• Provide timely policy advice on UNV-promulgated Volunteer policies and UN policies affecting UN Volunteers, including UNDP POPPs and Memorandum of Understanding (Mo U) with UN Host Entities.
• Ensure policy compliance through UNV’s Service Desk to internal and external stakeholders.
• Undertake the review, formulation, and update of the Volunteer policy framework, based on evolving needs and feedback from headquarters’ units, Regional Offices and Field Units, as well as relevant partners.
• Assess policy deviations in line with UNDP Enterprise Risk Management policy and procedures.
• Identify Volunteer policy gaps and areas of potential risk due to policy vacuum, trends in the UN system, and/or crisis and other altered operational contexts in order to propose, formulate, and draft strategic and tailored policy amendments, administrative guidelines, and other policy instruments.
• Develop and implement feedback mechanisms to gather reliable data and provide analysis on efficiency and effectiveness of existing policy and associated guidance notes and tools.
• Analyze, advise, and guide Volunteer policy implementation, evaluations as well as audit responses to assess, review, and update policy framework in full alignment with organizational aims.
• Research, analyze and prepare analytical briefs for senior management’s consideration in support of proposed policy refinement.

• Review external UN policies to assess the suitability for integration in the Volunteer policy framework.
• Review Volunteer policy coherence and integration into products and systems, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Contract, Offer, Description of Assignments (Do As) for UN Volunteers.
• Lead the formulation of new policy initiatives including quality assurance for Unified Conditions of Service (UCOS), Online Volunteering Terms of Use (To U), Special Programme Initiatives (SPIs), Joint Partner Initiatives (JPIs), piloted initiatives, and exception requests based on organizational priorities and evolving needs.
• Provide timely guidanceand advice onapplying policies, procedures, and necessary supporting documentation for volunteer management to internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee maintenance and periodic review of the comprehensive Volunteer policies, including UCOS, To U and other Volunteer policies.
• Facilitate internal and external consultations on the policy review, proposed changes, and updates in the volunteer policies, including UCOS and other relevant policies.
• Organize and implement revised policy roll-out process through detailed guidance notes, knowledge tools, communication materials, and briefings with relevant internal and external stakeholders to ensure coherence in policy implementation and application.
• Contribute to and participate in policy dialogue through cross-regional and cross-UN system exchange of knowledge and collaboration and in partnership with relevant headquarters units.

• Contribute to UNV’s innovation and knowledge generation through continuous research and networking to conceptualize, draft, and guide technical inputs for the Section’s policy platform.
• Support the identification and documentation of key lessons and practices for capacity building and cross fertilization for strengthened policy compliance and efficient and effective Volunteer management.
• Participate in onboarding, regional workshops, and other learning activities for UN Volunteers and UNV personnel, including development of training materials and their delivery.
• Contribute to relevant communities of practice to capture emerging trends and enhance policy formulation.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

• Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

• Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

• Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

• Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross-Functional & Technical Competencies

• 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.

Portfolio management

• Ability to select, prioritise 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 optimising return on investment.

Strategic Thinking

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP and UNV’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities, linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions.
• Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP/UNV.

Effective Decision Making

• Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources.

Communication

• Ability to 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.

• Ability to design compensation plans which are aligned to current and future organization needs and market conditions; knowledge of and ability to apply the ICSC compensation methodologies and principles. Knowledge of and ability to design benefits-related processes, programmes, and tools, including benefit enrolment and amendments

• Understanding of the legal norms as applied to the United Nations in general, and to UNDP in particular. This includes an understanding of the structure, functioning and operations of UNDP within the broader UN system and the application of international treaties, including the UN Charter, GA resolutions, the relevant basic country assistance agreement and UN system-wide legal instruments, as well as an understanding of the internal legal framework (financial regulations and rules, policies, and procedures) of UNDP.

• Only short-listed applicants will be contacted;
• The successful candidate will hold a UNDP letter of appointment;