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.
Office/Unit/Project Description
The UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development (GC-TISD) aims to identify, co-create, and share innovative and technological solutions for sustainable development. We aim to catalyse new insights, partnerships and action in the countries where UNDP works. Our areas of focus are: Sustainability and Climate Resilience, Smart Cities and Urbanisation, Digital Inclusion, Digital Sustainable Finance, and Digital Public Goods. The GC-TISD leverages Singapore’s deep expertise, solutions, knowledge, and ecosystem of Government and private sector partners, as well as knowledge from experts and partners around the globe, and across UNDPs Global Policy Network. More specifically, the GC-TISD connects policymakers, practitioners, think tanks, business, and other relevant stakeholders to each other from across the globe for learning and sharing of best practices on the themes of technology, innovation, and partnerships for sustainable development.
The GC-TISD is a joint initiative of the Singapore Government and UNDP, currently being led by a small team that is focused on programme and partnership development. Our Singapore Government partners are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, the Public Service Division, the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Infocomm Media Development Authority, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the National Research Foundation. The UNDP GC-TISD was setup in 2018, and is currently at the outset of its next iteration – to run between 2022 and 2025. We collaborate with governments worldwide through the following:
- Agile Policy Development Support: Supporting governments in defining the policies and regulations needed for the digital and innovation economy, and providing guidance and methodologies to assist governments on agile policymaking.
- Research and Thought Leadership: Providing research, analysis, and insights on emerging technologies, including integrating the experiences of UNDP Country Offices with foresight and horizon-scanning
- Partnership and Global Ecosystem Building: Catalysing global and national digital and innovation ecosystems that are committed to digital inclusion and fostering collaborations with different players in the digital inclusion space
- Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building: Collecting local intelligence and grassroots innovations, and ensuring that lower-income countries are equal participants in global discussions and explorations of digital inclusion
Duties and Responsibilities
Urbanisation is a defining trend of the 21st Century. By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the world's population – an additional 2.5 billion people – will live in urban areas. Much of this increase in urbanisation will occur in Africa and Asia. These regions will experience an increase in both 'megacities' and smaller urban settlements.
UNDP is shaping inclusive, livable, and sustainable urban areas, with digitalisation as one of the key drivers in improving lives and livelihoods. As part of this, there is a need to demonstrate the wide-ranging usefulness of innovation in cities – including identifying and shaping high-tech and frugal solutions, and highlighting the potential of open-source and digital public infrastructure.
Singapore is a leader in the smart city and digital urban space, providing considerable opportunity for learning, and offering a unique context as a ‘living lab’ where current and near-horizon technologies and innovations are tested, validated, and scaled as appropriate. Singapore also exemplifies a cross-ecosystem approach whereby actors from the public and private sector in different domains collaborate in the urban space for sustainable development.
The Smart Cities and Urbanisation workstream of the UNDP Global Centre provides actionable technical and strategic guidance to decision makers around the world, shaping and brokering partnerships with innovators and cities, building skills and knowledge, and highlighting the importance of digitalisation for sustainable urban development.
The Analyst will work to deliver a number of Smart Cities and Urbanisation initiatives, working closely with the Director of the UNDP Global Centre and coordinating their work with the UNDP Chief Digital Office, Governance team, and other relevant offices. The Analyst will be required to quickly build relationships with UNDP Country Offices and teams and to leverage their professional network and expertise to scale the workstream. Importantly, the Analyst will be expected to actively participate in UNDP’s global urban task force, bringing knowledge and perspectives into the policy and operational dimensions as appropriate.
Under the supervision of the Director of the GC-TISD, and with a dotted line to the Strategic Programme Manager, Chief Digital Office (also based in Singapore) the Analyst will perform the following:
i) . Undertake research and support thought leadership on emerging urban innovations, technologies and digitalisation:
- Providing research, analysis, and insights on topics related to urban innovations, technologies and digitalisation – including developing think pieces, blogs, and other content. Such pieces will draw on Singapore’s expertise and context, and focus specifically on emerging/near-horizon or future innovation and technologies and what the potential development impact could be.
