Project and Portfolio Development Specialist – P3

BACKGROUND

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.

UNDP’s presence in the Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH) of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) delivers a full range of policy, programme, and operations support to 24 Country Offices (COs) in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of the Country Office Support and Quality Assurance (COSQA) Unit, the Management Advisory Services Team (MAST) provides strategic management oversight and advisory support. As part of the team, the incumbent will work with evidence and data to analyze performance indicators and contribute to the Regional Bureau’s quality assurance and oversight actions to enhance the Regional Bureau and CO management performance. S/he will also work closely with different teams in the Regional Bureau and Country Offices, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), Bureau for Management Services (BMS), Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC), and Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) to ensure coherent, timely, and appropriately prioritized measures and solutions. 

A comprehensive review of trends of observations from the country office audits carried out by the Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) across various RBAP offices, audits of directly implemented projects (DIM), mid-term reviews, and terminal evaluations of projects indicate persistent weakness in programme and project management, with a focus on the project design stage, whereby results frameworks, multi-year work planning and proper costing of procurement and human resource plans in the projects were cited. This ultimately leads to a diminished ability to articulate and demonstrate project results, the unclear correlation between resources spent and results, and failure to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our development interventions or contribution to sustainable development goals. 

 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Project and Portfolio Development Specialist provides substantive advisory support to Country Offices in the region on the alignment of Vertical Funds (GEF, GCF, and others) and non-VF projects and ensures oversight of the formulation of the projects and portfolios in the region from project concept to initiation plan and full project document as well as portfolio documents, focusing but not limited to the quality assurance of programme related aspects of the design, management arrangements, management of risks, selection of partners, and all other requirements defined in the UNDP programming quality standards/criteria. S/he also works closely with the subject matter experts and country specialists in the COSQA, Global Policy Network (GPN), and other teams in the Bangkok Regional Hub, BPPS and Regional Technical Advisors, performing quality assurance functions on all aspects of VF and non-VF project formulation and flags issues of concern on those requiring higher CO and RBAP management attention promptly.

Under the overall guidance of the Management Advisor and direct supervision of the Programme Management Specialist in the Regional Bureau, working in close collaboration with the Risk Management Specialist, Management and Oversight Team, Country Programme Specialists, GPN, and the Regional Technical Advisors of the BPPS, s/he guides the COs in ensuring the quality of the project design in line with programming standards of UNDP. 

To be successful in this role, the Project and Portfolio Development Specialist should have the ability to think creatively and connect the dots across programme, operations, and project management. S/he should also have excellent people and communication skills and a keen interest and track record in designing and facilitating engaging and interactive training events for clients. 

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 to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Key duties and accountabilities include:

• Ensure guidance and quality assurance to COs on the formulation of the portfolios in the Asia-Pacific region.
• Provide oversight of the design of development interventions for the optimization of development results.
• Accelerate measures to shift from projects to portfolio approaches.
• Capacity development and knowledge management on project and portfolio design.

Ensure guidance and quality assurance on the formulation of the portfolios in the Asia-Pacific region:

• Provide advice to COs in project formulation for high-priority non-VF and VF projects, focusing on quality standards and guiding on governance and management arrangements, partners’ selection, financial management, procurement, human resources, programme finance, and enterprise risk management.
• In close consultation with the relevant teams and technical experts/project developers in Country Offices, BPPS Regional Technical Advisors/Specialists, Regional Bureau staff, BMS, and others, provide advisory services and support in line with donor policies throughout project implementation, monitoring, and closure.
• Proactive guidance to COs on the analyses required in project formulation, such as updated and evidence-based partners’ capacity assessments, social and environmental screenings and assessments, private sector risk assessment, market analyses, requisite feasibility studies, country office capacities, etc.
• Guide COs on programme oversight requirements to be planned and budgeted during project formulation to ensure alignment with corporate and donors’ expectations.
• Ensure COs use existing data on partners’ performance, HACT assurance activities, evaluations, social and environmental assessments, risk dashboards, audits, and other corporate tools to strengthen the formulation of the projects within the Vertical Fund portfolio.
• Advice on establishing mechanisms for pre-appraisal and quality assurance reviews of the draft project documents to improve programming quality.
• Establish a database of good quality indicators to support offices in the design of initiatives.

