UNDP Jobs - 62608- Junior Professional Officer - Policy Analyst

Junior Professional Officer - Policy Analyst - Effective Development Cooperation

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

FTA International

Starting Date :

01-Jun-2016

Application Deadline :

24-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-2

Duration of Initial Contract :

one year with possible extension of one more year

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

one year with possible extension of one more year

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

IMPORTANT: This post is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom and is addressed exclusively to United Kingdom nationals.

Organizational Context

UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2014 – 2017) recognizes the rapidly shifting development landscape as well as the necessity of supporting programme countries in addressing new realities and implementing transformational agendas. UNDP’s Global Programme places emphasis on strengthening partnerships for effective development cooperation with diverse development actors, highlighting the need to enhance the synergy, complementarity and quality of various types/modalities of development cooperation and financing. Furthermore, the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (Resolution 67/226, December 2012) calls upon the UN Development system to further support the capacity building and capacity development of developing countries to effectively coordinate and evaluate the impact of external development assistance in line with national development plans and priorities.

The Effective Development Cooperation (EDC) Team, under the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) is the institutional anchor of UNDP’s work on development cooperation, focusing on the comparative advantages of UNDP in strengthening country capacities to manage and coordinate development cooperation, with particular emphasis on strengthen peer-learning, South-South Cooperation and knowledge sharing as a tool for capacity development. It also assists countries in shaping and participating in the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), working closely with the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), as part of the OECD/UNDP Joint Support Team. This includes supporting global policy dialogue and mutual learning on effective development cooperation as well as leading country support in implementation and monitoring of the effective development cooperation principles. In addition, UNDP leads the coordination of the International Aid Transparency Initiative, including Secretariat services to the Chair, Vice Chair and 63 member states and organizations, drawing on UNDP’s track record to date in supporting cross-UNDP initiatives and global processes on transparency, mutual accountability, and national ownership of development cooperation.

The Development Impact Group (DIG) focuses on assisting UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. It will enable UNDP and others to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven by identifying, testing, learning, sharing and institutionalizing what works, including through effective development cooperation, South-South and Triangular Cooperation and higher quality UNDP programming. It acts as a hub on all aspects of results-based management and development performance monitoring and analysis as well as a hub that identifies, collects, and share ideas on new and better ways of working across the UNDP network, social innovators, and the development community. The Development Impact Group is composed of two sub-areas: Programme Effectiveness and Development Effectiveness. The two teams work closely to understand and deepen UNDP’s and the international community’s understanding of what works and what does not work in effecting development change at country level in UNDP’s SP programme priority areas, and how this understanding can drive knowledge creation and dissemination, innovation and scaling up, and more productive partnerships.

Thematic Approach

UNDP’s development effectiveness approach recognizes that the principles of effective development cooperation are aiming at making cooperation effective to maximize its development impacts through enhanced national capacities and effective institutions. It focuses on working closely with other United Nations entities, as well as with global, regional and national partners to support nationally owned and -led development efforts through: i) coherent institutional framework and arrangements for managing development cooperation, external resources and partnerships (policies and strategies); ii) support to strengthening information management systems/transparent reporting systems for development cooperation; iii) support to inclusive development partnership coordination and mutual accountability frameworks; iv) support to strengthening peer learning and South to South knowledge exchange; v) supporting capacity strengthening of newly established development cooperation agencies from the emerging South; and vi) facilitation of developing country outreach and participation in the regional and global dialogue on effective development cooperation related issues. The broad objective of this approach is to scale up national and local capacities for more sustainable and integrated development results to address the Sustainable Development Goals through effective utilization, management and monitoring of development cooperation and partnerships.

UNDP has a strong track record in the area of promoting effective development cooperation. In the framework of its global project “Managing Development Cooperation Effectively” (2015-2017), the organization seeks to scale up support to programme countries’ capacities to mobilise, manage and utilise cooperation and partnerships as one of the instruments at their disposal to achieve their development objectives. This includes ensuring that accurate data pertaining to development cooperation/finance inflows is available in real time to governments for effective planning; having adequate inclusive mutual accountability arrangements among development stakeholders and partners; and linking up with the effective institutions agenda to ensure that country systems are brought into play in the planning and implementation of development programmes.

