Team Lead – P4  

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.
 

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.

Present in 166 countries and territories, UNDP supports governments in developing strong policies, institutions and partnerships to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on UNDP’s country presence and in close collaboration with UNDP’s Global Policy Network and the Development Coordination Office (DCO) in the UN Secretariat, the Effective Development Cooperation Team, located in the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), provides policy and technical support to partner countries and UN Country Teams on development effectiveness, and supports the work of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation. 

Established through the Busan Partnership Agreement in 2011, the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (Global Partnership or GPEDC) is a multi-stakeholder initiative for driving development effectiveness, to “maximize the effectiveness of all forms of co-operation for development for the shared benefits of people, planet, prosperity and peace.” It brings together governments, bilateral and multilateral organizations, civil society, the private sector and representatives from parliaments and trade unions among others, who are committed to strengthening the effectiveness of their partnerships for development. The 2023-2026 Global Partnership Work Programme aims to strengthen the effectiveness of development cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and ensure that no one is left behind.  The Work Programme outlines three strategic priorities; generating evidence through the GPEDC monitoring exercise; driving informed policy dialogue and action through country dialogues and strategic partnerships; and, fostering political awareness behaviour change and update through targeted outreach and advocacy. 

Since its inception, the Global Partnership has benefitted from institutional support from UNDP together with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which together constitute the OECD-UNDP Joint Support Team. Annex 3 of the 2022 Geneva Outcome Document sets out the core functions of the Joint Support Team, which include: a) Management of the GPEDC Monitoring Framework and Process; b) Secretariat services and Advisory Services to Co-Chairs and Steering Committee; and c) Advocacy, Strategic Communications, Learning, and Knowledge Management support. 

Among other things, the UNDP side of the JST provides country-level guidance to strengthen capacities for more effective development co-operation management, supports and tracks progress toward development effectiveness commitments through the monitoring exercise, provides substantive support to DCO in their role on the GPEDC Steering Committee as the UNDS representative, as well as facilitates knowledge sharing, communications and advocacy support to anchor development effectiveness and the work of the Global Partnership to spur implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

 

Position Purpose:

The Temporary Team Lead will manage the Effective Development Cooperation Team that supports the work of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
 

Duties and Responsibilities

 Provide strategic leadership of the UNDP side of the Joint Support Team (JST)

• Leads strategic planning and execution of the GPEDC Work Programme in line with the Joint Support Team’s core functions in close collaboration with the GPEDC Co-Chairs and the OECD team lead 
• Provides strategic guidance to the GPEDC Co-Chairs and Steering Committee members on issues related but not limited to execution of the GPEDC Work Programme, policy, research and trends related to effective development cooperation, synergies with UN processes and international fora
• Manage reputational risks to UNDP and the broader UN and take appropriate actions to address them
• Provide strategic guidance to the team on coordination and engagement with government officials engaging in GPEDC work, as well as UN country level colleagues, including RCs, RCOs, UNDP Country Offices and other engaged UNCT members
• Review and oversee the preparation of the team’s annual budget and ensure that financial management and oversight are in place in accordance with UN rules and regulations 
• Prepare annual work plans and ensure their tracking and monitoring on a regular basis 
• Coordinate the mid-term progress monitoring and evaluation of the project.

 

Lead policy advice and technical assistance on Global Partnership’s partner country engagement

• Lead strategies for increased and deepened engagement of partner country governments and stakeholders in Global Partnership’s activities, in support of the co-chairs and Steering Committee members from partner country governments and through leveraging connections across UNDP’s BERA and Global Policy Network 
• Strengthen the Global Partnership’s Partner Country Government engagement, through uptake of the Global Partnership’s agenda and its monitoring 
• Develop and/or consolidate Global Partnership’s policy documents that support multi-stakeholder dialogue and a whole-of-government effort to operationalization of effective development cooperation principles
• Contribute to analysis and the development of substantive materials on issues related to effective development cooperation

 

Build strategic partnerships and resource mobilization

• Lead resource mobilization activities to meet the needs of the UNDP side of the Joint Support Team
• Build strategic relationships with donors, including broadening the donor base and improving the predictability of the team’s funding where possible
• Oversee the development, agreement and implementation of grant agreements, donor reporting requirements and related materials and processes   
• Represent the GPEDC externally at conferences, meetings, consultations and outreach events
• Manage relations and work closely with the RC/RCOs in targeted countries and DCO Secretariat counterparts
• Provide oversight of the project’s subcontractors
• Ensure the delivery of the communications and advocacy plan, making use of a variety of technologies and information platforms
• Guide the development of briefing notes and speeches for the GPEDC cochairs and DCO ASG
• Ensure timely and quality delivery of Programme outputs and reports in accordance with the programme of work and donor commitments

 

Lead Knowledge sharing and advocacy related to effective development cooperation 

• Oversee the knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned from GPEDC implementation, ensuring that knowledge sharing, and content management is in line with guidelines and performed using corporate tools; and 
• Coordinate the development and sharing of knowledge-based tools and guidance under the GPEDC project to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area and present such material at various fora 
• Manage knowledge preparation of partner country governments’ led knowledge pieces on effective development cooperation and stories of progress 
• Provide substantive inputs and organizational support to Steering Committee meetings as well as other meetings of the Global Partnership
• Contribute to global policy dialogue relating to effective development cooperation, including preparation of background documents, substantive inputs and analysis, briefing materials and speaking notes as requested.

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

 

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: 

• Supervise and manage performance of 4 IPs and 4 IPSAs holders

 

Competencies

Core    CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)

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.

People Management:

• UNDP People: Management Competencies can be found on the dedicated site. 

 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
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

Business Development- Knowledge facilitation 

• Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

Business management – Partnerships Management        

• Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Business Management – Communication              

• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience
• Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Management – Monitoring       

• Ability to provide mangers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Effectiveness          

• Development partnership architecture

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Effectiveness          

• Global monitoring of SDG 17 indicators

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Policy, Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies or any other related field is required, OR
• A first level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the abovementioned fields, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

 

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of work experience in international development, with at least 2 years working on development cooperation issues at country level is required. 
• Experience in the fields of effective development cooperation with understanding of global commitments made in Busan, Paris and Accra Declaration is required. 
• Experience directly advising/supporting national governments in development cooperation, development partnerships and sustainable development efforts is required. 
• Experience in excellent networking and partnership building skills in a complex institutional setting is desired. 
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills with ability to express ideas clearly, concisely, and effectively both orally and in writing is desired. 
• Experience with the workings of the UN system including UNDP Country Offices and the UN Resident Coordinator System at country level is an asset. 

 

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English (both written and oral) is required. 
• Knowledge of another UN language especially French and Spanish is highly desirable.

 

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders) 

 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

 

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

 

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  

 UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 

 

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

 

This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position: 

• Application preparation: Before you apply for this position: Improve your application documents by registering for a Job Application Support. Our coaches are here to help tailor your application to the requirements of the job (service provided at your own cost). 

• Interview preparation: When invited to the interview: Prepare for the interview by registering for a Job Application Support. 

• Additional services for  Swiss nationals who get invited to  the selection process (written test, interview, assessment centre, etc.): 

  • Let us know by writing to [email protected]. We flag matching applications to HR partners and SDC/SECO for visibility. 

  • Benefit from free interview/assessment preparation by registering here: Interview and Assessment Centre Preparation for Jobs in Multilateral Organisations. Our coaches stand ready to help prepare for upcoming interview/assessment centre.​