Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works in 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion, and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the development arm of the United Nations, UNDP supports strategic capacity development initiatives to promote inclusive growth and sustainable human development. 

In Mozambique, UNDP has been working since 1976 with the national and local governments, public and private sector stakeholders, partners across the UN system, civil society, and local communities to promote inclusive growth and sustainable human development. Our work is guided and informed by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to develop targeted solutions to the country’s development challenges. 

Our current Country Programme Document (CPD) 2022-2026 is anchored on four main interrelated pillars, namely, i) human development, multi-dimensional poverty, gender equality, and public health management; ii) inclusive economic recovery and diversification and sustainable livelihoods; iii) climate resilience and sustainable use of natural resources; and iv) inclusive and decentralized governance, justice and peace, and social cohesion. These pillars were judged to be those where UNDP has a comparative advantage in Mozambique, aligned both to the Government’s National Development Strategy (2015-2035) and its Five-Year Programme (2020-2024), now expired and for which a new strategy is under formulation, as well as the UNSDCF (2022-2026). 

UNDP Mozambique has adopted a system portfolio approach, organized around three interconnected portfolios that represent UNDP’s integrated response to the country’s complex development challenges. These portfolios connect policy, practice, and learning to strengthen systemic change and inclusive prosperity. The three portfolios are;

1. Infrastructure Maintenance Portfolio

Intent and System Effects

• Infrastructure maintenance systems based on a solid regulatory framework, good practices and shared resources;
• Sustainable maintenance practices, developed with strong community engagement, that extend the useful life and value of infrastructure, ensuring its resilience;
• Resilient and adaptive maintenance systems, supported by robust institutions, capable of evolving in the face of future risks and opportunities.

2. Economic Diversification Portfolio
Intent and System Effects

• A sustainable and resilient economy, driven by strong human capital and a diversified and locally anchored private sector;
• Expanded inclusive employment opportunities and improved quality of life;
• Stronger public-private partnerships to unlock economic resilience and regional potential.

3. Youth Employment Portfolio
Intent and System Effects

• Facilitative and inclusive ecosystem for youth employment, where government, private sector, and civil society align around a shared vision and implementation.
• Empowerment of young people (women and vulnerable groups) as agents of change with real influence on policymaking.
• Young people equipped with skills for the future and access to decent, meaningful, and sustainable work.

To further advance this work and optimize results and impact, UNDP is recruiting a Portfolio Analyst - Learning Designer whose main responsibility will be to extract learning to adapt portfolio management over time. Working in portfolios in a highly complex and dynamic context implies that we are recognizing the absence of straightforward cause-and-effect relationships, and we therefore need to identify and extract learning.

Scope of Work

The Portfolio Analyst - Learning Designer will serve all three portfolios as part of the Development Intelligence Function, a cross-cutting capability that enables dynamic portfolio management. The function supports the identification of synergies across portfolios, synthesis of learning, and discovery of new opportunities for collective impact.

The Portfolio Analyst -Learning Designer will co-design and facilitate learning methodologies with country teams and partners to embed reflection, experimentation, and adaptation into portfolio management processes. This includes translating insights from data, lived experiences from people, and fieldwork observations into development intelligence (actionable knowledge) and cultivating an enabling learning environment across the UNDP office and its partners.

This position requires strong teamwork, co-design practices, and facilitation skills to foster collaborative learning across technical, operational, and policy dimensions. Learning spaces often bring together different system actors: UN agencies, international NGOs, government, change-makers and civil society organizations.

The Portfolio Analyst - Learning Designer synthesizes and connects the learning/dots across seemingly unconnected initiatives ('acts as a glue'); feeds shared understanding of the context and issues surrounding the policy space through surfacing and articulating learning. It will serve and draw from all three portfolios as part of a team that facilitates dynamic portfolio management.

