Regional Digital Specialist

UNDP launched its first Digital Strategy in mid-2019 to harness digital transformation within the organization. Building on a long history of project-level digital support for partners, the strategy represented a systematic and corporate-driven transformation process to reimagine the way UNDP serves its partners and operates its systems and processes. The first Digital Strategy proved to be prescient given the incredible acceleration in digital transformation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. UNDP has changed significantly over the past two and a half years, developing new capabilities in digital programming, and strengthening its digital capabilities. UNDP will continue to accelerate these efforts in response to growing demand from partner governments. UNDP will also continue to support its development partners to ensure that the arc of future digital transformation protects human rights and leaves no one behind. The Digital Strategy 2022-2025 directly responds to and builds upon UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, which highlights the critical role of digital technology in achieving development outcomes. In UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, digitalization is outlined as one of three key enablers – along with strategic innovation and development financing – that will drive UNDP’s efforts towards the 2030 agenda over the next four years. The Strategic Plan notes that digital is to be built into all dimensions of UNDP’s work, including in the programming of its six Signature Solutions. It also notes the need for UNDP to support its partners in holistic digital transformation efforts, to advocate for inclusive and responsible digital solutions for sustainable development, and to continue its digital transformation. 

The focus of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC) is to help countries in the region build and share solutions in their sustainable development pathways, with inclusive and effective democratic governance, building climate and disaster resilience. Our goal is to strengthen capacities and provide an enabling environment for access to opportunities, focusing on the most vulnerable and excluded population groups – in ways that are sustainable from economic, social, and environmental standpoints. The Bureau works with governments, civil society organizations and the private sector to develop national and local capacities and building stronger institutions that offer quality services for their citizens, integrate environmental considerations into development plans and strategies, and effectively target policies to reduce poverty and provide social protection for those in need.

Inclusive digital transformation stands at the forefront of priorities for LAC. Frontier technologies (Artificial intelligence, Blockchain, Big data, The Metaverse, Bioprinting, Quantum computing) have the potential of drastically altering the labor market and the broader economic and social landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean. As they continue to advance, they present both transformative opportunities and challenges that could reshape the future of work within the region. Given this context, UNDP RBLAC through its Digital HUB is developing a series of actions as a response to the need of insuring a sustainable and equitable future for digital transformation in the region.

Scope of Work

• This role will be a pivotal position to provide effective digital policy and programmatic support and coordination of digital initiatives across the RBLAC region. It will lead LAC’s Digital Hub 4 Development, which aims to serve as a regional centralized entity driving and mainstreaming digitalization within the LAC region. Its core mission is to strategically articulate, cultivate, and expedite UNDP’s digital objectives, initiatives, supporting Country Offices and Governments to accelerate digital transformation in the region.
• The position will work with country offices across the region to ensure that digital is integrated into UNDP programming and projects, and in collaboration with the relevant teams in the Bureau and Regional Hub in Panama. Moreover, it will coordinate interventions and strategies with the Chief Digital Office. It will also act as a focal point for countries in the region experimenting with new digital approaches and tools to advance development goals and scaling proven solutions.

The duties can be broadly clustered into four areas:

Policy Advisory

• Provide policy insights to RBLAC, the Regional Hub in Panama and country offices in the region, to support the delivery of UNDP digital programming, in line with UNDP’s Digital Strategy.
• Provide technical assistance on the introduction of digital into national policies, development strategies and plans.
• Support in mainstreaming of digital considerations and digital indicators into regional, national, and sub-national adaption strategies and plans.
• Work with country offices on policy issues over more extended periods when required.
• Ensure that human rights, gender, and climate considerations are at the forefront of UNDP’s digital policy and programming work.
• Provide advice and support to UNDP leadership, member states and partners on digital, data, innovation, and frontier technologies, amongst others.
• Offer expertise in drafting digital policies, strategies, and regulations in alignment with global best practices and tailored to the specific needs of the country.
• Support the implementation of e-governance solutions.

Knowledge, Learning and Global Networking

• Compiling experiences and lessons learned from what countries are doing, both at the national and subnational or local levels, and support learning.
• Consolidate and systematize UNDP’s own digital efforts in the region, increasing the visibility and impact of ongoing projects and promoting new initiatives in this area.
• Engage, collaborate, and develop a community with the Digital Advocates across country offices in the region.
• Work with other regional facilitators and Digital Advocates across other regions to ensure effective knowledge sharing at a global level.
• Work closely with the Chief Digital Office (CDO) to support the implementation of the Digital Strategy 2022-2025. Ensure effective communication between RBLAC and CDO on key digital topics.
• Collaborate with specialists on external communications to ensure UNDP’s thought leadership in digital is recognized, including co-producing content for online and offline media.
• Assess digital demand in the region.
• Curate successful digital solutions within UNDP
• Adapt, build and test successful products and services responsibly.
• Identify and address barriers to scaling and adoption.

Programming Support

• Work with different Global Policy Network (GPN) teams to integrate digital into UNDP regional programming, and to foster the application of UNDP’s inclusive whole-of-society digital transformation framework.
• Support country offices with integrating digital into the formulation of new country programmes, as well as advising on digital initiatives relevant to the regional programming document.
• Prepare concept notes and business cases to support the implementation of digital transformation projects for UNDP country offices.
• Work with CDO and regional team to identify and act upon opportunities to support the development of inclusive digital ecosystems.
• Support the delivery of Digital Readiness Assessments, other digital surveys or assessments, and other new programming tools in the region or at country offices.
• Work to incorporate Digital Public Goods and Digital Public Infrastructure as required, and support turning flagship digital solutions in the region into global digital public goods.
• Identify digital solutions to achieve UNDP’s targeted development outcomes.
• Consistently scan, analyse, and bring modern technological and ICT solutions to UNDP policies, programmes or offerings, enabling UNDP response to (national) development priorities with the use of digital technologies.

Regional Engagement

• Ensure effective coordination of country office support requests related to digital, in collaboration with regional GPN and country support colleagues.
• Support digital capacity building in the regional bureau and country offices, including organizing trainings on key digital topics, identifying capacity gaps and supporting hiring of digital experts.
• Identify opportunities for the implementation of key digital initiatives, products, and services in the region.
• Identify opportunities to raise funds for digital activities in the region.

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful IPSA

Min. Education requirements   

• Advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Computer, Management, Political Science, Administration, Economics, Development, Social Sciences, or related fields; or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above-related fields with an additional 2 years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience              

• Minimum 5 years (with a Master’s degree) or 7 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in development issues in the region, preferably with a focus on inclusive digital transformation is required.

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/job/17568