- Ensure the useful and impactful dissemination of the above research and thought leadership material, including through opportunities such as webinars and creative utilisation of digital and social media so as to widen engagement with and uptake of the information.
ii). Lead knowledge exchange and capacity building opportunities on urban innovations, technologies and digitalisation:
- Collect local intelligence and insights on grassroots innovations, and identify and lead convenings and collaborations to increase knowledge and understanding of emerging innovations, technologies, and digital public goods in the urban context – particularly for lower-income countries.
- Build strategic alliances and specific outputs with technology and other private sector and academic partners working on the issues of urban innovation, technology and digitalisation in Singapore and globally so to amplify the work of the UNDP Global Centre.
iii). Support the delivery of policy and development advisory services as part of coordinated efforts, working closely with UNDP Bureau of Policy and Programme Support teams, the UNDP Chief Digital Office, UNDP Regional Bureaus and Hubs, and UNDP Country Offices. Responsibilities include:
- Implementing priority activities for the workstream, and in support of the UNDP Global Centre’s broader strategy.
- Supporting priority needs from UNDP Country Offices and other development actors in the implementation of projects relevant to urban innovation, technology, and digitalisation.
- Identifying key opportunities for amplification of previous work, in the context of the new iteration of the UNDP Global Centre.
- Actively participating in the global coordination mechanisms of UNDP related to urbanisation.
Institutional Arrangement
The Analyst will work under the supervision of the Director of the GC-TISD, and with a dotted line to the Strategic Programme Manager, Chief Digital Office (also based in Singapore)
Travel arrangement: UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only in the event that the function will be undertaken physically in the duty station and excludes working from home arrangements.
Competencies
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Core
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Achieve Results:
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LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
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Think Innovatively:
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LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
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Learn Continuously:
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LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
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Adapt with Agility:
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LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
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Act with Determination:
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LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
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Engage and Partner:
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LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
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Enable Diversity and Inclusion:
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LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making
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Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
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Thematic Area
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Name
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Definition
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Business Direction & Strategy
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Entrepreneurial Thinking
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Ability to create clarity around UNDP value proposition to beneficiaries and partners and to develop service offers responding to client needs based on UNDP’s organizational priorities and mandate
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Digital & Innovation
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Policy/regulations for
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Ability to design or advise on regulations and policy for digital and emerging technology.
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Business Development
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Knowledge generation
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Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for content, or responsive to a stated need
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Business Management
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Project Management
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Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
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Business Management
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Partnerships Management
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Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with
UNDP strategy and policies
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Business Management
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Digital Awareness and Literacy
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Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others
to use them as needed
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Required Skills and Experience
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Min. Education requirements
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A Master's degree, preferably in international development, urban development, urban planning, innovation, development economics, or other relevant field; or Bachelor’s degree in any of the above fields with relevant work experience.
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Min. years of relevant work experience
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With a Master’s Degree, at least five (5) years of professional work experience in the area of digitalisation and/or innovation in the urban environment in either public sectors (e.g. local, national or multilateral, including UN) or other sectors (academia, non-governmental sector, private sector). With a Bachelor’s Degree, at least 7 years’ work experience in the above areas.
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Required skills
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- Experience working in either public sectors (local, national or multilateral, including UN) or private (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate).
- Experience in supporting the implementation of projects related to innovation, technology, and/or digitalisation at sub-national levels.
- Proven experience in urban development
- Ability to successfully manage multi-stakeholder projects
- Knowledge of technology, and ability to stay abreast of emerging technology trends and topics.
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Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
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- Experience implementing projects in developing countries
- Knowledge of the UN system
- Excellent negotiating and communication skills and ability to mobilise support from a wide range of partners
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Required Language(s)
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- Proficiency in written and spoken English required.
- Professional working knowledge of other UN languages would be an asset.
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Disclaimer
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.
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