Are you ready to put your digital knowledge and skills to work in solving some of humanity’s greatest challenges?

Emerging and future digital technologies are one of the most profound drivers of change globally.  Recognizing that these technologies bring both opportunities to accelerate progress in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as presenting challenges to development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been undergoing an organization-wide digital transformation since 2019. UNDP’s digital transformation seeks to help create a world in which digital is an empowering force for people and planet.

UNDP is the development arm of United Nations.  Present in 170 countries with over 17,000 people, UNDP works on the world’s biggest challenges, from rising poverty and inequality to a rapidly changing climate, the emergence of crises and the continued degradation and destruction of our natural world.  Our UNDP Digital Strategy 2022 – 2025 aims to support our partner countries to unlock the power of digital to tackle these pressing issues.  The strategy lays out UNDP’s ambition to use a rights-based approach to digital technologies to improve our development results and help build inclusive digital ecosystems globally that leave no one behind.  These aims are supported by the transformation of our internal, operational systems and building an agile, digitally capable workforce.

To bolster digital capacity, CDO is extending the Digital Fitness Programme (DFP) to reach more countries, ensuring broad participation across the organization. Specialized modules tailored for the Global Policy Network (GPN) leadership and regional staff are being introduced to address specific needs and contexts. To achieve its digital ambitions, UNDP needs to build the capacity of its staff to use digital technologies and to embrace a culture of digital transformation. The Digital Capacity Building Lead will play a critical role in leading this effort.

Incumbent will lead a key part of delivering on UNDP’s digital strategy and will work closely with teams across the headquarters, regional bureaus and country offices levels of the organization to The Head of Digital Capacity Building and Culture Change is responsible for developing and implementing strategies that enhance the digital capabilities of UNDP personnel, ensuring they can identify and apply digital solutions effectively within their roles. This leadership position oversees the improvement of key initiatives such as the Digital Fitness Programme designed to advance staff digital skills, the Digital Advocates Network  aimed at nurturing internal digital leadership, and specialized training programs that prepare UNDP leaders and facilitators to successfully lead digital projects and foster an innovative work environment.

Lead, manage, coordinate, and develop effective DFP and implementation.

• Craft and execute a digital capacity building strategy and roadmap for 2024-2025, in line with UNDP’s Digital Strategy.
• Elevate existing digital capacity initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
• Champion digital capacity and cultural transformation internally and with partners.

Lead Capacity Building at country level

• Continuously innovate the curriculum with the latest digital skills and technologies.
• Encourage and oversee staff participation, extending reach to all UNDP country offices.
• Evaluate and report the program’s impact on performance.

Ensure Effective Digital Leadership Training: 

• Conduct training sessions focused on digital leadership competencies.
• Assess and address digital learning needs among leaders.
• Evaluate and report the training’s effectiveness on leadership and innovation.

Lead in initiating a roster of facilitators: 

• Build a diverse, multi-lingual talent pool of facilitators for capacity development workshops.
• Develop a robust mechanism to onboard and allocate facilitators to different workshops.
• Continuously improve quality of facilitators through training, monitoring and evaluation.

Lead in expanding UNDP’s capacity building offer to member-states: 

• Design new capacity building offers to extend UNDP’s key digital and data expertise to member states.
• Use online tools and systems to host capacity building offers.

Lead in strong partnerships building, monitoring the impact and knowledge facilitation key learning designer for all digital capacity building efforts.

• Fostering stakeholder relationships.
• Monitoring and assessing the impact of digital capacity initiatives.
• Innovating in digital capacity development approaches.

 The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

4. Institutional Arrangement

The position will report into Head of Internal Transformation within CDO Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Competencies

• Business Direction & Strategy – System Thinking: 
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
• Business Direction & Strategy – Business Acumen: 
  • Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome
  • Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks
• Digital and Innovation – Digital Ecosystem: 
  • Knowledge of how they work, understanding of the opportunities and challenges for governments and society
• Digital and Innovation – Creative and Facilitation: 
  • Ability to design workshops that considers and addresses multiple interests, agendas, worldviews; set out clear objectives and engaging activities; select appropriate tools, materials, resources that are needed to enable or support the activities.
  • Ability to swiftly build rapport with participants and create a safe space (on- and offline) where they feel comfortable to share their views, concerns, experiences and reflections; supporting this with a range of tools to stimulate active participation.
  • Ability to facilitate inclusive conversations, ability to work with a diverse set of people with different backgrounds, seniority and expert levels, using different approaches tailored to fit the people in the room, drawing out the perspectives and ideas of each individual and making decisions through deliberation and discussion across a group.
  • Ability to pace a session, adjust to the abilities and energy levels of attendees and the nature or purpose of an exercise. Being flexible and able to improvise; adapting and changing approaches in response to the needs, while staying true to the intent and objectives of the session.
• Digital and Innovation – Innovation  and Capacity Building: 
  • Ability to define and create the conditions for trying out new ways of working or introducing new problem solving approaches to an organization.
    • Ability to develop, manage and evaluate a learning curriculum that raises awareness, builds confidence, strengthens innovation capabilities around a certain method, tool or technique; or helps develop an innovation mindset.
  • Ability to create the authorizing environment (mandate, incentives) to embed and spread new ways of working.
    In-depth knowledge of one or more innovation methods, broad knowledge of innovation processes and innovation management.
  • Ability to align a learning and development strategy with broader innovation strategy.
• Digital and Innovation – Story Telling: 
  • Ability to empathize with people’s perceptions, motivations, feelings and mental models and craft narratives to build an emotive argument for change accordingly.
  • Ability to present data, insights or information in compelling ways to mobilize resources, talent or action.
  • Ability to choose media and channels that is fit for purpose to reach specific target audiences

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Demonstrated ability to build capability in agile ways of working, innovation, co-design and design thinking Outstanding facilitation skills with diverse participants and political and cultural sensitivities;
• Proficiency with digital communications platforms and tools;
• Proven excellent skills in written and verbal communication;
• Experience and understanding of international development, international relations, and the humanitarian sector.