Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

  • Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
  • Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
  • Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
  • Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

UNDP provides integrated programmatic, policy and financing solutions to realize 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.

In this context, the newly established Governance, Rule of Law, and Peacebuilding (GRP) Hub, a joint endeavour with the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), provides leadership and advisory services to enhance UNDP’s impact on governance and peacebuilding, ensuring the integration of democratic governance and human rights into crisis response and recovery. The Hub aims to build an integrated portfolio collaboratively between the CB and BPPS and establish partnerships with various stakeholders including the UN System, IFIs, civil society, and the private sector. 

Through Local Action, the GRP Hub seeks to contribute to peace and development, achieving a visible impact on communities and improving lives by delivering integrated solutions that harness global expertise and partnerships. The Local Action Unit works closely with local and regional governments as key development players, highlighting their role as public service implementers, as drivers of innovation and the closest institution to people. 

Local and regional governments are already responsible of over 65% of the SDG targets, most of them linked to basic service provision from water, sanitation, mobility, climate action, health or education. Cities and territories are playing a big part on the implementation of SDGs, that are becoming a new tool for strategic planning and budgeting in the mid to long-term. Since 2015, local governments and their associations have been increasingly active in promoting the SDGs through advocacy, working with their local population and partners in transposing the spirit of Agenda 2030 in cities and territories. Local Governments have also started to use SDGs as a strategic framework to deliver better and more innovative public services linked to SDG targets and indicators. As part of the SDG Local Action project, UNDP is one of the implementing partners of the Mayors Challenge, a global initiative to reimagine the most essential services that cities deliver to residents.

Within this context, the SDG Local Action project is seeking to recruit a Knowledge Analyst to support the implementation of the Mayors Challenge in the City of Pasig in the Philippines, one of the winners of the 2025 Mayors Challenge. The Floating Parks Project (“the Project”) aims to address the lack of open, usable spaces in the City. Specifically, the City will co-design floating parks with its residents to produce more community spaces that reconnect the Pasigueños to the Pasig River, given its cultural and historical significance to the city, but without increasing their vulnerability to flooding.

The Project aims to do the foregoing by having three workstreams. 

The first workstream (“WS1”) focuses on the construction of safe, climate-resilient, accessible parks that meet residents’ needs. The bulk of the grant will go to W1 as it involves the sourcing of design and build services, and actual construction to deliver the assets that will constitute the floating parks on either side of the Sumilang Gym area:

The second workstream (“WS2”) includes the simultaneous development of a resident-led Parks Governance Council, which will help Pasig City to develop the rules for park use as well as the program of activities that may be had within the parks to ensure that they remain safe, clean, and economically vibrant.

The third workstream (“WS3”) is to ensure that the Project is documented to distill the lessons learned from W1 and W2, and to reproduce the same in a Playbook. This Playbook will guide the Pasig City Government, and its partners should they desire to replicate the construction of additional floating parks and/or the formation of similar Parks Governance Councils along the other riverside barangays of the City. This Playbook will also be used to establish more partnerships and expand financing pathways for future parks.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Knowledge Analyst will perform the following functions:

A. Support project implementation in Pasig City

  • Assist the Project Manager and ensure the following functions:
    • For WS1: meeting with regulators and relevant stakeholders to ensure permits are secured; acting as the City's Construction Manager during the construction phase;
    • For WS2: preparing for and conducting resident engagement sessions; ensuring alignment of WS1, WS2, and WS3 activities to ensure the Parks Governance Council and private partners are organized and ready to mobilize upon delivery of the park assets; conducting a prototyping session mid-way through the project.
  • Be primarily responsible for WS3, with the guidance of the Project Manager: produce of a Playbook to share the city experience for a national and international audience; coordinate with individuals or organizations interested in establishing possible partnerships to scale the impact of the project.
    • Procure, if necessary, the services of a third-party firm to help write the technical aspects/”construction manual”/design guidelines that will form part of the Playbook and draft the terms of reference therefore.
  • Support the Project Manager in strategic planning, decision-making, execution and review to deliver the target metrics, output and outcome of the project.
    • Throughout the project, ensure that strategic leadership is based on the principles of participatory governance, climate resilience, and replicability of urban innovation; 
    • Monitor and regularly report on project progress on target impacts.
  • Provide administrative support by keeping budget information and accounting records on activities.
  • Monitor the operations of the project, including administrative tasks, managing personnel, follow on maintain the inventory of office supplies, correspondence and supervise that all procedures are correctly implemented.
  • Organize meetings and maintain agendas, orientate visits from clients and users. Elaborate a calendar of activities with dates for specific deliverables. 

B. Ensure project monitoring and showcasing results

  • To support the Project Manager, maintain a copy of the project monitoring framework and regularly update status, results, and milestones for the project activities.
  • Monitor project outputs, identify data linked to the SDG targets and indicators and liaise with the communications team to provide data for infographics and other communication assets.
  • Be primarily responsible in:
    • Elaborating operational reports on the activities of the project and its impact on the beneficiaries; 
    • Liaising with SDG Local Action global team to maintain the project webpage updated and contribute with stories to communicate the project results; 
    • Ensuring effective communication about project activities with UNDP, the City of Pasig and project beneficiaries and the local communities;
    • Documenting the methodology and technologies used during the implementation of the Project. 

C. Generate knowledge of city innovation

  • Prepare knowledge products to show how the project is contributing to SDGs by innovating public service delivery;
  • Elaborate policy briefs and easy communicable knowledge materials on the lessons learnt by the project;
  • Support the City in participating meaningfully in any global exchange of experiences amongst local governments on how the project is contributing to implement the SDGs at local level. 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional arrangements

Under the overall guidance of the City Mayor and city project focal point, the Knowledge Analyst will directly report to the UNDP Advisor on cities and local governments based in New York (USA).

Competencies

Core Competencies: 

Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline.

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. 

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback.

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. 

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident.

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships.

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Strategic Direction & Strategy: Effective Decision-Making

  • Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.

Business Management: Communication               

  • Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. 
  • Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Management: Working with Evidence and Data

  • Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.

Business Development: Knowledge 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.

Digital: Data literacy              

  • Understand the potential as well as the limitations of using data driven innovation.
  • Ability to use a mix of data sources (quantitative, qualitative or real-time techniques) to develop understanding, identify patterns to inform decision making or identify opportunities for further exploration.

2030 Agenda: Engagement & Effectiveness

  • Performance and data analysis and sharing lessons

2030 Agenda: Partnerships

  • SDG Impact Management and Finance Tracking

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum education requirements             

Advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Planning, Urban Planning, Community Development, Social Work, Development Studies, or Social Sciences is required. Or

A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Min. years of relevant work experience   

  • Applicants with a master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. 
  • Applicants with a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of experience in policy writing knowledge management, and/or monitoring and evaluation of community-based projects.

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

  • Proficiency in written and oral communication, especially among different stakeholders;
  • Competence in computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.);
  • Proven experience in working with local governments and their associations;
  • Experience working on Agenda 2030 or other UN global agendas; 
  • Proven professional experience focusing on communication and knowledge generation on urban issues;
  • Experience working on projects related to architecture, urban design, and/or community development. 

Required Language(s)

  • Fluency in the English and Filipino language both oral and written, is required.

Professional Certificates    

  • Project Management certificate is an advantage.

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.

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