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.
This vacancy is open to nationals or holders of residence permits for the respective country.
Background
Job Purpose and Organizational Context
The Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC) covers 26 Country Offices and one Regional Service Centre. In total RBLAC covers over 40 country programmes. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP helps countries build and share their own solutions to urgent development challenges, supporting coalitions for change and connecting individuals and institutions so they can share knowledge, experience and resources. As countries develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of regional and global partners. The regional priorities include democratic governance, sustainable development, reducing inequalities, disaster and conflict risk reduction and the advancement of women, among others.
As part of UNDP’s organizational optimization exercise and broader efforts to strengthen regional delivery and country support functions, the position of Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director for the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean (RBLAC) has been relocated from New York to Panama.
This strategic repositioning reflects UNDP’s corporate commitment to bringing senior leadership closer to country operations, regional implementation mechanisms, and country-support platforms. Based in Panama, the Deputy Regional Director will oversee the operation and functioning of the Regional Hub and provide closer leadership, coordination, and oversight of regional support services to Country Offices across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is intended to strengthen alignment between corporate decision-making and operational realities on the ground; enhance responsiveness to Country Office needs; improve integration between policy, programme, and operations support functions; and facilitate more effective engagement with regional stakeholders and partners. The Panama-based leadership structure will also reinforce coordination with the Bureau’s Country Support Unit and Regional Hub teams to ensure timely, integrated, and high-quality support to Country Offices in delivering UNDP’s Strategic Plan and regional priorities.
Duties and Responsibilities
The overall purpose of this post is to ensure that the Deputy Regional Director receive the immediate administrative and operational support they need to concentrate on their managerial, representational and oversight functions. The position provides high-level executive, administrative and operational support to the Deputy Regional Director and, as required, coordinated support to the RBLAC Directorate in its day-to-day management of the Bureau, applying administrative rules and regulations and establishing internal operational procedures to enable the smooth functioning of the Deputy Director’s office. The incumbent works in close collaboration with the Special Assistant to the Deputy Regional Director, the Executive Associate to the Regional Director in NY, the Executive Associate(s) in Panama, and relevant Bureau and Regional Hub teams to contribute to coherent and well-coordinated support across the Directorate.
The incumbent coordinates closely with the Executive Associate to the Regional Director in New York and provides reciprocal backstopping (virtually), as required, to ensure business continuity and the smooth functioning of the Directorate.
UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
1. Ensures effective and efficient functioning of the office of the RBLAC Deputy Director, focusing on achievement of the following results:
• In coordination with the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director, management of the schedule/calendar for the RBLAC Director with external and internal parties;
• Coordinates and processes official travel arrangements for the Deputy Regional Director and, if required, for other RBLAC Directorate or Bureau’s staff, ensuring compliance with UNDP travel policies and coordination with other travel partners from the internal or external environment;
• Coordination with the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director and with other Regional Hub and Bureau staff for the timely preparation of high-quality briefing materials for appointments, meetings, missions;
• In coordination with the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director, management of the RBLAC Deputy Director´s extensive mission and representation schedule. Understanding of all protocol procedures and ensuring that procedures are fully implemented with respect to all visitors and guests of the Bureau;
• Use of office management systems for effective functioning of the RBLAC Deputy Director’s office, including maintenance of rosters of high-level partners, telephone and contact lists, maintenance and use of automated filing systems and ensuring safekeeping of confidential materials.
2. Ensures effective communications support to the RBLAC Deputy Director, focusing on achievement of the following results:
• Coordinates the flow of information from the RBLAC Deputy Director’s office to other RBLAC units at the Regional Hub, Headquarters and in the field, other UNDP and UN units; identification of opportunities to improve or streamline information flow and communications channels in the office including through innovative IT solutions;
• Liaises in a timely manner with all RBLAC units to ensure that the RBLAC Deputy Director’s decisions, instructions and requests for action and information are communicated to the correct people for follow-up actions;
• Self-directed and timely follow-up with all units on actions expected by the RBLAC Deputy Director;
• Reviews of incoming correspondence for the RBLAC Deputy Director´s attention and prioritizing of documents according to action required;
• Reviews, proofreads and edits of all correspondence for proper clearance prior to the RBLAC Deputy Director’s signature, ensuring quality control, substance, sensitivity of issues, and compliance with UNDP standards;
• Directs queries to appropriate party or substantive focal points within RBLAC for responses;
• Presents proposals to eliminate communication bottlenecks in the office and streamline communication procedures between the Directorate and other internal and external units;
• Drafts and prepares correspondence, directives, comments on behalf of the RBLAC Deputy Director for his/her signature and ensuring follow-up as needed;
• Assists in the organization of Directorate’s meetings and tracking follow-up actions.
3. Provides administrative support to effective advocacy of UNDP and RBLAC activities under the guidance of the Deputy Regional Director and in close coordination with the RBLAC Directorate, focusing on achievement of the following results:
• Supports the Directorate in facilitating the Bureau’s interaction (in sensitive, political, diplomatic, others) with various external partners of RBLAC, such as ambassadors, donor country delegations, parliamentarians and high-level senior officials, as well as the Administrator and the Executive Office.
• Assists in the maintenance of information on the Directorate staff activities;
• Assists the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director in the research, obtaining and analysis of background materials for the preparation of the briefings, meetings, official missions and appointments.
• Assists in the preparation of public information materials and folders, as requested.
• Assists in the organization of official hospitality events on behalf of RBLAC.
4. Provides administrative support to the Deputy Regional Director and Regional Hub senior management staff, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Applies ‘best practices’ with respect to administrative, procedures, rules, regulations and systems, and introduction of relevant proposals for their eventual application in the functioning of the RBLAC Deputy Regional Director’s office;
- Organizes and schedules meetings originated by RBLAC, including reservation of room, notification to attendees, logistics; preparation of agenda; organization and distribution of key documentation.
- Drafts/revises meeting minutes.
- Processes travel requests in line with UNDP Travel Policy.
- Calculates DSA entitlements and processes claims, ensuring the timely settlement of claims;
- Provides administrative support to conferences, workshops, retreats organized by RBLAC.
5. Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and management, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Conducts research on various work-related subjects at the request of the RBLAC Deputy Director, in collaboration with the Special Assistant;
- Contributes to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
- Ensures availability of coverage and reciprocal backstopping for the Special Assistant to the Deputy Director and Executive Associate to the Director (virtually) during peak times.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None
Competencies
Core
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
- 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 Management & Strategy - 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.
- 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.
- General (across the functions) - Event planning and execution: Ability to plan, manage and execute of public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNDP's overall brand and mandate.
- Business Management - Results-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 tools.
- Administration & Operations - Travel policy and procedures: Knowledge of travel policy and procedures; ability to interpret travel policy, the Staff Rules, administrative circulars and financial regulations and rules on travel related matters.
- 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.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• Secondary Education is required with specialized secretarial training, OR
• University Degree in Social Sciences, Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance or equivalent will be given due consideration, but is not a requirement.
Experience:
• Minimum 7 years (with secondary education) or 4 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible administrative, executive support or programme experience at the national or international level is required.
• Experience using computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and in handling web-based management systems is required.
• Experience within the United Nations Common System is desirable.
• Experience in preparing notes, memos, narrative reports and general correspondence is desirable.
• Experience in protocol procedures, meetings/event organization and attending to high-ranking official’s agenda is desirable.
• Working experience in front office management and executive support positions is desirable.
Language:
- Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
- Working knowledge of other UN official language is an asset.
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.
Probation
For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
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.
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