Intergovernmental Engagement Specialist (Open to all applicants applicants)

Position description

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

As the lead United Nations agency on international development, for six decades, UNDP works in some 170 countries and territories. UNDP has shaped the progress of human development, providing integrated support at scale to improve lives for millions of people worldwide. UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 helps countries and communities in their progress towards high human development while protecting the planet through four strategic objectives – prosperity for all, effective governance, crisis resilience, and healthy planet. The plan is powered by three accelerators: digital and AI transformation; gender equality; and sustainable finance. All are underpinned by a commitment to human rights and to leaving no one behind. 

The Bureau for Advocacy and External Relations leads and supports UNDP to build and deliver essential strategic relationships and alliances. It creates and delivers a strong public narrative about the organization, impact of our work, and how we align with partners to identify and build solutions towards achieving sustainable development. The Bureau also leads UNDP’s work with traditional donors, as well as building innovative and diversified funding relationships.  BERA communications enable strong political and financial backing by providing partners and supporters with a clear understanding of what UNDP does and how our mission, capabilities and services reinforce global, regional, and national development priorities. BERA leads efforts to optimally position UNDP within the UN Development System, with Member States and in the inter-governmental and inter-agency fora. It identifies strategic opportunities to partner with agencies through multi-stakeholder and bilateral platforms. It provides intelligence, advises on relationships with key political constituencies, incl. UN Member states, G77 and China, WEOG, EU, Executive Board and develops strategies. BERA coordinates and sets corporate standards across the functions of political positioning, partnerships, marketing and communications within UNDP and leads on internal communications.

Position Purpose

The Intergovernmental Engagement Specialist works under the leadership and direction of the Team Leader for UN System Affairs supporting UNDP’s engagement with Member States and other actors, including from UN Secretariat and other UN entities. 

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of the interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Duties and Responsibilities

In this section list up to five primary functions/accountabilities of the position (Typically one sentence each) and examples of duties that must be performed to successfully accomplish key responsibilities

Support BERA’s leadership role on UNDP internal preparation for the Executive Board’s (EB) sessions, bureaux coordination, and targeted engagements with Member States (MS) and UN entities.

• Facilitates the preparations of EB inter-bureaux planning meetings.
• Develops and ensures timely finalization of EB-related documentation, including key messages, main positions of MS groups, Intelligence Note, and others as necessary.
• Develops and maintains close working relationships with key MS, in coordination with relevant BERA teams and Regional Bureaux. Engages with UN entities on key related matters.
• Advises on and facilitates targeted engagements with MS at the senior/technical levels and by all relevant UNDP bureaux, in collaboration with relevant UNDP Bureaux.
• Leads on timely intelligence gathering, flags/shares with relevant UNDP bureaux/offices, ensures intelligence exchange with relevant BERA teams, and advises on potential course of action.
• Keeps UNDP/BERA senior management abreast of the preparations for and the evolvement of EB sessions and decision negotiations, including through relevant highlights for UNDP senior leadership and preparations for respective EG discussions.
• Advises on and supports UNDP country-level management awareness of and engagement in EB sessions, as necessary.
• Supports the provision of thematic/topic-specific briefings to MS, as requested.
• Ensures close coordination with the Executive Office, the EB Secretariat, and other UNDP bureaux/offices.
• When requested, coordinates UNDP’s engagement and participation in the Joint Meetings of the Executive Boards.

Develop political analyses of intergovernmental and interagency developments, dynamics, and resolutions/ decisions, flagging implications for UNDP’s strategic positioning and engagement, both substantive/policy-oriented and operational/management-focused.

• Advances the establishment of a sound, well-maintained tracking system on MS’s positions.
• Gathers and evaluates intelligence from key MS groups and follows up on relevant mandates and legislation from intergovernmental bodies.
• Flags opportunities for strategic positioning in the intergovernmental fora and interagency space.
• Ensures the integration/ reflection of political analyses in respective position papers, advisory notes, engagement strategies, and briefs for senior management.
• Facilitates sharing of political analyses with the management at the HQ and country levels, as appropriate and as agreed by BERA management.

Advise on, proactively identify opportunities for, and support UNDP leadership engagements with key Member States’ (MS) groups, including AOSIS, MICs, LDCs, regional groups and with a special focus on the Group of 77 and China.

• Develops and implements audience-centric strategies to interface with and manage ongoing relationships with Permanent Missions, key political constituencies, and other intergovernmental stakeholders.
• Identifies and analyses engagement opportunities and risks; contributes to policy proposals and position papers for UNDP engagements in relevant intergovernmental and interagency fora and with key MS groups, and with key UN entities as required.
• Advises on and supports targeted engagements through intergovernmental and interagency spaces, including by proposing innovative approaches.
• Develops and maintains close working relationships with key MS, in coordination with relevant BERA teams, and advances technical-level relationships with key actors in UN Secretariat and UN entities.
• Prepares, coordinates and reviews reports, speeches, briefing notes and talking points for senior management on a periodic basis and upon request.

Engage in preparations of and advise on UNDP’s engagements in and positioning within the key intergovernmental fora, including High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), 2nd Committee, 5th Committee, and with the substantive focus on ECOSOC and the UN General Assembly.

• Leads on UNSAG engagements in preparations of UNDP’s participation in the UN GA meetings; ensures required follow-up; monitors and advises on key GA resolutions.
• Closely monitors relevant segments (including Operational Activities Segment) and negotiation processes within ECOSOC, engaging with both MS and relevant counterparts in UN Secretariat and other UN entities. Advises on potential implications and respective engagement strategies.
• Provides political mapping of MS positions ahead of the key intergovernmental events/ initiatives/ meetings/ sessions, recommending most effective engagement approaches and niches for UNDP positioning, as well as flagging key risks and implications.
• Monitors, analyses and evaluates intergovernmental discussions in relevant intergovernmental fora. Identifies interconnections with interagency discussions and initiatives. Contributes to and/or develops political analyses ahead and after the key intergovernmental events/ initiatives/ meetings/ sessions.
• Monitors key developments within the GA and flags major opportunities for UNDP engagement, with the necessary follow-up. Keeps close contact with the Office of the President of the UN GA

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None

Competencies

• Core Competencies:

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

• Cross-Functional & Technical competencies: 

Business Direction & 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

Partnership Management-Relationship management: Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding

Business Management-Partnerships management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Business Management-Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimizing return on investment

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.

UN System Affairs -Intergovernmental affairs: Knowledge of intergovernmental bodies (General Assembly, ECOSOC, UNDESA, etc.), including respective mandates, ways of working, and negotiation processes

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in International Relations, Public Administration or other Social Sciences related field is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the above-mentioned fields of study, with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years (with Bachelor’s) or 9 years (with Master’s) experience in UNDP and/or within the UN System, or any government, inter-governmental and other related experience outside of the UN system with strong knowledge of the UN system or any government, inter-governmental experience.
• Strong knowledge of the UN system (including UNDS) is required. 
• Proven record of inter-agency and/or intergovernmental engagement and/or experience in diplomatic relations, political analysis and advocacy are required.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with Permanent missions, government representatives and diplomatic stakeholders. 
• Intergovernmental affairs expertise such as in executive board sessions, committee meetings or intergovernmental negotiations.
• Exceptional drafting skills with demonstrated experience in preparing briefing notes, talking points, position papers. 
• Ability to communicate complex political issues clearly and concisely. 
• Strong relationship management and networking skills. 

Languages: 

• Proficiency in oral and written English language.
• Working knowledge of another UN language is a strong asset.

Application instructions

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