Programme Management Specialist (Foresight Specialist)

Contract

This is a P-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 74,649 USD and 97,747 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Background Information - Job-specific

* FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

The New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement the project activities for the UN Futures Lab Global Hub.

UN Futures Lab Global Hub

Please note that this assignment is specifically with the UN Futures Lab (UNFL) which was incubated by UN Global Pulse (UNGP) in partnership with the Development Coordination Office (DCO), UNESCO, and UNDP.

The UN Futures Lab (UNFL) is a key component of the Secretary-General’s vision of UN 2.0, focused on long-term thinking and foresight capabilities. The Secretary-General identified the need to use foresight to identify and plan for possible futures. Accordingly, the UN Futures Lab Network will be designed to support the UN family, as a whole, at the global, regional, and country levels across the UN family, and within UN entities, and connected to the international community. Support will include capacity support, foresight products, the production of knowledge and learning, and an ability to collaborate with, and nurture networks for action.

UNFL Network will operate a hub-and-spokes model with a Global Hub that will be linked to other UN entities and thematic nodes. The Global Hub will be central to the UNFL Network, an inter-agency initiative including UNGP, UNESCO, UNDP, and DCO as key partners, connecting with other UN entities and the broader international community, providing a cross-cutting, aggregate global view.

The Global Hub will be hosted by UN Global Pulse in Helsinki, Finland, with participation of the core group partners (UNESCO, UNDP, DCO). The Global Hub will be in a position to drive foresight efforts through development actions via its core partnership with UNDP and the UN Country Teams, and through DCO as part of its support to the Resident Coordinator (RC) system.

The incumbent of this position will be a staff member of UNOPS, under its full responsibility.

Functional Responsibilities

To achieve its goals, The UN Futures Lab (UNFL) is recruiting a Programme Management Specialist (Foresight Specialist) based in Helsinki, Finland. The role contributes to catalyzing transformation in the UN. It will do so by strengthening anticipatory capacities, supporting the understanding of emerging issues as well as their impacts on the UN’s mandates and priorities, collaborating closely with a diversity of internal and external partners. The incumbent will identify and apply foresight methodologies, tools and processes to tackle challenges across the UN Family, connecting human rights, peace and security and development.

The incumbent will be responsible for developing the new foresight workstream including but not limited to the provision of substantive and technical expertise, identifying and implementing concepts, services, and processes. The incumbent will gradually build a standing strategic foresight capacity and develop an experiment pipeline. S(he) will also ensure continuous alignment with wider UNGP’s performance indicators and the strategic priorities of the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General (EOSG).

The role will collaborate with people within and outside of the UN Family. It will elicit research questions from a diversity of stakeholders and will plan and execute sensing and scanning activities. Using diverse data sets and working with a wide range of people and organisations the role will identify trends and patterns within which it will be able to develop insights and products supporting decision making.

The incumbent will need to drive cross-disciplinary approaches with inter alia data & behavioural scientists, service design & policy experts. It will bridge forecasting and foresight, quantitative and qualitative methods in a complementary manner, provide guidelines and policy inputs that promote and incorporate ethical and safe practices.

Occasional travel and field missions may be required, as conditions allow.

The incumbent will work under the supervision of Head of the Global Hub and will be responsible for the following duties: 1. Team management and Strategic Direction 2. Strategic Development and Research and Analysis 3. Knowledge Creation, Capacity Building and Reporting 4. Communication and Partnerships

1. Team Management and Strategic Direction - Coordinate and guide the work of the internal team and external contributors, including consultants and the related contractual and supervisory responsibilities - Strategic development and oversight of the foresight work stream including its alignment with the overall vision & objectives of the UNFL Network & EOSG;

2. Strategic Development and Research and Analysis - Development & oversight of a strategic foresight experiments portfolio. This will include the creation of a pipeline of emerging needs and projects together with internal and external partners; - Provision of technical expertise across the foresight value chain, including data scanning, analysis & sensemaking, and visualisation of insights; - Ensure strategic integration of foresight with and across programmatic objectives and processes supporting broader organisational transformation goals; - Ensure the adoption of tools and processes to specific contexts, employing methods and approaches that promote inclusive, safe and ethical approaches; - Manage budgets and procurement activities supported by the administrative staff; - Development of foresight product roadmaps. These will support sustainable adoption, contextualisation, uptake and continuous development of new foresight offerings and services; - Maintain knowledge of technologies, trends, developments and approaches applied in futures and foresight;

3. Knowledge Creation, Capacity Building and Reporting - Absorb foresight capacity development tasks targeting internal and external partners, including documentation of best practices, developing tools, resources, training, guidelines and policy development; - Ongoing monitoring and reporting tasks, development of M&E and portfolio impact management approaches;

4. Communication and Partnerships - Create impactful visualizations, communications and engagements around emerging trends and issues catering for the senior UN decision-makers and agenda setters; - Strategic communications, partnerships, resource mobilisation, and expert ecosystem development in the substantive area; - Represent The UN Futures Lab (UNFL) at events, workshops and conferences as required; - Planning and facilitating co-creation sessions with diverse groups of stakeholders;

Impact of Results Support UN leadership, including country operations, in accessing futures and foresight capacity to identify emerging risks and opportunities, develop mitigation strategies, and inform strategic planning contributing to the overall vision and mission of the UN The UN Futures Lab (UNFL)

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above) Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

*********FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY****

*CANDIDATES WITH NO UNITED NATIONS OR UNOPS EXPERIENCE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY**** Education: - Advanced university degree (Master's degree) preferably in International Development, Computational Social Sciences, Social Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Economics, Interaction Design or another relevant discipline. - A first university degree (Bachelor's degree) and an additional two years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Required experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in any combination of strategic planning/development/consulting and/or project or product management, strategic foresight, innovation, data, development, innovation or design research, digital development or other related fields.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience on futures and foresight work in organizational settings.

Desired experience: The following experience is optional. Candidates who do not have it are welcome to apply

• Experience working in the humanitarian and development sectors, including experience in international organisations or government contexts or sub-government entities, such as think tanks or innovation accelerators.
• Experience in working in a developing country context on planning and implementing multi-stakeholder innovation programmes.
• Track record of delivering high-quality research, analysis (preferably quantitative and qualitative approaches) and communicating the insights through accessible multimedia formats for action and results.
• Ability to manage relationships with partners, including government, universities, UN organisations, NGOs, and the private sector.
• Experience with computational social sciences, scripting, coding algorithms, and web design required for data access, analysis, and presentation.
• Experience in evaluating, adapting, sharing and scaling digital innovation for development and humanitarian outcomes.
• Experience working with agile project management and portfolio management
• Experience in working at a startup or intrapreneurial position in an emerging organisational context.

Language Requirements: - Fluency in English (write, speak, read) is required. - Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.

Contract type, level and duration

• Contract type: Fixed-term staff contract
• Contract level: P3
• Contract duration: 'One year initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability'

For more details about United Nations staff contracts, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/UN-Staff-Contracts.aspx

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.