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.
UNDP Bangladesh is currently facilitating the set-up of an Innovation Lab within the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) to support their objective of transforming Dhaka into a smart city, aligned with the country’s vision 2041. The innovation lab will focus on integrating research and development (R&D) into DNCC’s decision-making processes to craft comprehensive and sustainable solutions that enhance citizen’s wellbeing against the city’s most pressing and complex challenges. The lab will then test the solutions for effectiveness; explore their potential translation into policies, investments, and behavior change pathways; establish ways for scaling innovations; and foster a culture of creativity, collaboration, and capacity development.
The primary focus of the Innovation Lab would be centered around the City’s livability and Citizens’ wellbeing. The lab will take on issues such as urban mobility and accessibility, air quality, air quality, zero waste, mosquito control, circular/Green Dhaka and operational efficiency and citizen centric service delivery.
The innovation lab, in close collaboration with UNDP’s innovation units, will –
- Support DNCC through policy R&D across the cycle: understanding systemic drivers and collective perspectives underlying the identified priority complex challenges through system mapping, ethnography, collective intelligence, and data innovation, facilitate the emergence of a coherent set of solutions using diverse levers of change: for policy and fiscal tools to technology and behavior change.
- Facilitate integration of R&D principles and outcomes into the policy and delivery agenda of DNCC by enabling cross-department collaboration culture and openness.
- Support DNCC in citizen engagement around priority policy issues and help build collective ownership around pathways and solutions coming out of the R&D work facilitated by the Lab.
- Provide a safe space for exploration and experimentation (including through design of city sandboxes) to help DNCC take timely and impactful policy decisions in priority areas.
- Design and build support for scaling of the successful sets of solutions.
- Position DNCC in global and regional urban innovation and transformation space.
The Strategic Design Analyst will report to the Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh
Duties and Responsibilities:
Focusing on investigating systemic challenges, the main responsibility of the Strategic Design Analyst is to lead Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Lab in supporting the adoption of innovative and system transformation approaches for strategy formulation and process development, to prioritized complex challenges faced by the City. They will also develop strategic engagements for DNCC to unlock and connect policy, programming and partnership opportunities to enable collective design and execution of solutions. The Strategic Design Analyst will work closely with the Data Expert in codifying learning and supporting policy experimentations on complex challenges in the country. Under this mandate, the following tasks are expected to be performed:
The key scope of work for the Strategic Design Analyst shall be to;
- Develop research plans, processes, and tools to investigate complex challenges faced by Dhaka North City.
- Conduct field work as well as synthesize insights to bring new learnings to the DNCC Lab.
- Jointly with Data Expert continuously integrate the emerging R&D into DNCC’s decision-making cycle to help operationalize and test recommendations of the policy R&D.
- Communicate projects in a fresh, relevant, and compelling way to support partnership efforts.
- Help DNCC build openness and support for the new ways of system transformation as part of DNCC administration and culture.
The Strategic Design Analyst will undertake the following tasks:
Ensuring effective provision of high-quality & relevant research and development by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Lab:
- Craft research plans and the preparation for fieldwork and immersion.
- Compile, summarize, and present data/previous research on specific projects and related topics or issues.
- Identify and apply relevant tools, methods, and resources for the implementation of qualitative research methodologies on urban development challenges, informed by system thinking, service design, behavioral insights, futures/foresight and others.
- Contribute to analysis, synthesis, and crafting of research outputs in written and visual forms.
- Assist with the deployment of resources for DNCC key initiatives.
- Contribute to reporting to relevant stakeholders.
Management of policy experimentation processes with key government partners and other relevant stakeholders:
- Translate actionable intelligence emerging from the research into policy experiments/frameworks.
- Collaborate with key policy stakeholders on the design of experiments across to validate hypotheses and test the efficacy of policy offers through prototypes, including defining variables, formulating hypotheses, and coordinating experimental protocols.
- Develop a framework to capture the learning from experiments that favors critical reflection and adaptation in implementation.
- Provide strategical guidance for experiment design, roll-out and validation based on feedback, resources available and other requirements.
- Proactively manage risks within policy experiments including those related to reputational, ethics and privacy.
