Background

UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2014-2017) emphasizes the critical links between environmental sustainability and efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and strengthen resilience. The three key thrusts of the Strategic Plan are sustainable development pathways, inclusive and effective democratic governance, and resilience. The work of sustainable development pathways coincides with the three pillars—economic, social, and environment—of the Rio Plus 20 outcome document. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals also neatly map onto the key areas of work under the UNDP strategic plan as well as the three pillars of the Rio Plus 20 outcome document.

The SDGs not only build on the MDGs, they will apply universally and not just be meant for developing countries. While countries in Asia Pacific have made tremendous progress against the MDGs, gaps remain and several issues that were not part of the MDG framework are taken up by the SDGs, such as urbanization, inequality, and governance. The SDGs are therefore much more comprehensive set of goals (17) and targets (169) with a higher level of ambition than the MDGs.

While there are different approaches, visions, models and tools available to each country, in accordance with its national circumstances and priorities, to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions, UNDP BRH will be responsible for rolling out a package of tools and services under MAPS (mainstreaming, acceleration, and policy support) among select country offices during 2015-2017. This comprehensive package of support will be made available to countries through UNDP BRH.  The scope of the work is wide ranging, with mainstreaming, acceleration and policy support each covering a specific set of activities and tools that supporting SDG localization and achievement:

Mainstreaming: Landing the SDG agenda at the national and local levels: integration into national and sub-national plans for development; and into budget allocations.

Acceleration: Focus will be on priority areas defined by respective countries. The support under acceleration will be integrated including identifying synergies and trade-offs.  Bottlenecks assessment, financing and partnerships, and measurement will be part of the activities acceleration.

Policy Support: pooling together the skills, knowledge and experience of respective UN agencies to support policy formulation and implementation.

The BRH will act in response to requests from country offices and in collaboration with relevant global teams and will be responsible for delivering on the activities under MAPS.

In order to ensure continued support to our initiatives, the Regional Hub (BRH) invites candidates to send their applications for inclusion in a Vetted Roster external experts. The process of including candidates in the Expert Roster are described in the later sections of this advertisement.

To be considered for inclusion in the roster, applications would need to have expertise in two or more of the following areas of work:

• Modeling tools: CGE modeling, Macro econometrics, Dynamic Systems Modeling, Multi-criteria analysis, vulnerability, risk and needs assessments;
• Fiscal tools tracking development spending and impact;
• Tools for scenario and futures visioning;
• UN frameworks, processes and their inter-linkages: MDGs, Rio+20, UNCCC, SDGs;
• Social Innovation and design thinking focused on beneficiary and user experience;
• Political economy of development, looking particularly at the trade off between growth, poverty reduction efforts and environmental degradation;
• Database creation and design for SDGs tracking and monitoring;
• Advocacy and communications for a diverse set of audience;
• MDG and SDG transition and Means of Implementations aspects such as development indicators, financing for development, technology for development;
• Economic and policy editing work around national and global reporting on SDGs;
• Project finance management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Tasks assigned in each individual assignment may include one or more of the following:

Policy and Strategy Development

• Prepare Policy briefs, discussion papers based on primary and secondary evidence on the SDGs focusing synergies and linkages between the goals;
• Synthesize relevant informative into a compelling narrative;
• Articulate and formulate feasible strategic national and sub-national planning documents and policies;
• Develop solutions that address economic, social and environmental dimensions of development;
• Ability to carry out a SWOT and cost/benefit analysis;
• Ability to analyze budgets and national planning documents.

 Tools:

• Use relevant tools—fiscal, macro modeling, needs assessments, futures visioning, design thinking—as applicable to assess and plan for SDG achievement;
• Use tools to identify issues and/or bottlenecks to SDG achievement;
• Ability to combine social, economic and environmental considerations in the tools used and/or developed;
• Construct and/or use existing models and analyze results, while identifying the limitations of the results;
• Use innovative ways to identify developmental challenges, target areas, beneficiaries and partners;
• Prepare project proposals using tools and concepts as necessary to strengthen the overall narrative.

Research and Documentation:

• Track and report on SDG achievement;
• Develop research design, research questions and scope of work for undertaking primary research in new/relevant areas;
• Document good practices, case studies, innovations and results of projects/programmes  for wider dissemination and sharing;
• Ability to demonstrate results in quantifiable terms as well as in clear, easy to understand language using new as well as traditional forms of media.

