Policy Specialist

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

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 knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at Headquarter (HQ), Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

The newly established UNDP Climate Hub will be the arrowhead of UNDP’s commitment to climate action. The Climate Hub will build on UNDP’s existing over USD 4 billion country-level climate portfolio on Climate Change Policies and Strategies, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change mitigation, Climate and Forests, covering over 142 countries, as well as on UNDP’s Nature portfolio, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub and UNDP’s Digital offer. The UNDP Climate Hub will be responsible for: thought leadership on Climate and be the custodian of UNDP policy positions on Climate; Strategy and vision formulation; Pipeline development in coordination with the other hubs and the Vertical Fund Programme Support, Oversight and Compliance Unit; provision of integrated policy and programme support to Country Offices; Global engagement, advocacy in collaboration with BERA; Integration across thematic areas; Strategic Partnerships development and resource mobilization; Lead and Support global flagship initiatives and partnerships on Climate; Serve as focal point with relevant UN coordination mechanisms and Conventions (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change); Cross-organization knowledge and learning; and Innovation.

The central purpose of the Rome Centre is to ensure the effective implementation and further development of the strategic partnership between UNDP and the government of Italy across the objectives of sustainable development and in doing so advancing the broader partnership between UNDP and G7 and G20 countries.

The initial phase of the activities of the Rome Centre will run from 2022 to 2025 gearing up – among other initiatives – to the Italian Presidency of the G7 in 2024. The goals of the partnership are linked to 2030 as a crucial year for global climate and sustainability goals. The Rome Centre in this initial phase will focus on the critical policy areas of climate action, youth engagement and energy for development. These objectives are pursued through the effective implementation of two initial main programmes: the Italy-UNDP Energy Partnership and Youth4Climate

• The Italy-UNDP Energy Partnership aims at identifying investment action opportunities that will be converted to country specific investment plans for scaling up energy access and contributing to the energy transition. The investment plans will enable both public and private financing to be deployed towards bankable initiatives.
• Youth4Climate supports the implementation of youth-led and youth-inclusive solutions to environmental and climate challenges, both financially and through capacity development, for a more innovative and inclusive impact on the ground.

The Rome Centre also has a broader mandate to engage with the Italian ecosystem as a whole, which involves close collaboration with key actors in the public and private sector, with the aim to effectively mobilize financial resources for development objectives. To guarantee the effective implementation of the Rome Centre’s workplan, and indeed to ensure the strategic and long term impact of both its programmes, the Centre will develop broader strategic partnerships and reinforce the overall collaboration with Italy and other meaningful partners

Delivering on its programmes, the Rome Centre will provide support to the international cooperation efforts of Italy and it will support UNDP’s global policy initiatives. Recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will work to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated.

UNDP will support the activities of the G7 Development Track at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Directorate General for Development Cooperation) during the Italian Presidency of G7 in 2024. The objective of this collaboration is to ensure that the development objectives of the Presidency are achieved and that their follow ups are smoothly implemented. The collaboration signals a desire to further reinforce the strong existing partnership between Italy and UNDP, also making use of the presence in Rome of a UNDP Centre which is mandated to act as the global integrated platform of collaboration between UNDP and the Italian Government.

Position Purpose

Policy Specialist will lead in the strategic engagement, reflections and content development in support of the activities defined by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation.

In addition to taking a leading role in the process above, the incumbent will work closely with the coordinator of the Rome Centre in the refinement of the Centre’s strategic vision and ensuring the further development of the objectives of the Centre in relation to the donor priorities and overarching development objectives of UNDP.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Policy Specialist will be based in Rome and work from the premises of the Italian Ministry of International Affairs and International Cooperation and/or the UNDP Rome Centre.
• The Policy Specialist will work in collaboration with the BPPS team and across the entire organisation.
• The Policy Specialist will report to, and be directly supervised by, the Coordinator of the UNDP Rome Centre.
• The Policy Specialist will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment.

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for 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 in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties And Responsibilities

Policy Advocacy of strategic and political initiatives

• Conduct strategic planning for the UNDP Rome Centre’s G7 Development Track activities during the Italian Presidency of G7 in 2024
• Contribute to the development of innovative and impactful policies in the areas of sustainable development at the centre of the 2024 G7 Presidency objectives including support the G7 Team on potential G7 deliverables related to investment policies in Africa;
• Represent UNDP in high-level negotiations with the Italian Ministry of Foreign affairs, and further reinforce the strong existing partnership.

Advisory Role and Decision Support

• Conduct thorough policy analysis, considering international best practices, to inform evidence-based decision-making, presenting decision-makers with clear options and recommendations.
• Provide strategic advice to senior management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Directorate General for Development Cooperation) on complex issues related to development.
• Anticipate potential challenges and proactively provide solutions to support informed decision-making in particular on the strategic objectives of the Italian G7 Presidency, such as, inter alia, sustainable development, infrastructures, digital, climate and energy.
• Provide expert input and influence negotiations to ensure alignment with UNDP’s strategic priorities.
• Provide strategic advice to senior management on issues related to G7 Presidency objectives.

Strategic Thinking and Coordination to Strengthen Policy Engagement

• Ensure policy coherence across different areas of activity on sustainable development, including energy, infrastructure, climate, and energy, digital and human security, also further exploring synergies with UNDP’s vision.

Stakeholders Collaboration and Partnerships

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the Italian Ministry of Foreign affairs’ interests, priorities, and potential areas for collaboration.
• Prioritize engagement based on strategic goals and opportunities related to G7.

Competencies

Core CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)

Achieve Results

LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively

LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously

LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt With Agility

LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act With Determination

LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage And Partner

LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity And Inclusion

LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Management: Portfolio Management

• Ability to select, prioritize and control the organizations programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising return on investment

Business Direction and 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

Business Development: UNDP Representation

• Ability to represent UNDP and productively share UNDP knowledge and activities; advocate for UNDP, its values, mission and work with various constituencies

Business Management: Customer Satisfaction/Client Management

• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
• Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
• Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.

Partnership management: Strategic engagement

• Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness: Strategic Policy Engagement

• Horizon-scanning and future of development

2030 Agenda: Planet: Nature, Climate and Energy

• Environmental Governance: Global Environmental Governance

Education

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced University degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Social Science, Social Policy or a Development-related area of study is required or
• First-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above fields of study, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant professional experience at the international level in policy support and policy advisory in public or private organizations.
• Demonstrable experience in strategic policy development within UNDP or the UN System of development is required.
• Project management experience in UNDP, other UN organizations, or other Multilateral organizations, including experience in the engagement with donors and member states at a senior level is an asset.
• Working experience in the European Commission, and proven ability to engage with European Commission Officials and EU member states is an asset.
• Strong experience in providing technical assistance to European Countries on development related strategic priorities is required.
• Demonstrated exceptional communication skills, with the proficiency to engage effectively across various levels of stakeholders, including high-level government officials, donors, and international partners is desirable.

Language

• Fluency in English and Italian is required.
• Working knowledge of other UN languages is highly desirable

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant Information About UNDP Rosters

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.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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