UNDP: Programme and Liaison Analyst – Kigali

Background

In 2021, the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) launched the planning phase of the timbuktoo Initiative, a bold venture aimed at engaging African youth as entrepreneurs and innovators. The initiative”s core mission is to mobilize $1 billion, of which $350 million will serve as catalytic capital and over $650 million as commercial capital, to revitalize over 100 million livelihoods and generate 10 million new dignified jobs. The official launch of timbuktoo took place in January 2024, featuring the Catalytic Pan-African Innovation Fund under the broader timbuktoo Africa Innovation Fund umbrella. This fund was designed to bolster African startups across various thematic sectors, commencing with a strong backing of $50 million from world leaders and partners announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, aimed at nurturing the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the continent through a blend of commercial and catalytic funding.

In January 2024, UNDP launched the timbuktoo Initiative which includes a Catalytic Pan-African Innovation Fund designed to support African startups. Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Fund has already received a commitment of $3 million from the Government of Rwanda. The ambitious plan aims to mobilize and invest the targeted $1 billion to foster the growth and development of entrepreneurial ventures across the African continent. This focused approach, combined with a “blended capital” model that incorporates both commercial and catalytic funds, aims to reduce risks associated with private investment and foster a comprehensive startup ecosystem. The main target for the Execution Phase is to establish the institutional arrangements for the Fund, and crowd in additional investments on the catalytic side as well as kick off effective operationalization of the Initiative.

The timbuktoo initiative will establish 11 thematic vertical Hubs in Accra, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Kigali, Lagos, and Nairobi – to serve as critical intervention nodes with full innovation ecosystem support. Each hub will be sector-specific and engage with startups across Africa rather than only those based in the host country. These hubs will catalyze innovation for sustainable development transforming ideas into viable businesses critical for powering Africa’s transformation including through the African Continental Free Trade Area.  The timbuktoo initiative also features University Innovation Pods (UniPods) – bridging the gap between academic research and entrepreneurial application. The 26 UniPods already established within public universities, including in Benin, Guinea, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Liberia, will be linked to the above – mentioned hubs and act as a pipeline for the tech and tech-enabled innovation ventures that will receive ecosystem support and early-stage risk capital investment under the Hubs. The timbuktoo initiative is multi-pronged, focused on supporting and growing innovative, scalable, and impactful entrepreneurship by African young people, while relying on a springboard of partners who together contribute meaningfully to building an African youth innovation and startup ecosystem.  The timbuktoo approach will be anchored in seeking, nurturing, and building African solutions forwarded by Africa’s youth that directly address one or more of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

 

Position Purpose

The Programme and Liaison Analyst role exercises the responsibility to contribute to the facilitation of key strategies and alignment with regional and corporate priorities, tracks thematic hub performance against corporate standards and results, manages the alliance between UNDP and timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation under the directives of the timbuktoo Global Lead. To achieve these, effective communication of development results, representing UNDP in high-level forums, and managing stakeholder relationships especially as it relates to the timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation”s scope of work. Additional duties may be assigned to facilitate UNDP”s strategic goals in the host countries of each thematic hub for which regular support of integration would be required.

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 in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Liaison support across key corporate/thematic bodies of the timbuktoo programme

• Liaise UNDP, the Africa Service Centre, with timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation and contribute to advancing the credibility and recognition of UNDP’s capabilities in this knowledge domain while ensuring that the achievements and results of this spotlight Initiative are expanded and sustained.
• Facilitate regular coordination mechanisms such as meetings, joint reviews, and workshops to strengthen collaboration and ensure consistent programme delivery.
• Develop and maintain a tracking matrix to monitor thematic hub performance against corporate standards and ensure timely follow-up and reporting.

Administrative and programmatic support 

• Organize and coordinate strategic and operational meetings, missions, and events involving UNDP and Foundation stakeholders; prepare agendas, background materials, and ensure timely dissemination of preparatory documents.
• Take accurate, well-structured meeting minutes, circulate summaries with actionable follow-ups, and maintain decision logs and coordination calendars.
• Assist in the preparation of briefing notes, concept papers, and country-level assessments to inform hub strategies and operational decisions.
• Support the implementation of programmes during both pre-launch and post-launch phases of thematic hubs by reviewing background materials and evaluating innovation trends to guide decision-making in host countries.
• Track deliverables, deadlines, and documentation requirements for internal and external reporting, maintaining organized records of correspondence and programme activities.

Development of tools and resources, from across UNDP’s network of expertise.

• Support and contribute to the design and development of knowledge products including thematic briefs, policy papers, and innovation toolkits under the timbuktoo Programme.
• Support the documentation and dissemination of good practices, innovation trends, and results from pilot initiatives and hub interventions.
• Review and synthesize information from multiple sources to inform policy positioning, reporting, and knowledge-sharing strategies.

Knowledge management and community of practice networking

• Enable thematic Hub office facilitation of exchanges and experiences sharing were valuable.
• Coordinate the preparation of quarterly and annual progress reports in collaboration with the Foundation and UNDP country offices.
• Support the collation of hub data, contributions from different teams, and alignment of inputs with UNDP”s corporate indicators and reporting standards.
• Provide administrative and editorial support to produce reports, briefings, and visual materials showcasing results, challenges, and innovations.

Stakeholder Engagement, Advocacy, and Visibility

• Support the development of communication materials such as newsletters, presentations, and talking points for events, missions, and partner engagements.
• Facilitate the coordination of joint events, conferences, and study tours by managing invitations, event logistics, and stakeholder follow-ups.
• Maintain a central repository of engagement tools, MoUs, meeting records, and partnership documentation.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: No

 

Competencies

• Core Competencies: Full list of UNDP Core Competencies can be found here

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 and  Technical Competencies:

Business Management – 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.

Business Management – Knowledge Generation:

• Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.
• Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches.
• Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

Business Direction and Strategy – System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact other parts of the system.

Business Management – 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.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness – Effectiveness: Project Quality Assurance.

Business Management – Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.

Business Management – Project Management: Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master”s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, in international development, project management, Social Sciences, or related field is required, or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of an advanced university degree

Experience:

• A minimum of two years (with Master degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor`s degree) of progressively responsible experience in roles involving coordination, programme support and liaison functions is required.
• Demonstrate good high-level strategic thinking skills and business analytical skills are desired.
• A good knowledge of the UN system, in particular UNDP and knowledge of Africa is desired.
• Strong collaboration skills, with experience working in cross-functional teams and integrating diverse perspectives in liaison and program support is desired.
• Skilled in creating knowledge management tools, writing technical documents, and supporting inter-agency collaboration through the development of resources is desired.
• Excellent communication skills and team skills is an asset.
• Excellent analytical skills with a strong drive for results and capacity to work independently are an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in the UN language of the duty station (English) is required.

 

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

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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