Head, Development Equities Programme

About UN University (UNU)

The United Nations University (UNU) is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge, furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. UNU’s mission is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, United Nations University (UNU) has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU’s work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe. For more information, please visit http://unu.edu. 

The UNU Centre For Policy Research (UNU-CPR)

United Nations University Centre for Policy Research in New York is an independent think tank within the United Nations system. The Centre combines research excellence with deep knowledge of the multilateral system to generate innovative solutions to current and future global public policy challenges. 

The Centre comprises social and data scientists and UN practitioners. It has a successful track record of international partnerships, and has launched pioneering work in several areas, including multilateralism and great power competition; migration governance; labour rights; climate security; UN development system reform; modern slavery and human trafficking; as well as providing analytical support to the United Nations and its Member States in wide range of areas. For more information on UNU-CPR and its work, please visit http://cpr.unu.edu.

The Development Equities Programme

The credibility of the multilateral system hinges on its capacity to deliver on the promise of leaving no one behind. This requires a greater focus on equity in the Organization’s development work. The Development Equities Programme aims at identifying and remedying the structural barriers that set individuals and communities back in their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Today, calls for vaccine equity, climate equity, and debt equity are heard from across the world. They bookend longstanding calls for significant reforms of the multilateral system and a reimagining of global governance, notably, global debt, tax and migration architectures. Progress across all these domains is currently hampered by structural inequities that impede not only fair outcomes, but fair pathways to development for all those who claim a stake in a greener, safer, more sustainable future. Impediments to equitable development are also increasingly understood to feed structural inequalities and deeply rooted imbalances that contribute to State fragility and risks of violent conflict.

The Development Equities Programme focuses on interventions and insights that will improve access to essential services and resources, help secure rights for marginalized peoples, and address socioeconomic inequalities that may be exacerbated by rapid and disruptive changes from markets, demographics, technologies, migrations, and environmental change. The projects designed in the Development Equities Programme will take account of emerging trends and provide policy insights, supported by data, multistakeholder partnerships, and perspectives from global and local policymaking contexts. The programme will draw on insights and methodologies from a broad range of disciplines—economics, law, politics, among others—and pay particular attention to marginalized and vulnerable populations, including displaced persons, women, youth, indigenous peoples and individuals affected by human trafficking and modern slavery.

The Position

The Development Equities Programme is a newly formed cluster of projects at the UNU Centre for Policy Research that provides bespoke policy research for senior UN policymakers as well as large, multi-year and multi-stakeholder initiatives. The Head, Development Equities Programme is a senior policy and/or research leader who will strengthen existing projects and launch complementary initiatives in these areas.

This position offers significant scope for innovation and partnership. Working with the UNU-CPR team and across the institutes of the United Nations University, the Head of the Development Equities Programme will bring intellectual leadership, creative drive, and a commitment to working with and within the United Nations to strengthen the evidence base and policy options available the Organization and its Member States.

About You

You have extensive knowledge of the United Nations, its principal agencies, bodies and partners, as well as programmes and field operations in your area of expertise, ideally covering one or more of the following themes: development, political economy, human rights, labour rights, humanitarian assistance and/or human mobility. Recent academic literature, public opinion, and political currents related to these themes will be familiar and accessible through your networks.

Your prior experience will demonstrate you have the capacity to translate empirical research findings into practical policy guidance for senior UN and government actors. You are an excellent writer capable of producing rigorous, accessible reports and of mentoring staff to deliver written products of the highest quality.  You have experience communicating research ideas and research findings in clear and compelling ways for diverse audiences in both closed door and large public forums. Over the course of your career, you will have mobilized resources to support research and dissemination activities in support of your own work and the work carried out by teams under your supervision. Experience in field settings and/or with human subjects is especially helpful. You are politically astute, comfortable working with civil society, scholars, and senior government representatives, charismatic and empathetic, and have a proven track-record working as a coalition-builder. You thrive in innovative, entrepreneurial, purpose-oriented settings and are committed to diversity, equality, and building a workplace that values excellence, empathy, and individual growth equally.

Responsibilities And Deliverables

The Head of the Development Equities Programme will report to the Director of Programmes and the Executive Director and will be expected to:

1.     Define an impactful work programme that builds on your expertise and network, and across UNU-CPR projects

• Identify ways of scaffolding a new impactful programme of policy research on existing UNU-CPR contributions to the fields of development reform/coordination, labour rights, human mobility, international debt architecture, and development finance, drawing on your specific academic expertise and networks.

• Identify and engage target policy audiences, drawing on UNU-CPR’s network and your own.

• Identify synergies with research programmes across UNU and across UNU-CPR, and invest in joint research projects and collaborative fundraising.

2.       Fundraise to support the financial sustainability of this pillar

• Identify fundraising pathways, donors, and new partners to support work in this area.

• Attract and retain personnel that can contribute to the success of this pillar.

• Diversify UNU-CPR’s donor pool and build ties to relevant foundations.

3.       Direct, produce and strategically disseminate targeted research, analysis, and commentary for UNU-CPR stakeholders

• Deliver long-form, editorial, and collaborative publications with significant potential for uptake in the UN system.

• Contribute to enhancing UNU-CPR’s visibility by serving as an expert contributor on high-level or high-visibility panels

• Build a community of research collaborators that will deepen UNU-CPR expertise on issues relevant to this pillar.

• Organize high-level meetings and events drawing together key UNU-CPR stakeholders with experts at UNU-CPR and/or within our networks.

4.       Support management at UNU-CPR

• Support the Executive Director and UNU-CPR administrative and management personnel as required to ensure sound and effective management and administration of UNU-CPR.

• Contribute to quality assurance processes that ensure high-quality outputs at UNU-CPR. 

5.       Support requests from UNU Headquarters

• Be available to support the UNU Rector and HQ colleagues on substantive and administrative requests that may be made.

6.       Perform other duties as assigned by supervisors

Required Qualifications And Experience

• A PhD in a relevant academic discipline, including but not limited to, law, political science, economics, international relations, international development, migration, human rights, or public policy is strongly preferred.  A Master's degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience and a strong publication record in a relevant field may be accepted in lieu of a PhD.

• At least 10 years of relevant policy research experience with a PhD (12 years with a Master’s degree), or a combination of field and research experience.

• Extensive knowledge of the United Nations, its principal agencies and bodies, as well as programmes and field operations in your area of expertise, ideally covering one or more of the following themes: development, political economy, human rights, labour rights, humanitarian assistance, and/or human mobility.

• Recent academic literature, public opinion, and political currents related to these themes will be familiar and accessible through your networks;

• Demonstrated experience in translating empirical research findings into practical policy guidance for senior UN and government actors;

• Familiarity with and, ideally, experience of UN-Member State dynamics;

• Experience in field settings and/or with human subjects is especially helpful;

• Fluency in English required and an excellent writer capable of producing rigorous, accessible reports and of mentoring staff to deliver written products of the highest quality; 

• Experience communicating research ideas and research findings in clear and compelling ways for diverse audiences in both closed door and large public forums;

• Demonstrated success in fundraising and in managing donor relations;

• Over the course of your career, you will have mobilized resources to support research and dissemination activities in support of your own work and the work carried out by teams under your supervision;

• Self-direction and the ability to establish priorities, and report work activities in a timely and proactive manner, and work within tight timelines;

• Comfort with a range of statistical analysis methods, data analysis and other research methodologies;

• Solid interpersonal and problem-solving skills demonstrated by the ability to work in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity, equality and gender parity.  

• Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.

Key Performance Indicators

• Regular delivery of high-quality knowledge products that provide new insights in areas relevant to this pillar that benefit UNU-CPR stakeholders.

• Attract significant third-party funding, with a view to building-up a multi-year research programme with sustainable support from new or existing donors. 

• Improve UNU-CPR visibility and demonstrate UNU-CPR utility to the UN system, notably in New York and other locations where UNU-CPR operates.

• Broaden the community of UNU-CPR partners, collaborators, and donors, and catalyse interaction amongst projects at UNU-CPR and throughout the UNU system.

• Participate in and convene high-level meetings that provides new insights to UNU-CPR’s policy stakeholder community.

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion - Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity.

• Integrity - Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards.

• Humility - Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others.

• Humanity - Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate - Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN.

• Analyse and Plan - Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action.

• Deliver Results with Positive Impact - Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves.

• Learn and Develop - Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others.

• Adapt and Innovate - Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways.

Remuneration & Entitlements

The successful candidate will be employed under an international Personnel Service Agreement (PSA) contract. UNU offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary in the range of USD 150,000 to USD 170,000, commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the candidate.

Benefits include 30 days annual leave and a health insurance scheme.

UNU will contribute to the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station (New York) and the return to their home country or current place of residence 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.

UNU is not liable for any taxes that may be levied on the remuneration you receive under this contract. Payment of any such taxes remains the sole responsibility of PSA holders.

Duration Of Contract

The duration of the initial contract is one (1) year, however subsequent renewals may be longer. This is a Personnel Service Agreement (PSA) contract with UNU, with the possibility for renewal subject to requirements and satisfactory work performance. The combined duration on a PSA contract with UNU may not exceed six (6) years. The mandatory age of retirement for PSA is 65 years.

The successful candidate will be based in New York and may initially start remotely.

Starting Date

1 February 2022 or sooner.

Application Procedure

To apply to UNU, you will not need an Impactpool account. Instead, we ask that you:

• Apply here: https://careers.unu.edu/o/head-development-equities-programme-psa 
• fill out the UNU P11 form (please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organisations);
• provide a motivation statement (in the P11 form); and
• answer a few questions that are tailored to the position.

You may wish to refer to the UN Values and Behaviours Framework for more information.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates will include up to two rounds of interviews, a written test, background, and reference checks.

Special notice

PSA holders do not hold international civil servant status nor are they considered a “staff member” as defined in the UN Staff Rules and Regulations.

UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply and become part of the organization. Applications from developing countries, and from women are strongly encouraged. Eligible internal applicants are encouraged to apply.

UNU has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNU, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.

Information about UNU rosters

UNU 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 UNU at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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