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:
Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.
UNDP is the knowledge frontier organisation for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realise 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.
UNDP’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan reaffirms our continued commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by accelerating structural transformations that advance poverty eradication, reduce inequalities, strengthen resilience, and drive sustainable, climate-aligned development.
Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policies 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.
As part of GPN in BPPS, the Planet Hub promotes and scales up an integrated approach to deliver UNDP’s environment portfolio across nature, climate, energy, and chemicals and waste, supporting countries in advancing implementation of the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and related multilateral environmental agreements. It coordinates UNDP’s flagship offers—Nature Pledge, Climate Promise, and Energy Moonshot, and Cooling, Circularity and Pollution Prevention initiatives—to meet strong country demand across more than 140 countries. The Hub enables joined-up policy, programming, and financing solutions that accelerate low-emission, nature-positive, and pollution-free development, while strengthening resilience and advancing sustainable, inclusive growth in line with the Strategic Plan.
UNDP has developed its new Strategy for Food Systems to focus its vision and enhance its support to transform Food Systems.
Food Systems are fundamental to the sustainable development of the 170 countries UNDP supports. Food Systems are often the largest contributor to their economies; food and nutrition is fundamental for citizen health; and Food Systems have a key role to play in achieving the SDGs. Yet, Food Systems are in crisis and need to be radically transformed to become sustainable. UNDP, building on its experience, has for the first time consolidated its Food Systems support and vision into this Strategy. The challenges and need for change related to Food Systems have been highlighted by a suite of reports by many research and international organizations and think tanks. The production practices and consumption patterns of food and agricultural commodities are taking these systems on an unsustainable trajectory with multiple impacts on human development, the environment, and economies; from ecosystem degradation, conflicts over land and natural resources, reduced capacity and resilience to climate and other shocks, persistent poverty, food insecurity and related people displacement and migration, to malnutrition including overweight and obesity. There is a clear need to work in a systemic and integrated manner to transform the Food Systems towards sustainability.
UNDP´s Vision for Food Systems 2030 is, through partnerships, to transform food and agricultural commodity systems into resilient; equitable; healthy, inclusive; environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable systems. Working on Food Systems will contribute to not only recovery from the COVID19 crisis, by creating sustainable and resilient livelihoods for many along the Food and Agriculture Commodities supply chains, but also to preventing further zoonoses from emerging in the future. This will require a change in the current paradigm of agricultural production focusing on maximizing productivity to a new paradigm based on diversified agroecological systems which work simultaneously on achieving economic, environmental, social, and health outcomes, with smallholders as a key part of the solution in their role as the engine of economic development. A Food Systems team has been established within UNDP´s Planet Hub, which is tasked to support UNDP Country Offices with food systems related challenges in a way that is aligned with UNDP´s strategy.
The Project and Knowledge Management Analyst will perform the following tasks:
1. Programme Coordination Support
- Support day-to-day coordination of global food systems initiatives, contributing to effective collaboration among internal teams and partners.
- Assist in the organization of programme activities and virtual engagements, including preparation of materials, documentation, and follow-up on agreed actions.
- Provide coordination support to project teams to help ensure activities are implemented in line with agreed plans and timelines.
2. Monitoring, Reporting, and Tracking Support
- Assist in monitoring programme and project workplans, including collecting and consolidating inputs from teams and partners.
- Help maintain and update programme tracking tools, dashboards, calendars, and related internal systems.
- Contribute to the preparation of summaries, brief updates, and inputs to reports on programme progress and implementation status.
3. Knowledge Management, Learning, and Community Support
- Support knowledge management and learning activities by organizing information, documenting lessons learned, and compiling good practices from food systems initiatives.
- Assist with coordination and moderation of communities of practice and collaborative digital platforms, including supporting engagement across partners and country teams.
- Provide support for learning and knowledge-sharing activities, such as surveys, presentations, and internal briefings.
4. Stakeholder and Partnership Support
- Support coordination with UN agencies, country offices, regional teams, and external partners through communications, scheduling, and follow-up activities.
- Help maintain partner and membership databases, contact lists, and records related to food systems initiatives and task forces.
- Contribute to stakeholder mapping and basic outreach activities under guidance from senior team members.
5. Research, Analysis, and Resource Mobilization Support
- Undertake background research and data collection to support programme activities, partnerships, and resource mobilization efforts.
- Assist in drafting and compiling inputs for concept notes, presentations, and internal documents.
- Support analysis of linkages and alignment across food systems initiatives and UNDP priorities.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation
- The incumbent will work remotely from his/her home-base;
- The incumbent will be supervised by the Project Analyst.
- The incumbent will take part in the Food Systems team meetings and liaise with the UNDP Food Systems team members, other UNDP staff both at global and country office level, partners agencies focal points and donors.
- The incumbent will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment.
- The incumbent will be responsible for providing her/his own workstation (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must secure access to a reliable internet connection.
- Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the incumbent is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones.
- Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
- Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
- Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
- Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
- Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
- Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination
Business Development - Knowledge Generation
- Ability to research information and to turn it 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
- 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
Business Management - Partnership Management
- 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- Monitoring & Evaluation
- Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between planned activities and programme management and results.
- Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming.
- Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
2030 Agenda - Planet Nature
- Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Green commodities
Digital- Data Analysis
- Ability to extract, analyze and visualize data to form meaningful insights and aid effective business decision making
Min. Academic Education
- An advanced university degree (Master´s degree or equivalent) in Anthropology, Development Studies, Agriculture, Economics, Environment Science, or other related fields is required; or
- A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above fields, in combination with two additional years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Min. years of relevant Work experience
- Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience.
- Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have minimum of two years of professional work experience in sustainable development project management support-related functions (planning, communications, reporting, research).
Desired additional skills and competencies
- Experience in coordination of projects and initiatives related to food systems, agriculture, and systems change, with a focus on cross-sectoral integration (e.g. resilience, gender and climate linkages)
- Proven experience and strong understanding of food systems transformation agendas, including pathways related to sustainability, resilience, equity, and climate-smart agriculture.
- Demonstrated research experience on policy-relevant research and applied analysis on food systems transformation.
- Proven experience coordinating multi-donor/ flexible funding mechanism projects including operational follow-up, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
- Experience coordinating inter-agency collaboration mechanism, such as UN coordination platforms, task forces and global working groups.
- Experience supporting knowledge management and knowledge-sharing platforms such as communities of practice or similar related to food systems transformation, including moderation of digital platforms, virtual events and learning exchanges.
- Experience supporting communication, knowledge, and resource mobilization efforts, including drafting summaries, briefs, analytical notes, talking points, and strategic materials for partner engagement and fundraising purposes.
- Experience with UNDP.
Required Language(s)
- Excellent command of the English language is required;
- Fluency in another UN Language such as Spanish or French is desirable
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.
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.
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.
UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.
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