Provide oversight on the design of development interventions for the optimization of development results:

• Oversee the quality of concept notes, project initiation plans, and project documents in consultation with relevant staff in the Regional Bureau, BPPS, and BMS before submission to ensure complete alignment with corporate policies, standards, and directions as well as donors’ requirements.
• Provide oversight on the work of experts/consultants and quality assure their technical inputs to the project design.
• Review and advise on adequate governance arrangements and monitoring systems during project design stages (multi-country and standard development projects).
• Ensure the application of the Enterprise Risk Management policies by COs throughout the design of projects, with specific emphasis on social and environmental risks, partner risk assessments, and programmatic, financial, organizational, and operational risks.
• Participate in concept appraisal meetings and quality assurance of concept notes, proposals, and project documents, including required supporting documents/annexes, to facilitate the Regional Bureau’s review and clearance processes.
• Oversee appraisal reviews and assessments for development projects and perform quality assurance throughout the project design phase in line with UNDP programming standards.
• Conduct internal mapping of subject area experts and establish a roster of profiles for effective design mechanisms.
• Manage the roster and long-term agreement of project design experts, monitor contracts, and evaluate the quality of services.
• Ensure the design of projects is in line with the quality standards of UNDP programme management, and oversight capacities in all projects are in place to ensure that the assurance function is performed consistently and following corporate and donor standards.

Accelerate measures to shift from projects to portfolio approaches:

• Contribute to collecting, compiling, analyzing, and interpreting country office data on implementing the Vertical Fund and non-VF portfolio in the region.
• Provide strategic advice to shift projects to portfolios, review ongoing and pipeline projects to identify areas for integrated programming, and coordinate with relevant teams in the Regional Bureau, Country Offices, and GPN to design portfolio strategies, targeted support, and enhanced oversight.
• Contribute to the quality checks of CO portfolios in aspects of implementation using various monitoring mechanisms and tools to maintain compliance with the management arrangements; identify any deviations and flag any risks or potential issues for the design of the pipeline projects; and identify course corrections as required.
• Ensure the risks identified through the application of UNDP’s ERM policy are appropriately escalated to relevant authorities for addressing them through the implementation of respective management plans, documentation of grievances, and escalation of this as applicable.
• Analyze COs’ data and case evidence to distill relevant lessons on policy implementation to push for further policy changes as needed.
• Work with relevant HQ teams in BPPS and BMS for portfolio management in corporate systems and platforms by tapping into the accumulated experience and piloting programmes and projects.

Capacity development and knowledge management on project and portfolio design:

• In close collaboration with relevant Regional Bureau, BPPS and BMS teams contribute to developing and delivering modular training packages to strengthen COs’ and partners’ capacities in the region’s programmatic and operational oversight and management of portfolios.
• Collate lessons learned and ensure knowledge and experience sharing across the region.
• As needed, provide capacity development support to CO staff in programme/project management and Vertical Funds requirements.
• Contribute to regional capacity-building efforts and the planning and delivery of regional workshops and learning events on programme and project management.
• Participate in and bring CO and regional perspectives into implementing policy and strategic initiatives at the regional and HQ levels to support the key results, outcomes, and outputs of the UNDP Strategic Plan.
• Provide backstopping and/or capacity support on programme/project management in COs when needed or as the Supervisor advises.
• Support regional initiatives and lead assigned activities as and when required.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Environmental Studies, International Development, Project Management, Social and Political Sciences, or related field is required. A Bachelor’s degree in combination with two more years of qualifying relevant work experience may also be accepted.
• Certification in programme/project management (e.g., PRINCE, MSP, PMP, etc.) and/or accounting/audit areas will be a distinct advantage.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills: 

• A minimum 5 years (with Master’s) or 7 years (with Bachelor’s) of relevant experience in programme and project design at national or international level is required.
• Experience of working in the UN/UNDP country offices at a National Officer grade is a distinct advantage.
• Good knowledge of the UN or UNDP programming and project management policies and processes is a requirement.
• Understanding of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) policies and procedures is highly advantageous. 
• Hands-on experience in designing, implementing, monitoring, and reporting development projects and portfolios is desirable.
• Experience in using computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, and experience in handling web-based management systems is required.
• Experience with ERP systems such as Oracle Cloud is desirable.

Language Requirements: 

• Full proficiency in oral and written English is required.

 

COMPETENCIES

Core Competencies: 

• 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 & Technical Competencies: 

Business Management:

• Risk Management: Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
• Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment
• Resource Management: Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity
• Internal Reporting and Accountability: Ability to create internal reporting and accountability processes and standards
• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
• Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication
• Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making

Business Development: Collective intelligence design 

• Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to design services or solutions

Policy and Programme: Effectiveness 

• Performance and data analysis and sharing lesson

Note: Please upload copies of your academic qualifications and 3 latest performance evaluations (if applicable). 

 

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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. 

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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.

 

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