Policy Specialist, Inclusive Growth

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policies and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices, advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government, and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists 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. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, as well as knowledge and data driven, including in its programme support efforts.

The UNDP Regional Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean provides policy advice and technical support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation at the national and sub-national levels. It notably does so, through the analysis of national policies and generation of policy alignment proposals, technical support to the establishment of monitoring systems and the development of national statistical capacities, publication of key reports, and the systematization and transfer of good practices. It supports initiatives to track the progress of the SDGs while developing and improving disaggregated data for better identifying and targeting vulnerable and excluded groups. By establishing national priorities, it supports the coordination between national and regional actors, building on national-level efforts to ensure coherence and consistency.

To tackle inequality and foster prosperity, the Inclusive Growth Team (IG) of the UNDP Regional Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean invests in enhancing the capabilities people need to move above the poverty line and keep moving forwards. With such purpose the Inclusive Growth Team focuses its actions on identifying, protecting, and empowering.

Position Purpose

UNDP is seeking to recruit a Policy Specialist on Inclusive Growth that will report to the Regional Team Lead of Inclusive Growth at UNDP Regional Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Policy Specialist will further the team’s work on inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth, addressing multidimensional poverty, human development, spatial and social inequalities, jobs and livelihoods, social security, with a special emphasis on the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), local economic development, urbanization, with a focus on a just, green and digital transitions, and relevant policy, research, and programmatic support to UNDP’s Country Offices and Regional Bureaus of other regions. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the Policy Specialist will play an active role in advancing UNDP’s programmatic offer on inclusive growth, with a special focus on SMEs development, and knowledge management within UNDP’s Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality, leveraging UNDP’s portfolio of tools, methods, and strategies on inclusive growth and sustainable development. Specifically, the Policy Specialist for Inclusive Growth in UNDP BPPS will be responsible for: 

• Programme Support to Advance UNDP’s Offers Policy Advice, Development and Positioning Partnership and Coordination Knowledge Management.

UNDP adopts an integrated and systemic approach to accommodate changing business needs, and leverages linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of the interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that calls for the assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure Programme Support to Advance UNDP’s Offers

• Advance the UNDP Inclusive Growth Team’s work especially on the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), local economic development, economic recovery, urbanization, with a focus on a just, green, and digital transition, giving relevant analysis and guidance by providing technical policy advice and programme support documents that respond to and country office needs and other regional hubs if requested.
• Support country offices in integrating policy advice in country programme frameworks and projects as it relates to economic development, inclusive growth, and the achievement of sustainable development both in crisis and development settings.
• Develop relevant strategic guidance, along with UNDP tools, methodologies, and services with a special focus on supporting SMEs and value chains to reduce poverty and foster prosperity, adapting them to different countries, regions, thematic areas, and contexts on key emerging policy agendas related to inclusive growth programmatic areas in line with the Strategic Plan priorities.
• Provide support to corporate processes including integrated working plan, reporting of annual results, and support the follow up to the thematic evaluations’ recommendations.
• Incorporate gender equality and human rights’-based approach in policy and programming work.

Provision of Policy Advice, Development and Positioning

• Prepare briefing notes and speeches for senior leadership and management on issues relevant to the Inclusive Growth Team, with a special focus on the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), local economic development, economic recovery, urbanization, with a focus on a just, green, and digital transitions.
• Produce relevant analysis, inputs, and guidance, on emerging issues related to inclusive growth, including multidimensional poverty and inequalities, jobs and livelihoods, skills development and MSMEs, social security, and urban and local economic development.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for development of new policies and support the coordination of team priorities and workplans.
• Provide substantive input in the process of advocating the importance of the thematic area of Poverty and Inclusive Growth in various fora, including academia and civil society.
• Support team’s engagement in UN interagency coordination in relevant policy areas by providing research insights in specific thematic areas, by organizing and participating in globally focused meetings.

Build Strategic Partnerships and Coordination

• Strengthen the Inclusive Growth Team’s partnerships and collaboration with notable organizations – including public and private, as well as civil society organizations – on relevant thematic areas to advance UNDP’s policy and programmatic work, with a special focus on the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), local economic development, economic recovery, urbanization, with a focus on a just, green, and digital transitions.
• Lead the submission of substantive inputs to the work in related UN interagency and other relevant multi-stakeholder processes and UN Task Forces, as it relates to inclusive growth.
• Participate in relevant external meetings, including resource mobilization, partnership and advocacy activities with UN partners, and external stakeholders.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for related resource mobilization in line with corporate guidelines and strategies.
• Prepare concept notes, speaker suggestions, convene development partners, and support organization of high-level and side events at conferences.

Facilitate Knowledge Management

• Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned and support to corporate knowledge management activities to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area of Inclusive Growth.
• Collect data, information at regional levels, to identify lessons learnt and best practices to be used at regional level, from different COs.
• Organize webinars and trainings on emerging trends pertaining to inclusive growth to facilitate knowledge exchange among COs, Headquarters, Regional Bureaus, and Regional Hubs.
• Contribute to the development and review of knowledge products in close coordination with Regional Hub Teams and HQs by analyzing and sharing lessons learnt, best practices, and programme evaluation results.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice, including the Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality to help advance policy dialogues and programme delivery to achieve the SDGs.

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

Competencies

Core:
Achieve Results:               

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact.

Think Innovatively:

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

Learn Continuously:

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

Adapt with Agility: 

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

Act with Determination:               

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results.

Engage and Partner:

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion:

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity.

Cross-Functional & Technical
Business Direction and Development: Systems 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 Management: Portfolio Management

• Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization’s programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.
• Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment.
• Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.

Partnership Management: Resource Mobilization            

• Ability to identify funding sources, match funding needs (programmes/projects/initiatives) with funding opportunities and establish a plan to meet funding requirements.

2030 Agenda: Prosperity – Inclusive Growth        

• Social Inclusion.

2030 Agenda: Prosperity – Inclusive Growth        

• SDGs/National Development Strategy, Planning and Budgeting.

2030 Agenda: Prosperity – Inclusive Growth        

• Poverty and Inequality Metrics.

Business Management: Partnerships Management          

• 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.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in International Relations, Development Studies, Economics, Public Policy, Sustainable Development, Geography or related field. OR
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned 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 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional relevant work experience, including policy advisory experience, project implementation, and understanding of country needs in different development contexts is required.
• Proven work experience in fields related to inclusive and sustainable growth, development planning, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, local economic development is required.
• Policy advisory experience in applied research on global development and sustainable development issues in different development contexts highly desirable.
• Solid experience in working with SMEs development applied to different sectors in crisis and development settings is desirable.
• Familiarity with the development of SMES in the mining sector will be considered as an asset.
• Solid experience of engaging in UN inter-governmental processes and leading the organization of high-level events and multi-stakeholder consultations is an asset.
• Demonstrated familiarity with integrated programming and ability to work across a broad range of thematic areas is desirable.
• Demonstrated work experience in preparing policy briefs and remarks for senior management, and leading research is an asset.
• Experience working in developing country settings is required. Experience in LAC is an asset.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), statistical programmes (STATA, etc), project management software (MS Project) and data analytics tools (Tableau, PowerBI, Python) is an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in both English and Spanish is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is desired.