those candidates that meet the minimum level of education and relevant years of experience requirements will be considered.
A desk review will be conducted to identify the selected interns. Phone interviews may be conducted if needed to make the final selection.

Conditions:

Interns are considered gratis personnel. They are not staff members.

Interns are not financially remunerated by UNDP. The costs associated must be borne by the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or by the student, who will have to obtain financing for subsistence and make his or her own arrangements for travel, accommodation, visa, etc.