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Institutional Effectiveness Specialist (P3) [Open to Tier 0, 1 & 2 applicants]
Better Than Cash
New York, USA
Posted on Apr 23, 2026
Tiered Approach
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:
- Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
- Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
- Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
- Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.
Background
General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyze an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.
As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilizes its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.
As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, United Nations Organizations, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilize and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways in order to mobilize investments flows from other sources, in particular from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognize the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders. UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including:
• SME Finance
• Sub-National Finance
• Digital Finance
UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are located in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Institutional Effectiveness Specialist will support the Chief Operations Officer in strengthening institutional effectiveness across the organization, including audit coordination, internal control frameworks, and oversight of core operational functions. The Specialist will lead organizational performance monitoring, analysis, and improvement, ensuring alignment between strategic priorities, operational plans, and delivery. The position contributes to enhancing clarity of roles, responsibilities, and workflows across divisions, identifying performance gaps and operational risks, and facilitating coordination to ensure coherent implementation of policies, processes, and systems.
UNCDF adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across
interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNCDF personnel are expected to work across units, functions,
teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.
1. Provide Audit Coordination and Assurance:
- Support the COO in fulfilling the audit focal point function through coordination and management of corporate and project audits.
- Maintain an organization-wide overview of audit planning, implementation, and follow-up, in coordination with regional teams and relevant HQ functions.
- Monitor the implementation of audit recommendations and track management responses to ensure timely follow-up and accountability.
- Support organizational audit preparedness through coordination with relevant HQ and regional teams.
- Identify recurring audit findings, systemic risks, and control gaps, and support the development of corrective actions and strengthening of internal control frameworks.
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Support the escalation of critical audit risks and implementation challenges to senior management.
2. Strengthen Organizational Governance and Management Processes:
- Support the COO in strengthening organizational governance arrangements, management processes, and accountability frameworks to enhance operational effectiveness.
- Work in collaboration with Division Heads to improve clarity of roles, responsibilities, decision-making authority, and end-to-end workflows, promoting cross-functional alignment and coordination.
- Support the review, standardization, and continuous improvement of internal policies, procedures, and operational processes to reinforce the internal control framework and ensure compliance with organizational priorities and requirements.
3. Provide Oversight of Core Operational Functions:
- Support the COO in the coordination, management, and oversight of core operational functions, with particular focus on human resources, procurement, asset management, and related enabling services.
- Maintain a high-level overview of operational systems, processes, and workflows across HR, procurement, and asset management to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and operational needs.
- Monitor trends, risks, and capacity gaps in HR, procurement, and asset management functions, and flag systemic issues requiring senior management attention.
4. Lead Organizational Performance Monitoring, Analysis, and Improvement:
- Lead the development, maintenance, and refinement of organizational performance monitoring frameworks, including key performance indicators (KPIs), management tracking tools, and dashboards.
- Monitor progress against organizational priorities, operational plans, and core enabling functions, identifying performance gaps, risks, emerging issues, and delivery constraints.
- Lead performance analysis to diagnose root causes of implementation challenges and provide actionable recommendations for corrective actions and improvements.
- Prepare concise analytical summaries, dashboards, and performance insights to inform senior management decision-making and prioritization.
- Strengthen alignment between strategic priorities, operational plans, and organizational performance monitoring practices.
5. Ensure provision of top quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management:
- Identify policy-driven issues; and identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme country policy goals.
- Establish/strengthen national and international advocacy networks. Implement relevant, high -impact advocacy with key partners.
- Coordinate and ensure integrated support in development of policies and institutions to address country problems and needs in collaboration with the Government and other strategic partners.
- Support policy advisory services that contribute to inclusive societal digital transformation and take digital technology risks and opportunities or futures signals into account.
- Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks, communities of practice, and digital knowledge platforms.
- Organize and deliver training for the operations/ projects staff on programme related matters.
The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: None
Competencies
Core Competencies - UNDP Core Competencies can be found here.
- 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:
Business Direction & Strategy - Strategic Thinking:
Develop effective strategies and prioritised plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
Business Direction & Strategy - Systems Thinking:
- 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
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
Data - Data Analysis:
- Ability to extract, analyse and visualize data (including Real‑Time Data) to form meaningful insights and aid effective decision‑making.
Business Management - 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 with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio management.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Public Administration, Management, Economics, International Development, International Relations, or a related field is required, OR
- A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years (with a Master’s degree) or 7 years (with a Bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience in organizational performance monitoring, governance, internal controls, data analysis, and operational oversight is required.
- Demonstrated experience in coordinating and supporting senior management in audit processes, internal control frameworks, and organizational compliance mechanisms is required.
- Experience in data analysis, including the interpretation of complex organizational data and identify trends, gaps, and actionable insights is required.
- Prior experience working with or within UN agencies, multilateral development organizations, or public-sector institutions is desirable.
- Experience in working remotely with teams in different locations and divisions is desirable.
- Experience in process mapping, preferably in investments, and streamlining processes is desirable.
- Proven track record of strong understanding of business process improvement projects and digital technologies with some hands-on experience in these areas is an advantage.
- Experience in creating presentation decks with extensive usage of MS Power Point and Excel will be an asset.
- Experience supporting senior management is required.
Language:
- Fluency in English is required.
- Working knowledge of another UN language is desired.
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.
Use of AI by candidates
Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection
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.
#LI-DNI
The Institutional Effectiveness Specialist will support the Chief Operations Officer in strengthening institutional effectiveness across the organization, including audit coordination, internal control frameworks, and oversight of core operational functions. The Specialist will lead organizational performance monitoring, analysis, and improvement, ensuring alignment between strategic priorities, operational plans, and delivery. The position contributes to enhancing clarity of roles, responsibilities, and workflows across divisions, identifying performance gaps and operational risks, and facilitating coordination to ensure coherent implementation of policies, processes, and systems.