Policy Specialist Inclusive Growth

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Job Description

UNDP is seeking to recruit a Policy Specialist on Inclusive Growth that will report to the Head of Policy and Programme in the Inclusive Growth Team of BPPS. The Policy Specialist will further the team’s work on inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth, addressing multidimensional poverty, human development, spatial and social inequalities, jobs and livelihoods, social security, development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), local economic development, urbanization, with a focus on a just and green transition, and relevant policy, research, and programmatic support to UNDP’s Country Offices and Regional Bureaus. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the Policy Specialist will play an active role in advancing UNDP’s programmatic offer on inclusive growth and knowledge management within UNDP’s Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality, leveraging UNDP’s portfolio of tools, methods, and strategies on inclusive growth and sustainable development. Specifically, the Policy Specialist for Inclusive Growth in UNDP BPPS will be responsible for:

Programme Support to Advance UNDP’s Offers
Policy Advice, Development and Positioning
Partnerships and Coordination
Knowledge Management

UNDP adopts an integrated and systemic approach to accommodate changing business needs, and leverages linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of the interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that calls for the assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Ensure Programme Support to Advance UNDP’s Offers
Advance the UNDP Inclusive Growth Team’s work on relevant analysis and guidance by providing technical policy advice and programme support documents that respond to Regional Hubs and country office needs.
Support country offices in integrating policy advice in country programme frameworks and projects as it relates to poverty eradication, reduction of inequalities, urban and local economic development, inclusive growth, and the achievement of sustainable development.
Develop relevant strategic guidance, along with UNDP tools, methodologies, and services, adapting them to different countries, regions, thematic areas, and contexts on key emerging policy agendas related to inclusive growth programmatic areas in line with the Strategic Plan priorities.
Provide support to corporate processes including integrated working plan, reporting of annual results, and support the follow up to the thematic evaluations’ recommendations.
Incorporate gender equality and human rights’-based approach in policy and programming work.

Ensure Policy Advice, Development and Positioning

Prepare briefing notes and speeches for senior leadership and management on issues relevant to the Inclusive Growth Team.
Produce relevant analysis, inputs, and guidance, on emerging issues related to inclusive growth, including multidimensional poverty and inequalities, jobs and livelihoods, skills development and MSMEs, social security, and urban and local economic development.
Identify gaps and opportunities for development of new policies and support the coordination of team priorities and workplans.
Provide substantive input in the process of advocating the importance of the thematic area of Poverty and Inclusive Growth in various fora, including academia and civil society.
Support team’s engagement in UN interagency coordination in relevant policy areas by providing research insights in specific thematic areas, by organizing and participating in globally focused meetings.

Build Strategic Partnerships and Coordination

Strengthen the Inclusive Growth Team’s partnerships and collaboration with notable organizations – including public and private, as well as civil society organizations – on relevant thematic areas to advance UNDP’s policy and programmatic work.
Lead the submission of substantive inputs to the work in related UN interagency and other relevant multi-stakeholder processes and UN Task Forces, as it relates to inclusive growth.
Participate in relevant external meetings, including resource mobilization, partnership and advocacy activities with UN partners, UN Permanent Missions, and external stakeholders.
Identify and pursue opportunities for related resource mobilization in line with corporate guidelines and strategies.
Prepare concept notes, speaker suggestions, convene development partners, and support organization of high-level and side events at conferences, such as the UN General Assembly, High-Level Political Forum, SDG Summit, Local 2030 Coalition, World Urban Forum, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and the upcoming UN Summit on Social Development.

Facilitate Knowledge Management

Coordinate and perform knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, codification of results/lessons learned and support to corporate knowledge management activities to help influence/advance policy dialogue in the thematic area of Poverty and Inclusive Growth.
Organize webinars and trainings on emerging trends pertaining to inclusive growth to facilitate knowledge exchange among Headquarters, Regional Bureaus, Regional Hubs, and country offices.
Develop newsletters for UNDP’s Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality, while updating internal websites and webpages with curated news, articles, events, conferences, best practices, and initiatives on Inclusive Growth for country office and regional team colleagues.
Contribute to the development and review of knowledge products in close coordination with HQ and Regional Hub Teams by analyzing and sharing lessons learnt, best practices, and programme evaluation results.
Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice, including the Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality to help advance policy dialogues and programme delivery to achieve the SDGs.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Required Skills and Experience:

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Relations, Development Studies, Economics, Public Policy, Sustainable Development, Geography, or related field is required. OR
A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional relevant work experience, including policy advisory experience, in applied research on global development and sustainable development issues in different development contexts is required.
Proven work experience in fields related to inclusive and sustainable growth, development planning, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, local economic development and urbanization issues is required.
Solid experience of engaging in UN inter-governmental processes and leading the organization of high-level events and multi-stakeholder consultations is required.
Demonstrated familiarity with integrated programming and ability to work across a broad range of thematic areas is desirable.
Demonstrated work experience in preparing policy briefs and remarks for senior management, and leading research is an asset.
Experience working in developing country settings is an asset.
Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), statistical programmes (STATA, etc), project management software (MS Project) and data analytics tools (Tableau, PowerBI, Python) is an asset.

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