Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Monitoring & Evaluation Intern

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 China is programming in line with the Country Programme Document (CPD), under which the work domains include 3 pillars: People and Prosperity, Planet, and Partnerships. The Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (SPRIMME) team serves as an overarching yet standalone planning, supporting and coordinating hub across these pillars, and the “central nervous system” as directly guided by the senior management of UNDP China. The team contributes to UNDP’s commitment to deliver high quality projects in a timely, efficient, and transparent manner, in close collaboration with all pillars and units.

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Resident Representative (DRR) and the supervision of the SPRIMME Officer of UNDP China, the intern will be dedicated to office-wide functions: providing advisory support to the senior management on office-wide strategic planning; collaborating with different teams to comply with UNDP headquarter/regional office in requested tasks; monitoring all projects in China to ensure continuous progress and complete compliance in each stage; providing support and troubleshooting for project units to strengthen the delivery and to mitigate potential risks. Moreover, the intern will be undertaking office-wide coordination and management functions, as requested by senior manager or supervisor.

Description of Responsibilities :

The intern is expected to assist the DRR and the SPRIMME Officer in the following key fields:

Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitoring overall project implementation with respect to progress and updates, delivery, project outcomes, outputs and indicators.
• Supporting the preparation of the annual Results Oriented Analysis Report (ROAR), including data collection, fact-checking, synthesis of inputs from multiple teams, and integration of evidence-based analysis to ensure results-oriented narratives.
• Assisting in the management of decentralized evaluations and ensuring quality assurance for evaluation terms of reference (TOR) and reports, in alignment with UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) guidelines.
• Analyzing key office-wide evaluations, program trends, portfolio breakdowns, and related data to support strategic planning and decision-making by the senior management team.
• Collaborating closely with UNDP headquarters in New York and regional office in Bangkok, coordinating with teams to ensure all periodic review tasks are effectively completed.

Programme Support and Risk Management

• Assisting in review as the gatekeeper for all programme documentations prior to the finalization/sign-off, providing quality assurance of project documents, work plans, MOUs, financing agreements, and ensuring the compliance with pertinent guidelines.
• Reviewing and compiling quantitative office-wide annual target, annual work plan, quarterly and annual report, etc. in extensive consultation with management team and multiple thematic teams.
• Assessing office-wide project risk management and providing advice on proper mitigation mechanisms. Participating external consultations with stakeholders and advising corrective measures to mitigate the risks.
• Working closely with external partners (incl. the government, private sectors, etc.) and project management offices (PMO) to ensure the outputs are delivered timely and transparently.

Knowledge Management and Ad-hoc Assignments

• Assisting in the creation and management of knowledge products, including newsletters, handbooks, and other programmatic documentation throughout UNDP China’s project implementation process.
• Assisting in organizing in-office knowledge-sharing activities and thematic trainings, as well as coordinating external training sessions for Project Management Offices (PMOs) across the country.
• Providing secretarial and coordination support for internal meetings, external meetings with government counterparts, and other Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities.

Performing additional ad-hoc duties as required.

Competencies:

• Detail-oriented and clear-minded person with strong ability to multitask and manage competing deadlines. Capable of coordinating different workflows and ensuring work is timely and error-freely delivered.
• Strong team player with competent inter-personal, negotiation and liaison skills. Ability to share information and coordinate efforts within the team.
• Self-starter with strong commitment and accountability in work.

Qualifications:

Education and Experience

Applicants majoring in Social Sciences, Economics, Statistics, Management, Law, or other related fields are encouraged to apply. We welcome applicants from diverse academic backgrounds and disciplines.

Candidates must meet one of the following educational requirements:

• Enrolled in a Master’s or in a PhD programme
• In the final year of a Bachelor’s programme;
• Or within one year after graduation from a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD programme,
• Or be enrolled in a postgraduate professional traineeship program and undertake the internship as part of this program;
• Experience in programme/project monitoring and evaluation would be an advantage.

Language and Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Mandarin.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office software package (MS Excel, Word, etc.) and web management system.
• Proficient in data maintenance and report analysis.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit your application with below documents in one PDF. For people who apply from UNDP Jobs, please note that the system will not accept the uploading of more than one document so please merge or scan all your documents into one prior to uploading.

a) CV and letter of motivation

b) Copy of school transcript

c) Indicate if you will be financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme, and the financial amount.

*Candidate who didn’t submit required documentation will not be further considered.

INTERNSHIP CONDITIONS

• Interns must provide proof of enrolment in health insurance plan and medical certificate of good health prior to starting the internship. Any cost arising from accidents and illness incurred during an internship assignment will be the responsibility of the intern.
• The stipend will be paid monthly. Interns will have 1.5 days of leave per month.
• Interns are responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed; Cost and arrangement for travel, visas, passports, accommodations and living expenses are the responsibility of the nominating institution, related institution or government, which may provide the required financial assistance to its students; or the intern.
• Interns must not apply for or be appointed to a position that should be encumbered by a staff number during the period of their internship. Interns are expected to fulfil the terms of their internships. Therefore, the internship must not be foreshortened for the purposes of allowing an intern to apply for a position.
• Interns are not staff members and may not represent UNDP in any official capacity.

Disclaimer

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.

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.

How cinfo Can Support You in the Application Process for This Position

• Application and Interview Preparation: Whether you’re preparing your application documents or getting ready for an interview, you can book a Job Application Support session to receive tailored guidance.
• For Swiss nationals invited to the first round of the selection process (e.g., written test, interview, assessment center): Notify us at recruitment@cinfo.ch, and we will inform our HR partners in the respective organization and the Swiss Government to help increase your visibility.

“Important Application Information:
Please submit your application only via the official website of the hiring organization or by using the “Apply” button on CinfoPoste, which will redirect you to the organization’s application site. Applications submitted through other job portals will not be forwarded to the respective organization and will not be considered. To ensure your application reaches the right destination, always follow the official application process as indicated in the job posting.”