UN Job Careers – Partnerships, Innovation & Development Solutions Specialist – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Job Title: Partnerships, Innovation & Development Solutions Specialist
Organization: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About US:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nation’s global development network. UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. The UNDP provides expert advice, training, grant support to developing countries including Uganda with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries.
Job Summary: The Partnerships, Innovation & Development Solutions Specialist will support strategic partnership building, and implementation of innovative approaches to addressing complex development challenges in the 21st Century.
In addition, the specialist will contribute substantively to UNDP’s strategic engagements on SDG acceleration through creating and promoting development solutions and providing intellectual and strategic leadership on innovation subjects. H/she will spearhead donor intelligence and build and sustain strategic partnerships with the United Nations (UN) system, the wider innovation community of practice, Government (national and sub national) institutions, Development Partners, Private Sector, Civil Society, religious and cultural institutions, and other stakeholders.
The specialist will also coordinate the development, regular updating and implementation of the CO partnerships and resource mobilization strategy, tools and procedures.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Formulation and implementation of CO strategies related to Partnerships Building
- Scan opportunities for the CO based on partner-specific intelligence and the competitive landscape
- Develop, implement and regularly update a detailed CO Partnership and Resource Mobilization (PRM) Strategy and all requisite tools to implement it (in partnership with the Resource mobilization specialist);
- Develop, implement and regularly update a robust donor intelligence strategy, assessing the level of engagement with each donor in order to position the CO as priority partner
- Identify emerging. new and emerging sources of funding
- Support the quality assurance team to regularly review the level of efficiency and effectiveness in the use of donor resources
- Establish and strengthen partnerships with stakeholders such as private sector and academia
- Develop and implement the CO strategy for partnering with UN Agencies around UN Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework (UNSDCF)
- Develop tool-kits / presentations/narrative to promote financing and partnership opportunities
- Oversee the planning and undertaking of regular financing and outreach engagements with strategic partners
- Support the negotiation, drafting and revision of agreements
Advice and Support on Innovation Policy Development and Programme Management
- Keep abreast of regional discussions, developments and main events as they relate to the innovation knowledge domain within UNDP and broader networks
- Support the development of strategies for scaling up and uptake of innovative solutions
- Development of the CO innovation agenda including developing and testing new concepts, products, tools and resources
- Contribute to the design of innovation activities and initiatives by developing prototypes, analyzing and reporting their impact and assessing their scale up at country and sub regional levels
- Provide support in innovation project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and results reporting in line with Results-Based Management (RBM) guidelines, and support quality assurance, risk management and due diligence processes
- Support the monitoring and management of risks across the portfolio of advisory engagements in the innovation knowledge domain
- Broker and sustain partnerships with leading innovation organizations and experts within country and globally to generate and promote best practices and ensure that UNDP has access to the best available expertise
- Contribute to capacity building of national counterparts as it relates to the innovation knowledge domain in support of achieving the Strategic Plan and other nationally and internationally agreed development goals.
Development of a dynamic Innovation Portfolio with robust Programme Management
- Contribute to the preparation of high-quality project documents and proposals and bringing out dimensions of innovation and use of digital technologies, in consultation with all stakeholders
- Support the implementation of UNDP internal policies and guidelines for Program-related matters
- Provide substantial support to UNDP internal reporting exercises and development of briefing Notes for the Senior Management
- Act as UNDP Focal point on digital solutions and innovations in technical engagements within and outside of the UN system
- Work closely with the IT Unit in the development and roll-out of digital technologies to support implementation of various projects and interventions under the CPD and to enhance efficiency in monitoring and reporting development results.
Delivery of Technical Advice on SDG Acceleration and Programme Management support to SDG implementation
- Contribute significantly to the work of a new SDG Group focusing on support to Government and partners on SDG Acceleration
- Provide support to SDG integration and mainstreaming into Local Economic Development (LED) frameworks and within Local Governments
- Provide technical support to joint resource process to accelerate SDG implementation and progress
- Facilitate Dialogues and Platforms for Multi-stakeholder engagement with the implementation of the SDGs
- Support the implementation of UNDP Integrator role through technical and strategic advisory support to the CO’s work on SDG Integration, SDG Financing, Innovative Approaches to SDGs including through knowledge management and South to South co-operation, and SDG data analysis
- Ensure the integration of UNDP Uganda Accelerator lab within broader national development processes and Country Office programming
- Provide strategic advisory support to the CO Accelerator Lab and with a focus on consolidating the gains made, scaling up strategies to accelerate transformative results and institutionalization of the work supported by the Accelerator Lab
Knowledge Management and Knowledge Sharing
- Identify and formulate lessons learned and recommendations to be integrated into broader CO knowledge management efforts
- Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice
- Facilitate CO access to information, key players and evidence in innovation as it pertains to UNDP’s main area of work
- Support capacity development of UNDP staff in application of innovation tools and practices, including support to staff exchanges and twinning initiatives between COs and the Regional Hub, and conducting training / organization of learning events
- Organization and conduct of trainings on RM and partnerships building in the Country Office
- Contributes to the capacity building and orientation of IP’s and RPs on issues related to partnership management and innovation
- Any other related assignment from the CO Senior Management
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Partnerships, Innovation & Development Solutions Specialist job should hold a Master’s degree in social policy, public policy, politics, economics, development studies or a related area.
- Work experience at the national or international level, including experience in partnership development and resource mobilization.
- Extensive experience working on innovation and applying innovation methodologies, including design thinking.
- Familiarity with a broad range of innovation approaches and methodologies, including but not limited to alternative finance and data innovation.
- Proven experience in partnership building with non-traditional partners such as private sector and academia.
- Proven experience working with national partners and international bilateral partners on development projects/programmes.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Strong capacity in the usage of MS office package (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc).
- Experience in the UN Common System or comparable international organization is desirable.
Competencies
- Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work Level 5: Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them Level 5: Creates new and relevant ideas and leads others to implement them
- Leadership: Ability to persuade others to follow Level 5: Plans and acts transparently, actively works to remove barriers Level 5: Plans and acts transparently, actively works to remove barriers
- People Management: Ability to improve performance and satisfaction Level 5: Models high professional standards and motivates excellence in others Level 5: Models high professional standards and motivates excellence in others
- Communication: Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform Level 5: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others Level 5: Gains trust of peers, partners, clients by presenting complex concepts in practical terms to others
- Delivery: Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement Level 5: Critically assesses value and relevance of existing policy / practice and contributes to enhanced delivery of products, services, and innovative solutions Level 5: Critically assesses value and relevance of existing policy / practice and contributes to enhanced delivery of products, services, and innovative solutions
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested Ugandan nationals should submit their applications online at the link below.
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. UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Deadline: 16th July 2020