Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst - IPSA 9 (Home Based)

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the 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.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

UNDP’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical links between environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and broader efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. As part of the Global Policy Network in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP’s Nature, Climate, and Energy (NCE) Team promotes and scales up integrated whole-of-governance approaches and nature-based solutions that reduce poverty and inequalities, strengthen livelihoods and inclusive growth, mitigate conflict, forced migration and displacement, and promote more resilient governance systems that advance linked peace and security agendas.

The NCE Team works with governments, civil society, and private sector partners to integrate natural capital, environment and climate concerns into national and sector planning and inclusive growth policies; support country obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements; and implement the UN’s largest portfolio of in-country programming on environment, climate change, and energy. This multi-billion dollar portfolio encompasses: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services including forests; Sustainable Land Management and Desertification including food and commodity systems; Water and Ocean Governance including fisheries and SIDS; Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation; Renewable and Modern Energy; Extractive Industries; Chemicals and Waste Management; Environmental Governance and Green/Circular Economy approaches. This work advances crosscutting themes on finance, digital transformation, capacity development, human rights, gender equality, health, technology, and South-South learning.

UNDP Nature, Climate and Energy portfolio is advanced in part through several integrated global projects including:

1) Sida-UNDP Environment and Climate Change Project;

2) Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE);

3) Poverty-Environment Action for SDGs; and

4) OECD Consortium on Sustainable Infrastructure Finance.

 Position Purpose

Under the overall guidance of the Senior Policy Advisor in New York, the Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst is responsible for supporting policy research, management, reporting and coordination for the UNDP global integrated portfolio on environment, climate, natural resources and green economy, including ensuring sustainable development outcomes from food systems and the energy transition, industries as well as financing strategies, mechanisms and integrated tools that are critical for protecting biodiversity, advancing climate mitigation and adaptation, and promoting sustainable development. S/he supports the delivery of quality policy services by NCE programme teams and as relevant in collaboration with other BPPS, Regional Hubs, Country Offices and Global Policy Centers, in addition to supporting the advancement of the UNDP’s credibility in the thematic area. S/he is responsible for supporting the following activities for the projects listed above, as well as other linked NCE team initiatives:

• Policy Research and Development
• Policy Advice/ Programme and Project Delivery Support
• Policy Positioning and Advocacy
• Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
• Knowledge Management

S/he will report to the NCE Senior Policy Advisor in New York.

• Support research, analysis and guidance on emerging NCE integrated programming issues;
• Support preparation of good practices in support of NCE for sustainable development policy and strategy development;
• Draft applicable documents and prepare presentations to support the development of NCE for sustainable development policy initiatives for different contexts on key emerging policy agendas;
• Support data analysis to identify potential new NCE research areas for commissioning and focusing on demands and gaps at the country level; and
• Support analysis of data needed for the quality assurance of NCE for sustainable development policy services and  programme delivery.
• Perform other relevant duties as required.

Policy Advice/ Programme and Project Delivery Support

• Support effective delivery of strategic global projects in the area of natural resource management for sustainable development, including the four global projects listed above;
• Support research for strategic policy advice to countries via UNDP Country Offices to design and deliver programmes and projects that responds to country needs and priorities on natural resource management for the SDGs;
• Under guidance of supervisor, coordinate organization of policy events hosted or co-hosted by UNDP.

Policy Positioning and Advocacy

• Contribute to the development and management of strategic relationships with UN entities, governments, civil society, private sector and other relevant actors in order to position UNDP in the area of natural resources for sustainable development;
• Provide input to briefings and speeches for senior management;
• Prepare analysis and materials to support NCE advocacy with a view to deepen related political commitment and related reforms and behavioral change; and
• Support the team’s engagement in interagency coordination through research.
• Perform other relevant duties as required.

Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Support the team in developing analysis and materials to aid the engagement with regional and global partners;
• Support regular and ad hoc reporting to Sida and other bilateral and multilateral partners;
• Provide inputs and compile relevant data related to strategic UNDP partnerships including corporate and donor reporting, advocacy and information-sharing in coordination with other teams and BERA;
• Support research and written materials to support the formulation of partnership strategies with UN and external partner institutions, including governments, private sector, academia, NGOs, and CSOs.
• Perform other relevant duties as required.

Knowledge Management

• Support keeping an up-to-date library of NCE policy and programme knowledge and files at the cross-regional and/or global level and proactively share documents with team members and respond to their specific requests for information; 
• Support the development and management of content for NCE web-based knowledge platforms;
• Under guidance of supervisor, coordinate organization and conduct of knowledge sharing events;
• Support knowledge extraction, analysis, documentation, and codification of NCE results/lessons learned; and
• Perform other relevant duties as required.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst shall work home-based for the duration of the assignment.
• The Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst will report to the Senior Policy Adviser for Environment (P5)
• The Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst will engage/interact with the Supervisors in person, by email and Teams/Zoom on a regular basis. In addition, Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst will also engage with other UNDP colleagues based in NY, relevant regional hubs, and country offices through these same virtual platforms;
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the Policy and Programme Coordination Analyst is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones where applicable.