This function helps identify synergies across portfolios, synthesize learning, and uncover new opportunities for collective impact. The role ensures that insights and evidence continuously inform strategic decisions, adaptive management of the portfolio. The responsibilities will be the followings:

1. Design and Facilitate Learning Methodologies

• Develop and apply learning methodologies that enable collective sense-making, reflection, and adaptive management across the three portfolios;
• Facilitate regular learning space, workshops, and knowledge exchange sessions that connect observations, lived experience, insights from different system actors;
• Translate learning into actionable adaptations and recommendations for portfolio teams;
• Introduce creative facilitation tools and participatory methods that enhance collaboration and reflection among teams and partners.

2. Create and Nurture a Learning Environment

• Design a psychologically safe and inclusive learning environment that encourages experimentation, dialogue, and collaboration between actors;
• Embed learning practices into day-to-day portfolio work, ensuring knowledge is continuously captured, shared, and applied;
• Support portfolio leads and technical teams to turn insights into improved strategies and new options;
• Curate materials, visuals, and stories that bring learning to life and support communication of portfolio progress.

3. Strengthen Learning Systems and Intelligence

• Collaborate with data analysts, M&E experts, and communication specialists to connect learning with data, insights, and stories;
• Support the development of a learning and intelligence system that tracks emerging signals, lessons, and contextual changes;
• Contribute to portfolio reviews and sense-making sessions that support portfolio evolution and adaptation;
• Document learning processes, methodologies, and cases to contribute to global UNDP knowledge products and networks.

4. Facilitate Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Build the capacity of UNDP personnel and partners in systems thinking, adaptive management, and facilitation;
• Design and deliver training sessions, retreats, and peer-learning moments for portfolio teams and stakeholders;
• Support the Development Intelligence Function and align learning activities to support the portfolio results framework;
• Foster linkages with regional and global learning initiatives, connecting Mozambique’s experience with the broader UNDP learning ecosystem;
• Identify and coordinate learning needs for portfolio teams related to data, learning, and adaptive management;
• Contribute to UNDP global and regional knowledge networks on portfolio management and adaptive systems.

5. Contribute to Strategic Communication and Engagement

• Collaborate with the communications team to craft compelling narratives that illustrate learning and portfolio transformation;
• Support the design of visual materials, stories, and reflections that communicate learning outcomes to partners and donors;
• Engage with external partners, academia, and innovation ecosystems to co-create learning experiences and expand knowledge networks.

6. Extracts and synthesizes learning to adapt portfolio management to the changing context

• Conducts sense-making protocol to extract learning;
• Builds and nurtures the 'portfolio' mindset where the allegiance of the team is to the bigger picture vs. individual projects;
• Synthesizes and connects the learning/dots across seemingly unconnected initiatives ('acts as a glue');
• Feeds shared understanding of the context and issues surrounding the policy space through surfacing and articulating learning;
• Supports in generation of new policy/interventions based on emerging learning;
• Facilitate portfolio learning processes to capture insights, lessons, and emerging opportunities;
• Support the establishment of a learning and intelligence system to monitor context shifts and inform adaptive decisions;
• Promote synergies and cross-learning among the Infrastructure, Economic Diversification, and Youth Employment portfolios;
• Ensure findings from learning loops inform strategic forums and management decisions;
• Promote shared analysis among different actors given that this may generates multiple spin-off effects, including an increased potential for collective action, increased scale, and a higher quality of interventions.

7. Supports the search for tools and frameworks to advance portfolio management

• Search and defines appropriate tools to document, share and archive learnings;
• Leads research and data collection strategies;
• Synthesize quantitative data with qualitative data to support portfolio implementation;
• Nurtures and orchestrates the alignment of the broader ecosystem of partners toward the strategic intent;
• Conducts policy analysis on digital development trends, emerging technologies including AI and how these can be leveraged by portfolios, working in close liaison with CO digital experts. 

