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
The Office of Human Resources (OHR), under the Bureau for Management Services (BMS), serves as the anchor of UNDP’s global human resources function, providing strategic HR policy direction, governance, and advisory services across the organization.
Within OHR, the Talent Development Unit (TDU) leads UNDP’s global learning, role readiness, career development, and professionalisation agenda. TDU is responsible for designing, coordinating, and scaling learning and capability‑building initiatives that strengthen organizational performance, support quality programming, and enable career mobility.
As part of UNDP’s commitment to Quality Programming, the professionalization of Programme and Project Management (PPM) functions—including the establishment of structured certification pathways—has become a strategic organisational priority. The PPM certification portfolio crosses multiple learning products (e.g. online course), assessment mechanisms, stakeholders, and governance arrangements, requiring dedicated coordination to ensure coherence, consistency, and sustainability.
The Role Readiness Analyst will serve as the central coordination focal point within TDU for the Programme and Project Management (PPM) certification portfolio.
The role will ensure strategic coherence, effective stakeholder coordination, and sound governance across PPM certification standards, learning pathways, assessment processes, and operational delivery. The incumbent will support the structured rollout, ongoing management, and continuous improvement of the PPM certification portfolio as an integral component of UNDP’s role readiness and quality programming agenda.
The role will support the progressive institutionalization of the PPM Certification Framework as an organisation-wide capacity development and quality assurance mechanism, including its integration into onboarding processes, job requirements, and individual learning and development plans, in alignment with UNDP’s talent management and role readiness frameworks
Duties and Responsibilities
1. PPM Certification Portfolio Coordination
- Serve as the primary coordination focal point within TDU for the PPM certification portfolio.
- Maintain a holistic overview of the end to end PPM certification ecosystem, including learning pathways, assessments, credentialing requirements, and recertification processes.
- Ensure alignment between PPM certification pathways, role readiness programmes (e.g. Finance, HR, Procurement), and UNDP quality programming frameworks.
- Support coordinated planning, prioritization, and sequencing of certification related activities across stakeholders and delivery partners.
- Ensure integration of certification requirements into onboarding, job profiles, and talent management processes
2. Stakeholder Engagement and Interface Management
- Act as the main interface between TDU and internal stakeholders contributing to the PPM certification portfolio, including BPPS (e.g. Quality Programming Team and GFPHST), OHR counterparts, and relevant business units.
- Coordinate engagement with external partners involved in certification, assessment, or credentialing, as applicable.
- Support the establishment and facilitation of coordination mechanisms such as working groups, steering arrangements, or governance forums.
- Clarify, document, and maintain roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities across stakeholders involved in certification design, delivery, assessment, and governance.
3. Certification Standards, Governance, and Quality Assurance
- Support the definition, documentation, and maintenance of PPM certification standards, eligibility criteria, and assessment modalities.
- Contribute to the development and updating of SOPs, guidance notes, and reference materials related to the PPM certification portfolio.
- Support quality assurance processes to ensure consistency, credibility, and integrity of certification offerings across regions and delivery modalities.
- Coordinate updates to certification frameworks in response to policy changes, organizational priorities, or evolving professional standards.
- Support definition of role-based certification requirements and compliance expectations
4. Operational Coordination and Delivery Support
- Coordinate certification cycles, timelines, and communications with learning delivery teams and digital learning platform administrators.
- Support the integration of certification components into UNDP learning platforms (e.g. LMS/LXP).
- Track certification uptake, completion rates, and progression data in collaboration with learning analytics and M&E counterparts.
- Identify coordination risks, capacity gaps, operational bottlenecks and escalate issues as required.
- Support organisation-wide rollout across COs, RBs, HQ
5. Monitoring, Learning, and Continuous Improvement
- Contribute to monitoring frameworks assessing the effectiveness and impact of PPM certification pathways.
- Collect, synthesize, and analyse feedback from participants, assessors, and stakeholders.
- Support evidence based improvements to certification processes, learning pathways, and coordination approaches.
- Document lessons learned and good practices to inform broader role readiness and professionalization initiatives led by TDU.
- Support mechanisms to track and report on compliance with certification requirements
- Contribute to reinforcing minimum competency standards for programme and operations personnel.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.
The Role Readiness Analyst will report to the People Development Specialist Onboarding & Role Readiness, Talent Development Unit (BMS/OHR).
The role will work in close collaboration with:
- BPPS Quality Programming Team
- GFPHST (as relevant)
- Learning delivery teams and digital learning platform teams
- Internal and external certification partners
Competencies
Core Competencies:
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Create systems and processes that enable learning and development for all
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
- Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity
Cross-functional and Technical Competencies:
Business Development and 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
Business Development:
- Knowledge Generation
- Ability to research and turn information 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
Business Management:
- Communication
- Ability to 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
HR - Learning and development:
- Digital L&D
- Knowledge of digital learning methods and ability to design and develop digital learning programmes.
- L&D design
- Knowledge of adult learning principles, instructional design, learning styles, and learning programmes delivery modalities; ability to identify and design effective learning paths, programmes and initiatives
Digital:
- Experience design
- Knowledge of experience design methodologies and ability to design end-to-end experiences that meet user and business needs.
- Agile' methodologies and practices
- Ability to manage projects and processes through continuous iteration, learning and improvement.
- Ability to manage 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.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Human Resources Management or other related 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.
- Professional Certification in programme management is a distinct asset.
- Professional Certifications in progamme management, change management or any other relevant fields is an asset.
Experience:
- A minimum of 2 years of experience (with master’s degree) or 4 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in the public or private sectors with increasing level of responsibility in capability development and creation of a learning organization.
- Demonstrated experience and success in designing and implementing innovative best in class talent development programmes is required.
- Experience in Project management of learning initiatives is required.
- Experience in coordination of stakeholders for the design and delivery of learning interventions is required.
- Demonstrated experience in monitoring and evaluation of learning programmes is required.
- Experience in learning design and delivery, including facilitating learning programmes face-to-face and virtually is required.
- Experience and broad knowledge of UNDP and/or the UN system in general is highly desirable.
- Demonstrated experience in agile project management of learning initiatives is an asset.
- Proven experience in writing and editing of a variety of documents is an asset.
- Strong working experience of knowledge management and social learning / communities of practice is desired.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, Forms, Power BI) is desired.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Working knowledge of French and/or Spanish is desirable
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.
Use of AI by candidates
Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection
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.