Job Opportunity for Research Assistant at UNDP in Jammu

Office/Unit/Project Description

UNDP has entered a partnership with theGovernment of Jammu and Kashmir by bringing on board required technical sectoral expertise to the Department of Planning Development and Monitoring to work across departments to drive an integrated development agenda to promote faster achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in the UT. In line with the Indian model of SDG localization led by NITI Aayog, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir intends to establish a Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Centre (SDGCC) under the Directorate of Economics & Statistics. UNDP proposes technical support to SDGCC in Jammu and Kashmir guided by the MOU signed between NITI Aayog and UT of Jammu and Kashmir and through the partnership model agreed by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. The team is expected to catalyze the actions around achieving the Global Goals by 2030 by performing the role of a think tank and solutions provider to the UT. 
 
SDGCC is envisaged as a think tank, for providing high quality, cutting-edge policy and integrated advisory services to the State and UT departments to accelerate economic, social, and environmental goals. It seeks to promote whole of the government approach by bringing together various departments and communities to create sustainable solutions to social problems. SDGCC will promote data driven decision making by undertaking high quality analytics based on granular data. It will also establish tech enabled monitoring tools for greater effectiveness.

2.  Job Purpose and Scope of Work 

 A. Main Purpose: 

UNDP proposes to engage a Research Assistant to support SDGCC Jammu and Kashmir leading the activities related to Research and Documentation of the center. S/He will have multi-sectoral experience and possess programme management, partnership development, and coordination skills to manage the UNDP proposes to engage Research Associate to support SDGCC Jammu and Kashmir in research and aid the team in knowledge management. The Research Assistant will provide overall policy research support, preparation of background notes, coordinate with stakeholders and support organization of knowledge events and trainings. S/He will ensure engagement of all direct stakeholders and delivery of project objectives, in coordination with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

B. Duties and Responsibilities: 

Under the direct supervision of the Public Policy Analyst (Head), SDGCC Jammu and Kashmir, the incumbent will focus on achievement of the following results: 

Provide technical assistance in implementation of SDGCC activities 

· Support in computation of district level SDG index for the UT, and report generation in coordination with advisors and specialists 

· Responsible for coordinating with the various departments, SDG wise, to help them collect data with focus on sex disaggregated and gender sensitive data and use the same for effective monitoring of progress on SDGs

· Help identify different sources of Data portals and data collection mechanisms related to Departments, schemes, districts, cooperatives etc. and adapt them for the SDG Dashboard 

· Identify qualitative and quantitative data sources and set up mechanisms for timely and quality data reporting as well as capturing lessons learnt · Generate high quality monitoring reports using data analytics, at agreed intervals, including on specific themes that help review progress and programme strategy 

· Develop capacity of line departments for more responsive and accountable governance, through IT based tools

· Assist in the organization of training programmes / workshops/webinars including coordination with the resource persons/participants, drafting of the proceedings etc. 

· Maintain regular contact with related institutions and network of researchers/experts and coordinate with the local partners for implementation of various projects on the field 

· Support in preparation of research training materials, tools for the SDGCC in different thematic areas and drafting of concept notes / presentation/briefs/ reports, as required 

· Compile and share relevant information and data of various interventions with managers of the designated portals 

· Perform any other tasks assigned from time to time by the supervisor

Institutional Arrangement 

• Direct Reporting To1 : Public Policy Analyst SDGCC Jammu & Kashmir, NPSA8
• Overall Reporting To2 : Policy Specialist SDGs, NPSA9
• Reportees to this position (if applicable): Nil

Competencies

Core 

• 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 Direction & Strategy -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 
• Business Management- Evaluation 
• Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks -Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concern 
• 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 
• Business Development- Knowledge Generation 
• Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results 
• Digital & Innovation- Data analysis 
• Ability to extract, analyze and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision making

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements 

· High School Education · Or · Bachelor’s in business administration (MBA)/Social Work (MSW), or any other related social sciences discipline would be given due consideration 

Min. years of relevant work experience 

· At least 5 years’ experience in research and analysis, data analysis, article preparation and financial management, operations, procurement, monitoring, business outreach, administration with high school or 2 years with Bachelor’s degree 

Required skills 

· Promotes and enforces ethics and integrity and creates precedence in good practice 

· Demonstrates corporate knowledge and sound judgment 

· Self-development, ability to take initiative, adopt a corporate approach to complex situations 

· Creates and promotes an enabling environment for open communication 

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

· Ability to organize and perform a variety of specialized tasks simultaneously related to Results Management, including administrative support to design, planning and implementation of program, managing data, reporting 

· Pro-actively follow up with others to advance tasks 

· Time management for tasks’ deadline 

· Strong IT skills, knowledge of office software packages 

· Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and nonspecialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded, and reported 

· Ability to review a variety of data, identify and resolve operational problems 

· Interacting with others in a professional and respectful manner 

· Pro-active, taking initiative and creatively providing solutions to problems 

· Completing tasks efficiently and with minimum supervisory follow up 

Required Language(s) 

· Fluency in written and oral English language is a must. Knowledge of Hindi and Kashmiri is highly desirable.