Programme Specialist – Integrated Social policy (Home-Based) - [Open to Tier 1, 2 & 3 applicants] bei United Nations Development Programme

Please note the appropriate Tier indicated in the vacancy title and ensure that you are holding the applicable contract as defined below:

• Tier 1: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed term (FTA) appointments (defined as “internal” candidates)
• Tier 2: UNDP/ UNCDF/ UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA) and personnel on regular PSA contracts 
• Tier 3: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Background

Office/Unit/Project Description 

The Joint SDG Fund supports countries as they accelerate their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It operates through joint programmes (JPs) that provide the mechanism for transformative solutions implemented by governments and national stakeholders and supported by the UN Country Team led by Resident Coordinators (RCs). Strategic direction for the Fund is provided by the Strategic Advisory Group chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General as the chair of UN Sustainable Development Group. The Fund is managed by the Operational Steering Committee, comprised of representatives of UN entities, and with the support from the Secretariat of the Fund. The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) hosts the Fund and provides for the alignment with the broader UN Development System reforms. The Administrative Agent of the Fund, in charge of financial management, is the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF-O). Official documents (e.g. Terms of Reference and Operational Guidance) of the Fund and information on funding can be found on the Gateway portal.

To advance the dual mandate of supercharging the UN Development System reform to be fit for purpose and, in turn, supporting the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Fund incentivizes coherent and coordinated joint UN action, anchored in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks at country level under the leadership of Resident Coordinator (RC). Serving as the catalytic funding to piece together emerging policy priorities and financing strategies, the Fund aims to galvanize the UN Country Teams around integrated policies and identify the fiscal space to overcome the political and financial hurdles to scale and accelerate progress towards the SDGs. 

The Joint SDG Fund adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, the Secretariat team is expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration. The key purpose of this position is to support the coordination of thematic priorities and SDG transitions and their coherent integration into the broader programmatic approach of the Fund whilst identifying and promoting policy innovation and systems change, focusing on the most vulnerable and improving the coherence of UN Country Teams. The programme specialist will also support the Fund’s learning and knowledge management processes, and liaise with other global, regional and country partners in strengthening alignment with human rights, gender equality and the broader Leave No One Behind principles.

Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of the Senior Programme Adviser (Head of Programme), the Programme Specialist – Integrated Social Policy responsibilities will include the following main functions:

Strategic Programme Support to Leave No One Behind

• Lead portfolio-level support to and monitoring of the high-impact track joint programmes with a focus on integrated social policy.
• Facilitate effective application of results-based management tools, programmatic risk management, and tracking and reporting on the achievement of programmatic results and impact.
• Ensure technical oversight of joint programme development and implementation, with particular emphasis on innovative social policy solutions, including integrated social protection and decent jobs and their contribution to poverty reduction and economic transformation by providing strategic programmatic guidance on policy coherence and systems thinking approaches; and synthesizing portfolio-level insights to inform strategic policy dialogues, programmatic updates, and systematic reporting on immediate and catalytic results and impact. Special emphasis will be put on digital transformation in social policy and across other portfolios.
• Support effective use of inter-agency technical assistance and expertise from across the UN system at global, regional and country levels in the design, implementation and reporting of joint programming focusing on (a) integrated social policy (including through the Technical Support Facility of the Global Accelerator) and (b) on Leave No One Behind (including. DCO, OHCHR, UN Women), particularly human rights and gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Facilitate prioritization of Leave No One Behind across all portfolios, including the reporting on traditionally excluded groups and groups in situations of vulnerability in conjunction with the human rights and gender equality markers.
• Contribute to developing and maintaining coherence within and across portfolios and thematic priorities to ensure the alignment of high-impact track joint programmes with the Fund’s overall objectives and programmatic standards.
• Support the maturation of seed funding joint programmes into high-impact ones, specifically regarding integrated social policy, by (a) identifying strategic entry points for scalability of impact on beneficiaries and financing, (b) identifying technical criteria for maturation, and (c) facilitating pooling of expertise and technical support for the design of transformative solutions.

Partnerships, and Learning and Knowledge Management

• Within the high-impact track joint programmes focusing on integrated social policy, support inter-agency coordination and stakeholder engagement through: (a) facilitating strategic policy dialogues with UN entities and partners, (b) developing partnership frameworks that leverage comparative advantages, (c) ensuring programmatic synergies across funding mechanisms and development initiatives, and (d) producing strategic analyses, briefs and updates. 
• Lead coordination with International Financial Institutions, the European Union and development partners on integrated social policy, focusing on: (a) social protection floor initiatives, (b) employment and decent work, and (c) innovative financing mechanisms, while also supporting the alignment with national development priorities and UN Cooperation Frameworks.
• Lead the Fund's knowledge management and policy learning of high-impact track joint programmes focusing on , and facilitating knowledge exchange on innovative public policy solutions.
• Identify best and emergent practices and lessons learned to inform programme improvement and innovation and facilitate enhancement of efficiency, effectiveness, scale of impact, and sustainability of high-impact track joint programmes focusing on integrated social policy, as well as on digitalisation. 
• Lead the development of knowledge products and learning tools that capture policy innovations and programme implementation insights, strengthen evidence-based decision-making in both management of portfolios of joint programmes and the implementation of joint programmes at the country level; 

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

Institutional Arrangement

• The Programme Specialist – Integrated Social Policy will report to the Senior Programme Adviser (Head of Programme).

Competencies

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements          

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Public Policy, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, or related field is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Min. years of relevant work experience   

• Minimum 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in supporting integrated social policy through analytic work, strategic partnerships and programme /portfolio management responsibilities is required, preferably in diverse country context and in support of inter-agency collaboration for mainstreaming Leaving No One Behind. 

Required skills            

• Experience supporting design and implementation of UN joint programmes at country, regional and/or global.
• Track record of partnerships with UN entities and IFIs (including the World Bank) involved in integrated social policy and financing. 
• Strong writing skills and the ability to synthesize information, including to extract, analyze and visualize data (using excel or other tools as well as AI) to programmatic progress updates, briefs, and reports.
• Advanced knowledge of office computer systems (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and internet research, with basic graphical design skills.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• At least 2 years of experience in supporting digital transformation and cooperation.
• Knowledge and experience on programmatic aspects and mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment, disability inclusion and broader human rights.
• Knowledge and experience on programmatic aspects of digital transformation.

Required Language(s)            

• Fluency in English is required.Working knowledge of another UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is desirable. Knowledge of additional languages is desirable

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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