Back Quality Assurance Specialist, Quality Programming (Home-Based)

Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the United Nations Development System (UNDS) and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQs, regional bureaus/hubs and country offices 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. 

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has corporate responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Together with the Crisis Bureau, BPPS forms the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of global experts and practitioners providing timely development advice, delivering support to Country Offices and programme countries in a coherent manner to connect countries to the world of knowledge, resources and networks of best practice they need to achieve development breakthroughs.

The Quality Programming in BPPS focuses on assisting UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  It seeks to do so by enabling UNDP and others to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven by identifying, testing, learning, sharing and institutionalizing what works, including through effective development cooperation, and higher quality UNDP programming.  It acts as a hub on all aspects of results-based management and development performance monitoring and analysis as well as a hub that identifies, collects, and share ideas on new and better ways of working across the UNDP network, social innovators, and the development community. 

The Quality Programming in BPPS aims to deepen UNDP’s and the international community’s understanding of what works and what does not work in effecting development change at country level in UNDP’s Strategic Plan programme priority areas, and how this understanding can drive knowledge creation and dissemination, innovation and scaling up, and more productive partnerships.

Quality assurance is an essential element of UNDP’s programming to support the organization in meeting stakeholders’ expectations and achieving higher programmatic results.

Reporting directly to the Team Leader of the Quality Programming Team, which sits within the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and forms part of the Global Policy Network. The assurance specialist will collaborate closely with colleagues across key UNDP units—including Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning—as well as with Regional Bureaux and Country Offices, to provide integrated support and oversight for high-quality, coherent programming, portfolio and project management. 

Scope of Work 

The Specialist will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Quality Compliance and Learning

• Provide support to Country Offices (COs) and Regional Bureaux to ensure the smooth execution of quality assurance processes.
• Act as a key coordination point with policy specialists and technical leads to produce high-quality briefing notes, talking points, presentations, and technical summaries in preparation for internal governance forums (e.g., Executive group, Organizational Performance group meetings-OPG), the UNDP Risk Committee, and Executive Board sessions.
• Ensure effective coordination of management responses and action plans related to corporate audit and evaluation recommendations, including those concerning the Programme and Project Management (PPM) system, enterprise risk management, private sector due diligence, and ERP implementation.
• Coordinate the planning and delivery of capacity-building initiatives—such as webinars, clinics, and community-of-practice meetings—in close collaboration with Regional Bureaux, Central Bureaux, Hubs, and COs.
• Identify common trends, challenges, and capacity gaps across regions, and channel insights into strategic planning, global policy guidance, and knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Contribute to learning agendas that foster a culture of continuous improvement, adaptive programming, and results-based management.
• Support the development and ongoing enhancement of digital risk assessment tools and dashboards in partnership with relevant business owners.
• Strengthen corporate oversight by conducting spot-checks and reviews of project quality assurance processes.
• Monitor policy and procedural compliance, analyze quality data, and provide actionable reports and recommendations to promote organizational learning.
• Respond to queries and troubleshoot issues, ensuring timely and effective support to CO and Regional Bureau counterparts.
• Collect and analyze user feedback to inform iterative improvements to systems, procedures, and tools.
• Foster user buy-in and uptake of policy, procedural, and system innovations.
• Support the development, maintenance, and dissemination of project quality assurance systems and tools, including guidance materials and FAQs.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and regularly update online toolkits and knowledge resources.
• Perform other related duties as required.

  Policy Compliance 

  • Support the review and analysis of inputs to relevant documents, policies, and procedures.
  • Facilitate the preparation of briefs for senior management by conducting research on assigned topics, analyzing data, and synthesizing findings into clear and concise summaries.
  • Assist in the analysis of project quality assurance data to inform reporting and promote organizational learning.

    Programme Quality Assurance and Clearance 

    • Support the appraisal of Country Programme Documents (CPDs) and assist Regional Bureaux and Country Offices throughout the CPD quality assurance and clearance processes.
    • Facilitate team engagement with Regional Bureaux and Executive Board Secretariat focal points to ensure the timely submission of final CPDs and programme extensions for Executive Board clearance.
    • Coordinate the execution of the CPD clearance mechanism by establishing and communicating timelines, following up with counterparts, and ensuring the timely submission of required documentation.
    • Conduct quality assurance reviews and clear final CPD packages prior to their submission to the Executive Board Secretariat.
    • Maintain and update corporate records related to CPDs and extensions, including tracking quality assurance scores and keeping the relevant website and document repositories current.

      In addition to the above, the quality assurance specialist may be assigned other duties as needed, to support the Quality Programming Team’s evolving priorities and contribute to broader institutional effectiveness. 

       Institutional Arrangement

      Supporting several different risk management related work across the BPPS/Quality programming Team, this role reports to the Team Leader of the quality Programming team, collaborates closely with the rest of the Quality Programming Team.

      Competencies

      Core

      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 

      Thematic Area

      Name

      Definition

      2030 Agenda Engagement and Effectiveness

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

      Effectiveness 
      
       

      Quality Assurance

      2030 Agenda Engagement and Effectiveness

      Effectiveness
      
       

      Capacity Building, lessons learning and Corporate Data

      2030 Agenda Engagement and Effectiveness

      Effectiveness
      
       

      Audit and Evaluation 

      Digital & Innovation 

      Behaviour change communication/communication for development 

      Knowledge of appropriate digital communication methodologies for development and behavior change, and ability to apply them practically 

      Digital & Innovation

      Digital learning & Development

      Knowledge of digital learning methods and ability to design and develop digital learning programmes.

      Business Management

      Digital Awareness and Literacy

      Ability and inclination to rapidly adopt new technologies, either through skillfully grasping their usage or through understanding their impact and empowering others to use them as needed.

      Digital & Innovation

      Data Analysis

      Ability to extract, analyze and visualize data (including Real-Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision-making.  

      Minimum Qualifications 

      Min. Academic Education   

      • Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in social policy, public policy, politics, economics, development studies, or related fields.
      • First-level university degree (bachelor's degree) in the mentioned fields, combined with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be considered in lieu of a master’s degree. 

        Min. years of relevant Work experience  

        • 5 years (with a master's degree) or 7 years (with a bachelor's degree) of progressive experience in policy or program management at international or academics institutions 

          Required skills and competencies              

          • Proven experience in programme and/or project quality assurance, ensuring adherence to standards and continuous improvement.
          • Demonstrated ability in change management, including fostering the adoption of new initiatives requiring the buy-in of diverse stakeholders across organizational levels.
          • Skilled in developing practical guidance, training materials, communication content, and digital tools to support policy implementation and learning.
          • Experienced in designing and facilitating training sessions, workshops, and capacity-building initiatives for staff and partners to strengthen institutional knowledge and operational effectiveness.
          • Strong track record in managing complex projects and international partnerships, with a focus on timely delivery, quality outputs, and stakeholder coordination.
          • Proficient in creating and delivering webinars and online learning modules tailored to diverse audiences.
          • Adept at synthesizing data, preparing concise reports and briefings, and offering actionable insights to inform strategic decision-making and risk management

            Desired additional skills and competencies       

            • Previous experience working with international, multi-stakeholder processes and initiatives, demonstrating strong coordination and diplomacy skills.
            • Familiarity with UN and UNDP programming frameworks, policies, and procedures is a distinct advantage.

              Required Language(s) (at working level) 

              • Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
              • Working level in written and spoken in French is highly desired
              • Working knowledge of one other official UN language would be an asset.

                Equal opportunity

                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.

                Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

                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. 

                Right to select multiple candidates

                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.

                Scam alert

                UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.