Strategy and Planning Specialist

Job Advertisement

Position Title: Strategy and Planning Specialist
Location: New York
Country: United States
Deadline Date:

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the lead United Nations agency on international development, established to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality across the globe. Operating in 170 countries and territories, UNDP supports nations in developing policies, leadership skills, partnerships, and institutional capabilities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The organization focuses on six core development areas known as UNDP's signature solutions: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy, and gender equality. The Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS (RBEC) serves a diverse region comprising 18 countries and territories, addressing profound transformations and multifaceted crises through integrated development solutions that promote resilience, social cohesion, and inclusive governance. UNDP's work is aligned with its Strategic Plan 2022-2025, and the RBEC teams collaborate with Country Offices and the Istanbul Regional Hub to deliver tailored programs that meet specific development priorities and foster global policies and practices.

Job Overview:
The Strategy and Planning Specialist plays a crucial role within the RBEC HQ team, contributing to the orchestration and facilitation of the Regional Bureau's planning functions. This includes overseeing progress monitoring and ensuring that results reporting aligns with the Strategic Plan, Bureau priorities, vision, and resource allocations. The incumbent is responsible for providing analysis and advice to the Bureau's leadership regarding performance against corporate targets and commitments, actively identifying and addressing risks within the Integrated Work Plan's risk management framework. The role requires monitoring and analyzing complex political, economic, and social dynamics in assigned countries, synthesizing this analysis into high-quality briefing materials and policy recommendations. The Strategy and Planning Specialist promotes integrated approaches to programming that respond to complex development challenges and crises, collaborating across teams and functions to identify synergies between programs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve strategic goals. The position also involves gathering and analyzing comprehensive regional bureau performance data, ensuring alignment with global, regional, and country-level organizational datasets, and contributing insights to the Bureau's performance management tools and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Duties and Responsibilities:
The primary responsibilities of the Strategy & Planning Specialist include advising and supporting country portfolio analysis, coordination, and stakeholder engagement. This involves developing and maintaining comprehensive briefing notes and analytical reports on country, sub-regional, and regional aspects of the assigned portfolio, ensuring quality and strategic relevance of content. The incumbent coordinates preparatory activities and stakeholder engagement prior to meetings, prepares minutes, and ensures systematic follow-up on action points with all stakeholders. Proactive engagement with internal and external stakeholders is essential for gathering strategic inputs for briefings, position papers, and corporate documents. The role also includes conducting thorough quality reviews of documentation, producing analytical reports and presentations, and participating in UNDP coordination activities, including crisis response. The Strategy and Planning Specialist provides inputs and recommendations to Bureau leadership on country-specific and thematic issues, working closely with Country Offices and other UNDP units to ensure effective information sharing and coordination. Additionally, the incumbent contributes to RBEC’s regional and corporate strategic initiatives, providing substantive contributions to planning and strategy processes, developing high-quality technical presentations, and monitoring relevant donor contributions. The role requires tracking and analyzing regional political, economic, and social trends, preparing periodic reports for RBEC management, and synthesizing policy-relevant analysis and research from across the region to inform programming.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires an advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Relations, Economics, Policy Science, or other related Social Sciences. Alternatively, a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the aforementioned fields combined with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be considered in lieu of the advanced degree. Candidates must possess a minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in development, economics, or related fields (or nine (9) years with a bachelor’s degree). Experience in an international context on development or related issues in a multilateral and/or bilateral context is required, with professional experience in UN entities being desirable. Candidates should have experience in drafting high-quality briefs and talking points for senior officials, supporting comprehensive strategic planning processes, and engaging with diverse stakeholders.

Educational Background:
Candidates must hold an advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in fields such as International Relations, Economics, Policy Science, or other related Social Sciences. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in these fields, combined with additional qualifying experience, will also be considered. This educational background is essential for understanding the complexities of international development and policy-making.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in development, economics, or related fields, with a preference for candidates who have experience working in international contexts. This includes experience in multilateral and/or bilateral settings, as well as familiarity with UN entities. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to draw on diverse organizational experiences to inform strategic planning and design" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">program design, and have a proven track record of providing substantive strategic advice at the international level.

Languages:
Fluency in written and spoken English is required for this position. Additionally, a working knowledge of another UN language is desired, which would enhance the candidate's ability to engage with diverse stakeholders and contribute to UNDP's global mission.

Additional Notes:
The position is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period, and the continuance of appointment beyond the initial 12 months is subject to this condition. The UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, and all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Furthermore, UNDP is committed to diversity and inclusion, encouraging applications from individuals belonging to marginalized or excluded populations. The organization does not charge any fees in connection with the application or recruitment process.