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

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

The Joint SDG Fund supports countries as they accelerate their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It operates through joint programmes (JPs) that provide the mechanism for transformative solutions implemented by governments and national stakeholders and supported by the UN Country Team led by Resident Coordinators (RCs). Strategic direction for the Fund is provided by the Strategic Advisory Group chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General as the chair of UN Sustainable Development Group. The Fund is managed by the Operational Steering Committee, comprised of representatives of UN entities, and with the support from the Secretariat of the Fund. The UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) hosts the Fund and provides for the alignment with the broader UN Development System reforms. The Administrative Agent of the Fund, in charge of financial management, is the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF-O). Official documents (e.g. Terms of Reference and Operational Guidance) of the Fund and information on funding can be found on the Gateway portal.

To advance the dual mandate of supercharging the UN Development System reform to be fit for purpose and, in turn, supporting the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Fund incentivizes coherent and coordinated join UN action, anchored in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks at country level under the leadership of Resident Coordinator (RC). Serving as the catalytic funding to piece together emerging policy priorities and financing strategies, the Fund aims to galvanize the UN Country Teams around integrated policies and identify the fiscal space to overcome the political and financial hurdles to scale and accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

The Joint SDG Fund adopts a portfolio approach focused on the key SDG transitions of digital, food systems, social protection & jobs, energy, education and climate action to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, the Secretariat team is expected to work across units, functions, teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

Within this framework, the Portfolio and Partnership Management Specialist will manage the Seef Funding Track (SFT) portfolio lifecycle extracting evidence and lessons and support the development and implementation of high-impact funding rounds. S/he will lead partnership development with Japan, building on the Fund’s strategic engagement at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) which was held in 2025, and contribute to the Fund’s visibility and positioning in relevant global fora.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Team Leader, Impact and Efficiency and in close collaboration with the Secretariat’s Programme and Partnerships teams, the Portfolio and Partnership Management Specialist will contribute to the effective management and strategic positioning of the Fund’s portfolio.

The position will operate across three mutually reinforcing pillars: (1) Portfolio Management and Operational Support; (2) Results Analysis and Knowledge Management; and (3) Partnership Development.

1.Portfolio Management and Operational Support 

  • Lead comprehensive oversight and lifecycle management of the Seef Funding Track (SFT) portfolio, ensuring efficient implementation, quality progress and final reporting, systematic closure, and alignment with the Fund’s results framework.
  • Provide operational guidance, direction and technical advisory services to Resident Coordinator Offices (RCOs)/UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to address implementation challenges and facilitate coordination with UN system partners to mobilize expertise, ensuring coherence with the Fund’s strategic focus and evolving priorities. 
  • Support the development and implementation of recent and upcoming funding rounds for high-impact programmes, integrating insights and lessons learned from the SFT portfolio.
  • Contribute to portfolio tracking and results measurement through data analytics and dashboards, monitoring progress, trends, and risks and foreseeing potential challenges. 

2.Facilitate Results Analysis and Knowledge Management

  • Conduct systematic assessments of programme results across the SFT portfolio, including thematic areas of digital, food systems, social protection, energy transitions and education, identifying emerging patterns, promising models, and lessons for scale-up.
  • Perform analysis of transformative practices and innovative approaches captured in the SFT portfolio and ensure collection and validation of critical knowledge to inform future programming.
  • Contribute to development of knowledge products, thematic briefs, and/or analytical papers that showcase achievements and synthesize lessons learned from the SFT portfolio. 
  • Identify and address implementation challenges and administrative bottlenecks and provide technical inputs to strengthen the Fund’s operational processes. 

3.Develop Strategic Partnership 

  • Guide the development and advancement of partnerships with Japanese government bodies, development agencies, financial institutions, private sector entities, and innovative financing mechanisms, building on collaboration initiated through TICAD 9 and other platforms.
  • Facilitate policy dialogues and strategic convenings that demonstrate the Fund's value proposition to relevant stakeholders and foster sustained institutional partnerships. 
  • Prepare briefing materials and talking points for high-level engagements, highlighting the SFT portfolio results, and updates and partnership opportunities of relevant funding rounds. 
  • Monitor changes in the development financing landscape to maintain Fund relevance and contribute to boarder partnership development and outreach efforts of the Secretariat. 

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

Institutional Arrangement

The Portfolio and Partnership Management Specialist will report to the Team Leader, Impact and Efficiency at the Joint SDG Fund Secretariat. The Secretariat of the Joint SDG Fund is hosted within the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, New York, USA. 

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
Business Direction & Strategy Business Acumen
  • Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome Ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks. Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization.
 Digital  Systems thinking & transformation
  • Understand that complex problems need a non- reductionistic, holistic approach. Ability to explore challenges from multiple perspectives by zooming in and out, with a focus on relationships and flows rather than individual elements; understand how certain dynamics and conditions are driving and influencing an issue
Business Direction & Strategy System 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 Development Integration within the UN
  • Ability to identify, and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations
Business Management Results-based Management
  • Ability to manage the implementation of strategies, programmes, and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results. Knowledge and understanding of relevant theories, concepts, methodologies, instruments, and tools.
Business Management Project Management
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Digital Portfolio design & Management
  • Ability to identify leverage points in systems and design interventions that address them. The value of the interventions is determined not in isolation, but as part of the overall portfolio and their coherence.
  • Ability to design processes that extract learning on an ongoing basis from existing portfolios, so that learning accrues over time and new options for action are continuously generated.
  • Build a learning ecosystem around a complex development challenge: being able to mobilise a variety of stakeholders and help them learn and work together.
  • Understand key principles of systems and complexity theory.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements
  • Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Public Administration, International Development, Development Management, or related fields is required; or
  • A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) in the above-mentioned fields combined with additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Min. years of relevant work experience 

A minimum of 5 years (with a master's degree) or 7 years (with a bachelor's degree) of progressively responsible experience in portfolio or programme management within the UN system or other international organizations is required.  
Required skills 
  • Proven experience in project/programme design, management, monitoring and reporting, preferably in the context of international cooperation.
  • Track record of experience building and facilitating collaboration with a wide range of partners and stakeholders in multi-cultural settings.
  • Experience in working with global/regional funds, initiatives and institutions in the context of sustainable development. 
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section
  • Experience or familiarity with the UN System, particularly in the context of inter-agency collaboration. 
  • Demonstrated experience in portfolio or programme management in the context of developing countries or emerging markets.
  • Proven experience in managing or coordinating donor-funded programmes or projects.
Required Language(s) 
  • Fluency in English is required.

Desired Language(s)
  • Fluency in Japanese is an asset.
  • Working knowledge of another UN official language is 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.

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