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 is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in about 170 countries and territories, working with national counterparts on solutions to global and national development challenges.

In the programme countries, UNDP supports stabilization, state-building, governance and development priorities in in partnership with the host governments, the United Nations system, the development partners and other partners to help the country to achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerating structural transformations for sustainable development and building resilience to crises and shock.

UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from systems and institutional strengthening to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods, as well as sustainable energy, environment and resilience. UNDP’s programmes continue to fully integrate a global vision for catalytic change with India’s national priorities. With over 30 projects on the ground in almost every state, today UNDP India works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by transforming traditional models to do development differently. In a rapidly changing global environment, the work of UNDP and the broader UN family aligns with the Government of India’s new national development vision, India 2030, and builds upon the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP India’s country programme for 2018-2022 has three major focus areas:

Inclusive growth
Environment and energy
Strengthening systems and institutions

These are supported by a framework of renewed partnerships and blended finance solutions, a pool of financial and technical resources for greater impact and scale, and South-South expertise.

You are invited to join a team of dedicated development professionals whose primary role is to support the India to achieve the 2030 Agenda.  As part of the UNDP team your focus will be to work with multiple stakeholders to find the country specific solutions that lead to sustainable development and to ensure no one is left behind – and we reach those furthest behind first.

Traditional approaches to development are struggling to keep up with today’s social and environmental challenges. These 21st century challenges are difficult to address because they are fast-moving, connected with other challenges, and often getting worse despite our best efforts to address them. The Accelerator Labs are UNDP’s new way of working in development. Globally, 91 labs are currently serving 116 countries to find radical solutions to today’s wicked development challenges. The labs Identify the intersection of complex social and environmental challenges and the key partnerships that can have an transformative effect. They conduct quick experiments based on testable hypothesis leading to faster learning. While working towards addressing the complex challenges, the labs promote a portfolio approach for co-creating solutions through leveraging collective intelligence and focus on multiplier effect.

The UNDP Accelerator Lab in India is working towards fostering culture of innovations in close partnership with government, private sector, academia and civil society organizations. The lab works at the policy, institutional and technology levels to address complex developmental challenges in India. Some selected experiments of the lab currently underway are (I) An Artificial Intelligence platform using geospatial data to help regulators monitor air pollution from over 36,000 brick kilns in Northern India (ii) a Prototype National blockchain platform for Indian spices, for strengthening the agricultural value chain and enhance the export potential for Indian spices (iii) Promoting digital innovations in governance and policymaking through UNDP corporate initiatives such as “Data for Policy” iv) Mainstreaming Grassroots innovations in diverse areas such as livelihoods, biodiversity, circular economy etc. v) Gender and behavioral science based approaches for advancing gender equality

Background and scope of portfolio

Towards ensuring timely coordination and management of various tasks related to the above projects, UNDP is interested to hire the services of a Project Coordination Analyst under National Personnel Service Agreement (NPSA) modality who can effectively liaise with key stakeholders and partners for these experimental pilots, provide timely inputs, perform monitoring and evaluation of progress related to the pilots and assist the Accelerator Lab in making these innovations reach scale. The consultant will be reporting to the Accelerator Lab team. This assignment might require travel to liaise with stakeholders and partner organizations.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Coordination Analyst will directly report to Head of Exploration, Accelerator Lab and overall report to Heads of Accelerator Lab, UNDP India Country office:

To liaise with key stakeholders, coordinate with partner organizations and assist in tracking progress related to Accelerator Lab experiments such as blockchain for spices pilot, Geo-AI platform for monitoring hotspots of air pollution in brick kilns and various other ongoing technological pilots of accelerator lab.
To support in coordination of various activities related to the scale up of Accelerator lab experiments including outreach and communications activities.
Provide additional support related to full range of procurement, finance and admin functions in close collaboration with the Operations, Procurement and Finance units in the CO to ensure consistent service delivery.
Maintain expenditure ledgers and updated approval levels by source of funds using ATLAS/Quantum system for projects managed by the division.
To assist the accelerator lab in preparing project pitches, presentations, outreach materials related to the project and also in convening project meetings, preparing background materials and creating knowledge products related to the projects.
Submit Project monitoring and evaluation frameworks and a wide range of project related documentation related to ongoing projects and experiments (Pilot project as well as Scale up phases). This should be done in close coordination with partner organizations, vendors, UNDP programme teams in close consultation with accelerator lab team to ensure timely implementation of various projects.
Support the accelerator lab in organizing project meetings, review meetings, making project pitches and presentations to report the progress related to the various projects.
Undertake field travel to check and coordinate with local partners (As and when requested by the team).

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 Management

Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
Researches best practices and poses new, more effective ways of doing things
Communication: Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication including presentation and data visualization 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

Project Management

Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
Reports to internal and external partners in a timely and appropriate fashion
Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships
Ability to liaise and work with people of different background
Ability to work well under pressure.

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
Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in one of the following disciplines – management, development studies, science and technology, social work or related subjects.

Experience:

Minimum of 2 years relevant experience in in managing field projects, capacity building/training programs, convening project meetings and ensuring multi-stakeholder consultations at National level in innovations.
Desirable: Additional years of relevant experience in managing field projects, capacity building/training programs, convening project meetings and ensuring multi-stakeholder consultations at National level in innovations.
Prior work experience on managing innovation related projects
Extensive experience in developing knowledge products, blogs and programme documentation.
Demonstrated experience in preparing project progress reports, donor reports and monitoring and evaluation reports
Good programme design skills, including capacity to prepare logical, coherent and consistent documents including log-frames and budgets.
Desirable to have work experience in public sector/government at National level.
Work experience in UN is desirable.
Desirable experience of working in technological areas especially in the context of transfer of innovations to communities at the grassroots level as well as capacity building trainings experience in digital technologies.
Hands on experience on economic and social development issues (policy and strategic) will be preferred.
Work experience in finance, administration and procurement is desirable.

Required Language:

Excellent verbal and written English skills.
Strong writing and reading skills in Hindi will be an added advantage

To apply for this job please visit estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com.