Reflecting the learning and challenges encountered in past phases, the lessons learnt from the Paris Declaration/Accra Agenda for Action process, the outcomes of the Busan High Level Forum that was held in 2011 as well as evolving development cooperation architecture globally, regionally as well as at country level, the global project under the new UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-2017) focuses on the comparative advantages of UNDP in strengthening country capacities to manage and coordinate development cooperation more holistically through supporting development finance and cooperation framework, to strengthen peer learning and knowledge sharing on effective development cooperation, linking country evidence to global policy dialogue on effective development cooperation, and to strengthen South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation as core ways for supporting development. It further assists countries in shaping and participating in the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, which provides for a uniquely inclusive and actions-oriented forum,, and where UNDP, together with the OECD, plays a leading role to support its effective functioning.

UNDP’s Effective Development Cooperation Cluster in the Development Impact Group (DIG) is responsible for implementing the global project on effective development cooperation, in collaboration with the UNDP regional support centres, the UNDP community of practice on development effectiveness, as well as with programme countries and other partners. Collaboration with programme countries in the development of relevant toolkits, the customization of programme and project outputs and peer learning is key to the success of the initiative. Global and regional partnerships with the OECD DAC, the World Bank, UN DESA, regional development banks and other actors are key to leveraging the programme’s work with countries.

Duties and Responsibilities

This post is critical for strengthening UNDP’s support for the effective functioning of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), strengthen linkages with the UN Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), support global community of practice on effective development cooperation, including facilitating knowledge sharing and peer learning for development, and supporting the UNDP’s role as a lead coordinator of the secretariat of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

Policy Analysis and contribution to policy dialogue on effective development cooperation: Perform policy analysis on issues relating to effective development cooperation/international development cooperation and contribute to reliable production of knowledge and policy products in the issues relating to (1) implementation of the effective development cooperation principles; (2) facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships and mutual accountability framework; (3) global partnership (GPEDC) monitoring framework, (4) policy dialogue on international development cooperation and partnerships for the UN post-2015 sustainable development agenda (i.e. GPEDC and the UN Development Cooperation Forum). – 30%
Global knowledge sharing and peer learning: As part of the global team for the UNDP Community of Practice on Effective Development Cooperation, initiate the production of knowledge/best practices products; facilitation of peer-learning/knowledge-sharing and cross-regional learning on effective development cooperation and development finance issues; and manage the functional UNDP community of practice on effective development cooperation and finance, including Teamworks on GPEDC as well as the UNDP Teamworks on Development Finance and Aid Effectiveness. – 20%
International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI): UNDP leads the multi-stakeholder Secretariat, with particular focus on outreach with partner countries. Assisting in this function, identify opportunities and challenges for increased outreach efforts to partner countries and potential new members; carry out analytic work for the IATI Steering Committee on development cooperation and transparency; initiative and facilitate peer learning initiatives to promote increased use of IATI data in partner countries; generate and distribute knowledge products and communications materials on aid transparency, and contribute to IATI newsletters and annual report; support travel facilitation for IATI partner country representatives; 20%
Support to country level work: As requested by UNDP country offices in working closely with regional advisors, provide effective and timely advice and capacity development support services to governments and UNDP Country Offices on effective development cooperation issues, ranging from(a) inclusive coordination and mutual accountability mechanisms between all development stakeholders; (b) transparency and information management of aid flows and other sources of development finance; (c) monitoring the implementation of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. - 15%
Support global project management: As part of the global effective development cooperation team, undertaken project management related functions, including project budget revisions, corporate monitoring and reporting, donor reporting, among others. – 15%

Competencies

Core competencies:

Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative;
Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
Self-Management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others;
Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution;
Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge;
Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional competences:

Building Strategic Partnerships
Innovation and Marketing New Approaches
Client Orientation

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters degree or equivalent in development, international relations, public affairs, economics or related field

Work Experience:

A minimum of 2 years of work experience, preferably in the area of effective development cooperation and global development

Languages:

Fluent in written and verbal English
Knowledge of French or another UN languages is an asset

Nationality:

This post is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) scheme sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom and is addressed exclusively to United Kingdom nationals.

Requirement related to CV format: Interested candidates are requested to upload a duly completed and signed copy of the Personal History Form (P11 for UNDP) which serves as the equivalent of the CV

More details about the JPO Programme and this vacancy can be found at: http://www.undp.org/content/jposc/en/home.html