Capacity Development/Training:

• Design training curriculum, conduct and/or coordinate trainings programmes for various stakeholders;
• Train and coach stakeholders in using relevant tools and rolling out initiatives;
• Develop target specific training tools/tool-kits and manuals based on training needs assessment;
• Carry out Capacity assessments of public institutions and government institutions for development of strategic interventions for institutional strengthening;
• Conduct and/or coordinate trainings and workshops;
• Experience in conducting surveys and tabulating and presenting results to a wider audience.

Knowledge Management:

• Prepare easy to understand knowledge and communications products related to the SDG-related projects/programs (audio, video and hard copies);
• Create relevant / user driven databases tracking SDG performance;
• Review of Knowledge products (subject, design and content);
• Prepare and publish featured articles and case studies for an external audience;
• Disseminate knowledge and communications products;
• Contribute to relevant Communities of Practice (CoP), discussion forums and networks;
• A good grasp of, and ability to use innovative KM tools.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of national and sub-national policies toward SDG achievement;
• Carry out required independent monitoring and evaluation of projects;
• Facilitate community and process monitoring;
• Conduct and succinctly analyze baseline and client satisfaction surveys.

Competencies

• Solid understanding of government functioning and systems;
• Familiarity and exposure to development projects (one or more areas of expertise);
•  Working knowledge of objectives-oriented project planning, or results-based management;
• Leadership skills;
• Good grasp of statistical forecasting methods and economic modeling;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work;
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet;
• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills;
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Positive, constructive attitude to work.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Degree in economics and/or other social science/s.

Experience:

Following a vetting process, the successful candidates would be place in one of the following bands:

• Band 1, Implementation Support: Masters Degree in relevant field with minimum 3 years of relevant work experience, or Bachelors Degree in relevant field with minimum 5 years of relevant work experience;
• Band 2, Specialist Support: Masters Degree in relevant field with minimum 7 years of relevant work experience, out of which minimum 3 years of international experience as a requirement;
• Band 3, Senior Advisory: Masters Degree in relevant field with minimum 12 years of relevant work experience, out of which minimum 5 years of international experience as a requirement;
• Solid understanding of MDGs and SDGs and the localization agenda;
• Hands-on experience working in a development setting;
• Experience in working with state/central Governments and/or an international organization, policy think tank;
• Ability to synthesize complex issues drawing synergies and linkages between development issues;
• Ability to work with, and analyze data, using relevant tools/computer programs to present findings;
• Ability to leverage your personal and the institutional network to achieve greater outreach, share lessons and good practices.

Language:

• Excellent oral and written English.

Evaluation of Applicants

Interested candidates are advised to carefully review this advertisement and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described above. Applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies specified above and may be may be requested to participate in a brief interview.

Qualified women are encouraged to apply.

Applications should include:

• A cover letter, clearly identifying the “Areas of Expertise” as mentioned in the background section above;
• Updated CV with phone/email contacts.

Successful candidates will be included in UNDP RBAP Experts Roster for a period of 5 years, in one of the “bands” indicated above. However, the addition of an individual in the Roster does not guarantee a contract with UNDP.

Contracting:

• When a request for services arises, the roster manager shall Contact the individuals included in the specific area of expertise with ToR, location and dates of the assignment seeking confirmation of availability, as well as other costs such as living allowance, travel cost, etc. The daily fee quoted by the individual during this application process shall remain as the ceiling fee and cannot be increased upwards for any offered individual assignment(s);
• Travel: For each assignment UNDP shall reimburse cost of travel from the place of domicile of the individual to the place of assignment (most direct economy fare);
• The individual selected for the deployment will be contracted as an Individual Contractor to the UNDP. The Contract template and associated conditions are available at
   http://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/rbap/en/home/operations/procurement.html;
• The Contract and its terms and conditions are non-negotiable.

Payment:

Payment(s) shall be made following certification by the hiring UNDP Office that the services related to each deliverable, as specified in the contract, have been satisfactorily performed and the deliverables have been achieved by or before the due dates specified, if any.

Other information:

• This call for experts is not linked to other UNDP rosters or to a specific UNDP recruitment opportunity;
• Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are only able to inform the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

For any clarifications please write to rcb.procurement.th@undp.org