- Experimentation. This role focuses on rapid learning about emerging challenges through the design and running of a portfolio of experiments that align with the type of challenges that UNDP is tasked with solving;
- Solutions mapping: This role applies ethnographic and sociological methods to study community dynamics, identify and work with lead users, and capture bottom-up solutions to design policies;
- Exploration: This role focuses on detecting and making sense of emerging trends and understanding their potential for systemic impact and risk. It also aims to connect local dynamics to broader national, regional and global trends, and understand how diverse partnerships can accelerate progress towards the SDGs.
Horizon scanning and intelligence for the Accelerator Lab:
- Identify, visualize and communicate emerging development trends, data, technologies and issues with a particular focus on the edges and “below the radar screen” events, opportunities and players, and systemically map their impacts on economy, environment, society, and livelihoods of the poorest;
- Identify new sources of evidence and insights, analyze and visualize patterns in unstructured sources of data, present new insights in accessible and comprehensive ways to enable sensemaking and analysis;
- Proactively explore and identify the new methods/approaches and frontier knowledge to tackle development challenges, collaborate with the Experimentation lead to turn these into learning options for addressing specific policy issues in the country;
- Provide technical guidance for horizon scanning, foresight and data analysis for colleagues and partners;
- Contribute to the formulation of the Accelerator Lab service lines to the UNDP Country Programme based on findings from horizon scanning, systems’ mapping, and local knowledge;
- Contribute to UNDP Country Office resource mobilization.
Tapping into new data sources:
- Set up partnerships with private sector companies such as mobile network operators to gain access to anonymized data sets that can be used for sustainable development;
- Demonstrate through exploratory tests the utility of new data sources for UNDP’s development work;
- Create partnerships for analyses of real time and other data to better inform decisions and policies;
- Design and deliver workshops, tools, or platforms that tap into the collective intelligence of communities and mobilize action;
- Proactively manage risks with using data and technology, including those related to ethics and privacy;
- Transform unstructured data sets into insights for UNDP and partners.
Working out loud:
- Share findings from the exploration on future trends, new methodologies/approaches, potential partnership,and others within UNDP and with partners;
- Proactively use blog posts and social media to share insights, attract partners and help position Accelerator Lab at the forefront of the exploration of new trends;
- Liaise with UNDP’s global Accelerator Lab network and share learnings and insights from the country-specific experience;
- Jointly with the UNDP CO, support Lab partners to develop an emerging pipeline of new initiatives, support other activities related to the design and operation of the Lab.
Organizational learning and support to the core business of UNDP:
- Set up tools and partnerships to transform information into actionable intelligence;
- Design and deliver horizon scanning trainings for partners and UNDP, help embed horizon scanning and attention to the ‘edge’ activities in the CO and with the partners;
- Work together with your Accelerator Lab colleagues and experts to codify and advance the Accelerator Lab practice and exploration in particular;
- Organize and implement knowledge sharing and network events;
- Lead other activities related to the design and operations of the Accelerator Lab;
- Design and deliver engaging and meaningful methods for reflection on learning from explorations.
Core:
- Innovation - Ability to make new and useful ideas work;
- Leadership - Ability to persuade others to follow;
- People Management - Ability to improve performance and satisfaction;
- Communication - Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform;\
- Delivery - Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement.
Technical/Functional:
- Innovation - Ability to manage organizational resources and deployment in pursuit of innovation approaches and initiatives; Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise.
Education:
- Master’s degree in Anthropology, Economics, Data science, Sociology, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science, Business Intelligence, or related field and minimum of 2 years of professional experience in development programming or policy; social innovation; partnership building; engagement (public and private sector) and/or resource mobilization
OR
- Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Economics, Data science, Sociology, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science, Business Intelligence, or related field and minimum of 4 years of professional experience in development programming or policy; social innovation; partnership building; engagement (public and private sector) and/or resource mobilization
Experience:
- Professional roles using analytical capacity and presentation skills;
- Demonstrated capacity in partnership building;
- Demonstrated capacity in data analysis and visualization;
- Experience in digital transformations in private or public sector.
Experience in following areas is desirable but not necessary:
- Proven professional knowledge and experience in social innovation approaches such as Systems Thinking, Ethnography, Crowdsourcing, Collective Intelligence Design, Citizen Science, Positive Deviance, Social Network Analysis, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning;
- Demonstrated capacity to use open data, mobile data, geospatial data, drone & satellite data, citizen data for informing policy making, strategic planning, or programme design;
- Professional knowledge and experience in Future thinking and Foresight, Design Research, and/or Systems Mapping;
- Demonstrated access to networks of edge innovators.
Language Requirements:
- Proficiency in written and spoken Georgian and English.
Important applicant information
All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.
Applicant information about UNDP rosters
Note: 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.
Workforce diversity
UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
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Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension