Important: Under the JPO programme framework, the following position is open only to nationals of the Republic of Korea. For detailed information on the JPO Programme and recruitment criteria, please visit https://www.undp.org/jposc

The UNDP Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme:

The UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) JPO Programme equips outstanding young leaders with the skills and experience required to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and make a positive difference in the world. As a pathway into the world of development, the programme offers young professionals’ excellent exposure to multilateral cooperation and sustainable development while providing a valuable entry point into the UN system.

During their assignments, JPOs benefit from the guidance of experienced UNDP staff members and are actively involved in supporting the design, implementation and monitoring of UNDP’s programs within UNDP’s headquarters, regional or country offices. Additionally, the JPO will undergo a journey of exposure and growth which will build both personal and professional capacity for a career within the multilateral development sector.

As a JPO and young professional in UNDP you should be interested in pursuing a global career with aspiration to work for a field-based organization in support of the development agenda.

The JPO will work as part of a team and be supervised by an experienced multidisciplinary UNDP team, including:

Structured guidance and feedback, especially in the beginning of the assignment, with the purpose of gradually increasing of responsibilities.
Establishment of a work plan, professional goals, with clear key results and indicators.
Guidance and advice in relation to learning and training opportunities within the field of expertise.
Completion of the yearly UNDP Annual Performance Review (APR) including learning and development objectives.

The JPO will benefit from the following learning and development opportunities:

• Participation in a virtual Programme Policy and Operations Induction Course within the first 4 to 6 months of assignment
• Use of yearly JPO duty-related travel and training allocation (DTTA), as per the online DTTA guide
• On-going Masterclasses on relevant and inspiring themes
• Career development support mechanisms and activities
• Networking with fellow JPOs, young professionals and senior UNDP colleagues
• Mentoring programme 
• Other training and learning opportunities  

Organisational context:

UNDP provides integrated programmatic, policy and financing solutions to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  In this context, UNDP has created a 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 Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Crisis Bureau (CB) are the two anchor Bureaux of the GPN. 

The Crisis Bureau (CB) spearheads UNDP’s efforts to support countries on a key challenge: how to anticipate, prevent, respond to, and recover from fragility and crisis. CB addresses the risks that precipitate crises, prevent early exit from them, and perpetuate long-term dependency on humanitarian assistance.  Guided by UNDP’s Crisis Offer (2022), CB works within the GPN and with Regional Bureaux (RBx) and Country Offices (COs) to implement solutions across prevention, response and recovery that help break the cycle of protracted fragility and crisis.

CB is organized into five core teams. Each team integrates gender considerations across all areas of work to ensure inclusive and sustainable outcomes, leaving no one behind.

The Strategic Partnerships and Communications (SPC) Team builds, maintains, and strengthens a network of strategic partnerships across key constituencies - UN, IFI, bilaterals, private sector, foundations, civil society, NGOs – to raise visibility, deepen engagement and generate increased political support and funding for UNDP’s work on fragility and crisis.  The SPC’s objectives include resource mobilisation through custodianship of a multi-year strategy to secure higher quality funding from traditional and non-traditional sources.  The team identifies, builds, and helps sustain broad-based partnerships across key constituencies with particular emphasis on operations from Brussels, Geneva, New York and Washington, DC.  SPC provides advice on relevant UN system policies and programmes and supports UNDP’s engagement strategy for and contributions to relevant UN inter-agency coordination mechanisms, such as the IASC and JSC, among others.  In addition, the SPC team serves as the custodian of a CB-wide communications strategy and coordinates, monitors, and reports regularly on its implementation.  To this end, it also leads within CB and the GPN on crisis communications, working closely with BERA, RBx and COs.  
 

Position Purpose:

The JPO will support multidisciplinary engagement with the Republic of Korea and other key partners on HDP approaches during humanitarian emergencies, including on the topics of Early Recovery and Forced Displacement, in support of donor priorities, UNDP’s Strategic Plan and Crisis Offer.

1)    Strategic engagement with donors on HDP approaches during a humanitarian response, including through Early Recovery and development solutions to displacement.
•    Support the establishment and monitoring of a centralized funding mechanism on development solutions in humanitarian response.  
•    Track ongoing engagement with strategic partners, including ROK, on these topics across UNDP. 
•    Develop analysis of global trends, to better understand partnership and resource mobilization opportunities on these topics. 
•    Support COs in their efforts to access funding from the centralized mechanism.
•    Coordinate with other relevant units across UNDP, including CB teams, BERA and Regional Bureaux.

2)    Contribute to the strategic communication and reporting related to partnership engagement, and develop related materials for internal and external counterparts
•    Support timely and results-based monitoring and reporting, with relevant teams and COs.  
•    Prepare visibility materials in collaboration with the CB comms team (e.g. blogs and online stories, decks, digital brochure, etc.).  
•    Prepare internal communication products, such as updates for CB and UNDP newsletters. 
•    Update UNITY and other partnership trackers.  
•    Liaise with CB and UNDP communications team to update UNDP’s website pages on related work when there is an opportunity to feature specific funding partners on these topics.  
•    Support editing, translation, printing and dissemination of publications, online, audio and visual materials.  
•    Support the preparation of visuals, flyers and other outreach materials for programme activities. 
3)    Support the development of knowledge products and tools
•    Contribute to the development of guidance notes and lessons learned for COs to engage with this funding, including towards mainstreaming gender considerations.  
•    Support mapping of other key partners who may want to contribute/engage in this funding mechanism.  
•    Support preparations for relevant events and outreach.
•    Support other related duties as requested by Supervisor. 
 

Competencies