- Examine the results from the testing of policy experimentation and translate them into proposal informing government programmatic decisions on next steps and implications for improvement and scaling-up, where applicable.
Management and coordination to ensure timely and quality delivery of DNCC key initiatives:
- Coordinate the implementation of fieldwork and/or remote qualitative data collection.
- Lead & conduct the preparation and delivery of reports in line with monitoring and reporting requirements.
- Provide feedback and support to DNCC and relevant entities such as UNDP Bangladesh and a2i.
- Assist the coordination with stakeholders for the implementation of DNCC initiatives.
Develop, manage, and disseminate knowledge products focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Facilitation of trainings for DNCC and key partners’ staff, shaping the demand for systemic transformation.
- Synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in project support management function.
- Leading the DNCC Lab in designing and disseminating Knowledge Products (playbooks, toolkits, etc.) that help unpack the challenges of the city and ensuring contribution to knowledge network as well as communities of practice.
- Documenting the Innovation journey of DNCC Lab for story-telling purpose, that could help win public participation and scaling the potential solutions.
- Effective contribution for gender mainstreaming learning and knowledge sharing in the country.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
The incumbent of the position should avoid any kind of discriminatory behavior including gender discrimination and ensure that:
- Human rights and gender equality is prioritized as an ethical principle within all actions;
- Activities are designed and implemented in accordance with “Social and Environmental Standards” that is adhere by DNCC;
- Any kind of diversities based on ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, class, gender is respected within all implementations including data production;
- Differentiated needs of women and men are considered;
- Inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as disability gender language barrier is created;
- Necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings etc. introduced.
Competencies:
Core competencies:
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Cross-Functional & Technical 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 Development
- Knowledge Generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need
- Human-centered Design: Ability to develop solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the problem-solving process
Digital & Innovation
- Experimentation: Ability to design, run and manage tests to evaluate ideas, solutions, or interventions to address development challenges, observe and learn about (system-wide) effects and implications; Selecting appropriate experimentation methods, tools to fit with specific learning purposes (probe, trail & error, validate), conditions and constraints; being able to assess their potential risks, trade-offs and ethical ramifications; Ability to turn test results into recommendations, document and present them in compelling ways to inform further improvements, iterative development cycles, planning and decision making
- Co-creation: Ability to design and facilitate a process that enables a diverse group of stakeholders to solve a common problem, develop a practice, or create knowledge together; Ability to embrace diversity, work with a diverse group of stakeholders understand their interests, perspectives and views and tap into to them as a source for creativity; Ability to facilitate processes and create conditions that are open for diverse inputs, stimulate collaboration and sharing
- Portfolio design & management: Ability to identify leverage points in systems and design interventions that address them. The value of the interventions is determined not in isolation, but as part of the overall portfolio and their coherence; Ability to design processes that extract learning on an ongoing basis from existing portfolios, so that learning accrues over time and new options for action are continuously generated; Build a learning ecosystem around a complex development challenge: being able to mobilize a variety of stakeholders and help them learn and work together; Understand key principles of systems and complexity theory.
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
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in Business Administration Engineering, Social Science (psychology, anthropology, sociology, economics, international development), Environmental Science, Transition or Complexity Science, Engineering Design (industrial or service design, architecture, urban planning), communications, or a related area, is required. OR
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with additional 2 years of years of qualifying relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of an advanced university degree
Experience:
- Minimum of 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience, preferably in the field of innovation management, design research and international development either in public or private sector
- Demonstrated experience in conducting field or remote qualitative research.
- Demonstrated experience in crafting research tools and outputs for qualitative research.
- Demonstrated ability to design policy experiments, validate hypotheses and test prototypes.#
- Proven experience of working effectively in a team with diverse cultural and academic backgrounds#At least two-years of experience in areas of either qualitative social research, human centered design, user experience, behavioral insights, or futures and foresights would be an advantage
- Experience working in a target oriented corporate environment and/or start-ups would be an asset.
- Experience working with Government of Bangladesh would be an asset.
- Prior experience with Government and Multilateral Organization procedures would be desirable
Required Languages:
Disclaimer
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.