8. Supports the establishment of platforms for learning and knowledge management 

• Supports the identification of the strongest synergies (multiplier effects) across the portfolios realized through effective follow-through in analysis, planning, implementation and M&E across relevant projects or programmes in the portfolio;
• Supports the creation of platforms of collaboration, ensuring a networked approach including with government and donors; so each portfolio team will reach out, sensitize and build such partnerships to advance the exercise.

9. Monitor progress and ensure results-based management in portfolios

• Develop and maintain a results framework and indicators for cross-portfolio monitoring;
• Helps devise simple tools to enable and sustain portfolio management, track results as well as measure and review performance; 
• Track and document progress and risks related to each portfolio and provide analysis for adaptive management;
• Coordinate evaluations and reviews, including mid-term and final assessments, ensuring timely follow-up of recommendations;
• Conduct field visits to verify data and learning and provide updates to management;
• Ensure proper operational and financial closure and compliance with audit requirements.

Other Duties:

The Portfolio Analyst - Learning Designer may be assigned other tasks within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the effective functioning of the Office and Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Portfolio Analyst - Learning Designer reports to the Portfolio Coordination and Planning Specialist and works under the direct supervision of the Resident Representative and close collaboration with DRR-Programme and the portfolios.

This is an individual position requiring strong teamwork to operate effectively within a multidisciplinary environment. The incumbent will collaborate closely with the portfolio leads, technical specialists, and partners to ensure coherence and adaptive learning across the three portfolios and supports in generation of new policy/interventions based on emerging learning. 

Competencies

Cross-Functional/Technical competencies

Business Management

• Portfolio Management
  • Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization's programmes and projects in line with its strategic objectives and capacity;
  • Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.
• Result-based Management
  • Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and too.
• Partnership Management
  • 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 policy.
• Data Awareness and Literacy
  • Ability to monitor new and emerging technologies, as well as understand their usage, potential, limitations, impact, and added value. Ability to rapidly and readily adopt and use new technologies in professional activities, and to empower others to use them as needed. Knowledge of the usage of digital technologies and emerging trends.

Business Direction & 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.

Digital

• Agile Methodologies & Practices
  • Ability to manage projects and processes through continuous iteration, learning and improvement;
  • Ability to manage a self-organizing cross-functional teams, foster a team culture of curiosity and learning;
  • Being nimble and being able to improvise and quickly adjust to unforeseen events or changes in conditions or context.

Business Development

• Knowledge and Generation
  • Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need;
  • Ability to apply existing concepts to new situations, and to develop new concepts to generate workable solutions and new approaches;
  • Knowledge of relevant concepts, conceptual models, and theories that can be useful in addressing new situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Design, Education, Organizational Development, Communication, Development Studies, or other relevant field is required, or;
• A first-level university degree (bachelor´s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of master´s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in learning design, facilitation, or knowledge management in development, innovation, or organizational learning contexts.

Required Skills:

• Experience designing and facilitating learning processes for multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder teams;
• Proven ability to design methodologies, visual tools, and participatory learning experiences;
• Proven experience in facilitation, synthesis, and communication;
• Proven experience and ease in using computers and office software (MS Word, Excel, etc.), and web-based management systems such as ERP (e.g., Quantum).

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

• Proficiency in using digital collaboration and visualization tools (Miro, Figma, etc.);
• Experience working with the UN or international development organizations;
• Proven experience in coordinating multi-thematic program portfolios, with demonstrated ability to manage resources and time effectively in coordination with technical and management teams;
• Experience in at least one of the following areas: adaptive management, learning, area-based programming, data production and analysis for development (expertise in two or more is an asset);
• Demonstrated capability to identify patterns & synergies, determine deeper meaning or significance from expressed insights; 
•  Proven experience in generating new shared understanding/frames for ‘seeing’ the issue in different ways as to open novel opportunities by shifting perspectives;
• Demonstrated ability to translate concepts across multiple disciplines, synthesizes learning across domains and facilitate deep reflection to generate new options for action;
• Demonstrated experience in aggregating different nuggets of information, qualitative & quantitative data & synthesizes them into new forms of learning.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.